Caroline's achievements as an MEP

Caroline achieved a great deal during her time as a Green Member of European Parliament, from 1999-2010:

Caroline Lucas MP with Keith Taylor MEP and Councillor
Alex Phillips

for you

  • Ensured better regulations for consumer goods
  • Won support for tougher laws on animal protection
  • Worked for urgent action on climate change and the environment
  • Promoted peace and human rights at home and abroad
  • Opposed the privatisation of public services and the closure of local post offices
  • Campaigned to end the Parliament’s wasteful two seat arrangement in Brussels and Strasbourg
  • Worked towards a more local, organic and sustainable food system
  • Ensured the health of EU citizens is put at the heart of European policy making
  • Demanded a global economy which puts people before profit
  • Promoted a fairer system of world trade to help reduce poverty

For women

  • Backed EU wide action to help ensure that women are guaranteed a life free from all violence
  • Secured support for the EU’s Cancer Task Force to investigate the environmental causes of cancer, especially breast cancer
  • Called on members of the European Union to ensure that all women can fully enjoy the right to reproductive and sexual health care and information
  • Campaigned for the EU to fund improvements to maternal health, specifically to prevent deaths in child birth, across the world
  • Challenged whether the UK’s lax licensing laws for lap dancing clubs are a breach of European legislation designed to promote equality of treatment in the workplace

For workers

  • Demanded a massive investment in green industry and employment training, to create hundreds of thousands of new green-collar jobs here in the UK
  • Called on the European Commission to review the impact of the Posted Workers Directive on national jobs
  • Lobbied the UK authorities about better protection for temporary workers, including guaranteeing the same basic working and employment conditions as other employees doing the same job
  • Backed EU plans to limit the working week, giving people the chance to opt for a better work-life balance
  • Worked alongside trade unions to challenge the privatisation of public services and the impact this has on workers rights and job security

For the LGBTQ community

  • Led a European Parliament campaign for mutual recognition of civil partnerships between different countries
  • Called on the European Commission to condemn LGBT oppression in places like Iran, Morocco, Egypt, Bahrain and Honduras
  • Backed calls for a new law that would outlaw hate crimes perpetrated against LGBT people
  • Urged the British government to offer asylum to those fleeing persecution because of their sexuality or gender identity
  • Placed pressure on Eastern European countries to fully support LGBT rights, including backing PRIDE marches

For older people

  • Called for a £165 a week non-means-tested citizens’ pension for every pensioner in the UK
  • Challenged the UK’s decision to withdraw entitlement to free adult education for many older people
  • Ensured that EU law on equality and employment protects older workers, by opposing a mandatory retirement age
  • Supported constituents whose pensions schemes have failed
  • Helped protect constituents’ right to health care when they retire and live some of the time in another European country

For younger people

  • Campaigned to protect higher and further education from being run for profit
  • Encouraged the EU to provide more funding for cross-cultural programmes between young people in different countries
  • Worked hard to ensure that the internet remains accessible to all
  • Called for a Europe wide strategy to combat the trafficking of children
  • Demanded that children seeking asylum in the UK are not kept in detention
  • Supported NGO initiatives to promote greater public understanding of younger people