The ongoing health crisis is having a devastating impact on Europe’s restaurants, cafés and bars. With the prospect of a third wave, the sector is in urgent need of a consistent policy strategy that goes beyond closures and immediate financial relief.
As the European Commission fleshes out its Green Deal policy unveiled by Ursula von der Leyen one year ago, companies are looking at how they fit into the picture.
Now that the EU has raised its 2030 emissions reduction target from 40% to 55%, questions are being asked about how utility operators can make the changes necessary to transform the energy system.
As the European Union seeks to transition to a ‘circular economy’, the policy focus in 2021 will turn to products: how they are designed, and why so many seem to be made to throw away.
The lower carbon intensity of natural gas – which produces half the emissions of coal when burned in power plants – and the emergence of new technologies like hydrogen are setting gas apart from other fossil fuels in the clean energy transition.
Companies doing business in Europe may soon have to ensure their packaging contains a minimum amount of recycled plastic. But getting their hands on quality recycled materials in sufficient quantity is currently difficult.
For decades, the standard approach to production and consumption has been “ make, use, dispose”. How can the EU ensure that all products placed on the EU market become increasingly sustainable.
Deposit return and extended producer responsibility schemes are everywhere in the EU but have very different rules. Does this present a barrier to meeting the EU’s recycling objectives?
Jan Huitema, who is in charge of guiding the circular economy strategy through the European Parliament, says his report will include requirements for products to contain a minimum amount of recycled material.
The EU’s circular economy plan aims to halve municipal waste in the next decade by increasing recycling rates. Can companies boost the use of recycled plastics in time to meet the target?
While automakers are busy making plans to roll out electric vehicles, the existing car fleet will continue relying on traditional fuels for many years to come, the industry says, arguing in favour of biofuels to achieve CO2 cuts in the short term.
The European Commission will come out with a big push for hydrogen early next month, but there are concerns about whether existing infrastructure can meet the demand.
Small communities are becoming energy self-sufficient with clean-burning hydrogen gas generated from wind power. The question now for Europe is whether it can be replicated on a larger scale.
The country’s vast forests and marshes should play an important role in decarbonisation efforts, according to a 2035 outlook from Russian energy company Lukoil.
A fund originally conceived to convince Poland to sign up to the EU’s 2050 climate target has now turned into one of the most contentious aspects of both the Green Deal and the long-term EU budget.
Ahead of a much-anticipated ‘Farm to Fork’ strategy to accompany the EU Green Deal, some EU policymakers say Europe’s food should be protected from American pressure.
Foreign competition and access to raw materials top the agenda for steelmakers and other basic industries as they await European Commission plans to accompany the EU Green Deal.
Glass is irreplaceable in buildings, making it a key part of the solution to unlock energy savings and help reach Europe's decarbonisation targets. But it's also an energy-intensive industry, for which no immediate clean energy alternative is available.
Cristian Bușoi, the chair of the European Parliament’s industry and energy committee, says MEPs are eager for a far-reaching strategy from the European Commission.
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![Plastic ready to be recycled in the yard of a company specialising in ecological treatments. [Moreno Soppelsa/Shutterstock].](https://www.euractiv.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2014/05/shutterstock-101127223.jpeg)
