Two people are dead and five are still missing as hope for their survival wanes after an explosion rocked an industrial park in the western German city of Leverkusen on Tuesday (27 July) morning, sending dark plumes of smoke into the sky.
Energy poverty could be exacerbated ad prices rise under the European Commission's proposed revamped emissions trading scheme, the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) has warned, with other stakeholders raising similar misgivings.
Germany and the US struck a compromise on Wednesday (21 July) over the construction of the Russian-backed Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. According to the deal, Germany will provide assistance for Ukraine's energy security, with an initial donation of €148.3 million.
European industries covered by the EU's future carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM) have expressed doubts about the proposal, tabled last week. In addition to border measures, they are calling for an export rebate scheme to help green EU products compete on global markets.
Industry in Germany watched the presentation of the European Commission’s new package of energy and climate laws with bated breath on Wednesday (14 July), expressing worries about a reform of the EU’s carbon market that could see free CO2 pollution...
EU climate chief Frans Timmermans faced lawmakers in the European Parliament on Wednesday (14 July), hours after the European Commission presented a new legislative package aimed at reaching the EU's 2030 climate goals.
A row in Germany over a carbon tax on heating and transport fuels has revealed some of the issues that Europe may soon be confronted with when extending its own carbon market to road transport and housing.
Europe’s offshore wind industry has reported high growth rates in 2020, but now that EU member states are putting the finishing touches on their maritime spatial plans, fisheries could put the brakes on the expansion. The offshore wind industry recorded...
Unlike the steel and cement industry, the glass sector has a clear path towards decarbonising its processes: electrification. Yet renewable electricity is scarcer than the industry would like, raising concerns about its ability to meet EU climate goals.
The EU’s emissions trading scheme – which establishes the world’s largest carbon market – is often described as the crown jewel of EU climate policy. Now it is up for revision and all eyes are on the European Commission's draft plan.
Germany’s largest refinery hosts the largest electrolyser of its kind in Europe, built by Shell and the EU. The Anglo-Dutch oil major is already looking towards building an electrolyser ten times larger by 2024 with the aim of supplying German industry with green hydrogen.
The German hydrogen strategy, which inspired the EU's own hydrogen roadmap, has come under fire domestically for placing too much emphasis on “green” hydrogen and endangering the country's industrial decarbonisation process.
The world’s largest chemicals company, Germany's BASF, has forged partnerships with energy groups Vattenfall and RWE to build its own offshore wind farms in a bid to secure sufficient amounts of renewable energy for its chemical plants in Northern Europe.
The European Parliament adopted the EU's long-term budget regional support plan at a plenary on Wednesday (23 June). Some EU lawmakers, however, were disappointed at the lack of support for cross-border projects and the lack of ability to monitor spending.
The European Parliament on Thursday (24 June) gave its thumbs up to the EU's landmark climate law, despite opposition from the Greens who said the legislation didn't go far enough to protect people and the environment against dangerous climate change.
Germany was lauded for supporting green spending criteria in the EU’s €750 billion pandemic recovery plan, but critics now say Berlin’s national recovery programme may look greener than it is.
Following European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s visit to Berlin on Tuesday (22 June), where she delivered the approved German recovery plan, concerns are emerging that the new pot of money may crowd out funding for weak regions and thwart their efforts to catch up with wealthy areas.
When the European Union prepared its response to the coronavirus pandemic in May last year, it promised one thing: to “build back better”. But national recovery plans show a gap between what EU countries are willing to do and what the Commission aimed for.
The workers’ groups of the European Economic and Social Committee have seized upon the term “just transition” in a bid to insert their aims for workers’ co-determination into the Commission’s flagship policy, the European Green Deal.
With the first plenary of the Conference on the Future of Europe on Saturday (19 June) designed to have EU citizen participation at its core, some MEPs believe the event could be a catalyst to change the bloc's treaties, while others hope citizens are not used as political pawns. .
Digitalisation must be part of the solution and not a part of the problem, EU lawmaker Geese said at a EURACTIV event on Tuesday (15 June), where the participants deliberated on the complex relationship between digitalisation and sustainability.
Germany is set to dispense €40 billion to its regions affected by the country’s planned 2038 coal phase-out. But that number is a lot less grand than it looks, as the programme will swallow EU funds. EURACTIV Germany reports.
The EU has historically been a major energy importer, with a majority of its oil and gas coming from Russia or the Middle East. Now, as Europe decarbonises its industry, some countries fear it could increasingly become dependent on imported hydrogen.
