-
Interview: ‘EU not doing enough on public transport’
MEP Gyula Hegyi, who has drafted a Parliament Report on the EU urban environment strategy, says in an interview with EURACTIV that improving mobility should be cities' number-one priority and that the EU must do more to encourage this.
-
Belgium makes place for urban enterprises
The city of Liège in the south-east of Belgium is making place for small businesses to grow their activities as part of a long-term strategy to revive the economic life of urban areas, using money from the EU.
-
MEP Gyula Hegyi: ‘Making EU cities sustainable’
The congestion and pollution problems facing Europe's cities are worsening. MEP Gyula Hegyi, who wrote Parliament's report on the EU urban-environment strategy, tells EURACTIV what he believes that Europe should do to improve the situation.
-
Bütikofer: ‘Industrial policy must be sustainable’
A new industrial policy strategy for Europe needs to be sustainable German Green MEP Reinhard Bütikofer says. New policy instruments such as a soil directive should be adopted, he argues.
-
Proposal to finance European investment, growth and jobs
A key missing ingredient in solving the euro crisis is the urgent restoration of growth, which European citizens demand and several leaders are increasingly stressing. Yet, meaningful actions on a sufficient scale have not yet been taken, argue Stephany Griffith-Jones, Matthias Kollatz-Ahnen and Lars Andersen in a recent study.
-
Green buildings
Buildings account for over 40% of the EU's final energy demand and are a major source of greenhouse-gas emissions, making energy-savings there a key element of the European climate change strategy.
-
Amsterdam offers a haven for low-energy future
In an old harbour crowded with houseboats, Amsterdam is looking to the future with plans to construct low-energy homes in a climate-neutral neighbourhood.
-
Cleaning up the policy puzzle on green construction
A patchwork of European regulations, directives and strategies aims at making homes and buildings more efficient, but the jury is still out on how well they work.
-
Oettinger calls for re-industrialisation strategy
Policies governing the European Union's drive towards a low-carbon economy should not lose sight of the need to retain the bloc's industrial base, Energy Commissioner Günther Oettinger said in a newspaper column today (16 July).
-
UNESCO honours Europe’s industrial legacy
SPECIAL REPORT / Former French and Belgian industrial mining districts were put on the UNESCO World Heritage list this month, joining a swelling number of European venues attempting to convert industrial grit into viable tourism and leisure industries.
-
‘Green’ EU budget to pump more money into brownfields
SPECIAL REPORT / The EU's new regional funds for 2014-2020 will see more money allocated to the regeneration of brownfield sites, helping old industrial areas generate new economic activity.
-
London banks on priciest Olympic facelift
SPECIAL REPORT / London in a week's time will host Europe’s priciest Olympic Games since Barcelona’s, but organisers are banking on delivering sustainability and an inner-city renovation programme along with the world’s most expensive Games.
-
New renovation rule set to boost inner-city industry
SPECIAL REPORT / Newly adopted EU rules requiring governments to revamp old buildings will generate industrial renovation in cities, say commentators who welcome the energy efficiency directive approved by the European Parliament's energy committee last week (12 July).
-
Industrial revival hinges on new soil rules
SPECIAL REPORT/ A soil framework directive necessary to boost industrial regeneration is creeping back onto the European agenda after years of being shelved by reluctant EU member countries.