Dear President von der Leyen,

Reacting to the European Parliament vote on the EU’s sustainability regulations package (Omnibus I) which rolls back hard-won climate and human rights protections, Eve Geddie Director of Amnesty International’s European Institutions Office said:

New polling by Ipsos reveals that a large majority of people (75%) across 10 European countries think it is important that the European Union (EU) uphold its own environmental laws.

In a letter to Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Ministers for the Environment of Member States of the Council of Europe, Amnesty International calls for a legally binding instrument guaranteeing the human right to a healthy environment.

Together with 16 other international human rights organizations, Amnesty International calls on EU leaders attending COP29, the 29th annual United Nations Climate Change Conference, in Baku, to raise directly with the Azerbaijani authorities the cases of those imprisoned on politically motivated grounds and aim to secure their release. In this joint statement, our organizations call on the EU to use the rare international spotlight of COP29 to speak publicly and achieve concrete improvements for civil society, independent media, and human rights defenders in the country.

On 1 August 2024, the long-awaited Artificial Intelligence (AI) Act enters into force, meaning that after years of negotiations, the AI Act is now an official EU law.

Ahead of the Swiss parliament’s vote on 5 June, concerning a motion not to further comply with the European Court of Human Rights’ (ECtHR) landmark ruling in the Senior Women for Climate case, Mandi Mudarikwa, Amnesty International’s Head of Strategic Litigation, said:

This blog is authored by Ann Harrison, Climate Advisor, Amnesty International; Amy Jacobsen, Legal Counsel Communications, Greenpeace International, Emma Pagliarusco, Advocacy Coordinator, Youth and Environment Europe; Camilla Pollera, Program Associate, Center for International Environmental Law, Katharina Rall, Senior Researcher, Human Rights Watch. It was first published by Healthy Environment Europe.

Ahead of the 133rd session of the Committee of Ministers, on 16-17 May 2024, Amnesty International wrote to Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Council of Europe member states and to Permanent Representatives to the Council of Europe, urging them to take action to further the recognition and protection of the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment within the Council of Europe.

Every five years, European citizens choose who represents them in the European Parliament, acting for their interests in the European Union (EU). The European Parliament elections play a decisive role in shaping the day-to-day lives and futures of millions of people. From 6 to 9 June 2024, people across Europe will be making their voice heard and decide on the direction the EU will take.

Amnesty International and 216 civil society organisations, social movements and Indigenous Peoples Organizations co-signed a letter calling for the swift recognition of the human right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment through an additional Protocol to the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms.

On 28 February, the EU Council failed to endorse the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) which marks a deplorable setback for corporate accountability and the protection of Human Rights and the environment worldwide.