The German climate cabinet presented its long-awaited draft of Germany's first climate protection law on Friday (20 September). But environmental organisations are already calling for the revision of the proposed carbon price for the transport and construction sector. EURACTIV Germany reports.
The climate march in Berlin last Friday came just at the moment when the German climate cabinet unveiled its new policy package – a proposal youth climate activists denounced as a "slap in the face". EURACTIV Germany reports.
A growing number of investors are making their decision based on climate risks and sustainability criteria. Although EU lawmakers are working on making the valuation of companies more uniform in the EU taxonomy, financiers want binding measures. EURACTIV Germany reports.
European Commission President-elect Ursula von der Leyen's Commissioner pick for the enlargement and neighbourhood policy, the former Hungarian Justice Minister László Trócsányi, is appearing to be a particularly controversial one, though it may be motivated by her wish to cool tensions between Brussels and Budapest,
It is the start of a new semester at the Central European University (CEU) in Budapest. But this year, many of its students are preparing to move to Vienna, where lectures will start in October. It's because CEU, a private US university founded by the Hungarian billionaire George Soros, has been kicked out of Hungary.
Methane, which is emitted when cows belch, is the second most common greenhouse gas on the planet but its effect on the atmosphere is about thirty times more harmful than that of CO2. The political agenda is set on curbing CO2 emissions, leaving the issue of methane emissions often untouched. EURACTIV Germany reports.
In an interview with EURACTIV Germany, Mohammed Baba Baituna, the founder of Green Sahel, spoke about conflicts in his home country Nigeria, where his organisation and other local activists have been trying to cushion the effects of climate change, which are strengthening the jihadist terror group, Boko Haram.
Germany and Poland are pressing for EU budget negotiations to be concluded as quickly as possible. For Poland, the primary beneficiary of the EU's cohesion policy, there is a great deal at stake. Germany hopes the negotiations will finish before it takes over the EU presidency next July. EURACTIV Germany reports.
The ifo Institute for Economic Research has lowered its forecast for Germany's economic growth for 2019 and 2020. Instead of the previously predicted 0.6%, the institute now expects a 0.5% growth rate for 2019. A potential hard Brexit and escalation of trade wars with the US were not taken into account. EURACTIV Germany reports.
Large areas of forest are being cleared worldwide for the agricultural industry. Although the EU requires its contracting partners to protect the environment, it lacks the means for enforcement. Environmentalists and the European Parliament see an urgent need for action. EURACTIV Germany reports.
In an interview with EURACTIV Germany, Julia Hertin, the managing director of SRU, the German government's advisory board on environmental matters, spoke about the country's plans to introduce a climate protection bill, a carbon border tax and a trading scheme for carbon certificates. And she wants things to progress quickly.
The German government wants to protect insects better and completely ban the controversial weedkiller glyphosate by 2023. It also intends to introduce an animal welfare label, and unlock additional funds for CAP measures that are environmentally friendly. EURACTIV Germany reports.
A group of concerned investors has examined the sustainability of the world's largest fattening farms and dairy factories that supply the global food industry. And the results aren't mouth-watering, EURACTIV Germany reports.
Elections in Saxony and Brandenburg have changed the balance of power in these states. The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) has recorded significant gains, while the more traditional parties (CDU and SPD) continue losing ground. EURACTIV Germany brings an overview of reactions by party leaders after the elections.
Climate change is causing problems for Germany's forests, as large woodland areas are dying. The ministry of agriculture is now planning to unlock millions of euros in aid to help prevent new forests from dying out. EURACTIV Germany reports.
A growing number of Germans believe migrants drive wages down and burden the welfare system, according to a study analysing the attitude of Germans towards foreigners before and after the 2015 refugee crisis. EURACTIV Germany reports.
State elections in Brandenburg and Saxony – two coal mining regions in former East Germany – are likely to reverberate across the country, and even Europe, EURACTIV Germany reports.
The European Commission and German agricultural and environmental ministers met in Brussels on Wednesday (28 August) to discuss the country's fertiliser regulation. It was concluded that although Germany is on the right track, it should seriously speed up its efforts and work on the text's precision. EURACTIV Germany reports.
Germany's federal cabinet has presented a bill to allocate €40 billion to some federal states so they can prepare for structural changes related to transitioning away from coal. However, it remains unclear when the power plants will be shut down. EURACTIV Germany reports.
Germany is facing a recession, with business confidence plunging to levels not seen since the global economic crisis of 2009. As a result, calls for increased investment are growing louder – but possibly for the wrong reasons, EURACTIV Germany reports.
On Monday (26 August), the second day of the G7 meeting in Biarritz, France, climate protection was on the agenda. Even though states agreed on a plan to tackle forest fires in the Amazon rainforest, Brazil rejected foreign aid. EURACTIV Germany reports
P2X, P2Y, PtG, PtL, power-to-gas... These somewhat cryptic terms stand for energy conversion processes that can be used to store surplus power from renewable sources and help meet climate targets. But whether they will actually reduce emissions depends on many different factors, EURACTIV Germany reports.
Austria's former Chancellor Sebastian Kurz and leader of the conservative party is not excluding the idea of re-establishing a coalition with the country's far right, he said in an interview with the Austrian public broadcaster ORF. EURACTIV Germany reports.
So-called Power-to-X (PtX) technologies are seen as a good way of reducing greenhouse gas emissions because their potential for storing energy could stabilise the electricity grid. However, German environmental groups BUND and the Öko-Institut have criticised the technology. EURACTIV Germany reports.
