European Green Deal
LEAK: Draft EU law introduces new standards to decarbonise buildings by 2050
A draft EU directive, due for publication on 14 December, introduces minimum energy performance standards for existing buildings undergoing major renovation works as part of a renewed push to achieve a zero-emission building stock by 2050.
Europe’s social climate fund too small to make a difference, critics say
The European Commission proposed a "social climate fund" to protect vulnerable people from changes brought by the energy transition. Still, it is not fit for purpose, according to researchers and policymakers in the European Parliament.
LEAK: EU strategy seeks to remove carbon from atmosphere
The European Commission will reward green farming practices like afforestation and soil conservation while putting rules to identify activities that “unambiguously remove carbon from the atmosphere” under draft proposals seen by EURACTIV.
Energy crisis could worsen poverty for millions of Europeans
Energy prices have skyrocketed in the past months, increasing the concern that millions of Europeans will have to choose between paying their bills and putting food on the table this winter.
Finland set to reject EU taxonomy rules over biomass
Finland has come out against the EU's draft “Taxonomy Climate Delegated Act” saying the proposed classification of biomass under the EU's green finance rules goes against the country's national interest.
Europe proposes mandatory due diligence to stop deforestation in supply chains
The European Commission tabled its plan on Wednesday (17 November) to introduce mandatory due diligence for products sold on the EU market to make sure they are not linked to deforestation or forest degradation.
Green jobs and the green transition: A long, bumpy but exciting journey
The green transition will profoundly impact Europe's labour markets. While a few regions will be exposed to job losses in fossil fuel-reliant sectors like coal mining, the energy transition will keep generating demand for low- and medium-skilled roles, write Maroš Šefčovič and Bertrand Piccard.
Green MEP: ‘Climate adaptation and loss & damage will be the key fight at COP27’
Although the recent COP26 conference in Glasgow made progress on climate ambition, there is still a lot of work left to do to limit global warming to 1.5°C and prevent runaway climate change, according to Green MEP Bas Eickhout.
The new European Bauhaus: Bringing the Green Deal into our living spaces
The New European Bauhaus launched by the European Commission last year will see scientists, designers, architects, engineers, and students exchange ideas this week on green projects that will help put Europe on a path to reach carbon neutrality by 2050, writes Florika Fink-Hooijer.
On packaging recycling, EU aims to close the loop
Not all recycling is equal. As the European Commission prepares to revise the EU's packaging waste directive, policymakers want to remove degradation and waste from the process.
Scholz silent as progressive lawmakers weigh in on EU taxonomy debate
As the debate on whether to include nuclear power and gas in the EU's sustainable finance taxonomy continues, progressive lawmakers in Germany and the European Parliament have released a joint statement to weigh in on the debate.
Comparing the EU’s ‘Fit for 55’ roadmap and the IEA’s net-zero scenario
While the International Energy Agency (IEA) advocates an aggressive implementation of carbon pricing mechanisms across the globe, it focuses less on affordability and social implications than the European Commission's 'Fit for 55' climate roadmap, writes Ivan Pavlovic.
Lawmakers slam EU support for fossil gas projects undermining Green Deal
Energy projects that are incompatible with Europe’s climate goals are about to be granted priority status by the European Commission, EU lawmakers warned on Thursday (11 November).
Challenge of greening agri-food system is ‘absolutely massive’, industry says
As world nations gather in Glasgow for the COP26 climate summit, efforts to reduce the carbon footprint of the food and drink industry – a vital sector of the economy – are a central part of the conversation.
Carbon capture: Europe’s trump card for waste treatment?
Europe has a waste problem. In 2018, over two million tonnes of rubbish was treated in the EU, with just under half of this going to landfills, where it releases climate-damaging methane emissions.
Global energy crunch shows need for renewables and green savings
Now is no time to go easy on fossil fuels. It is the moment to deploy more clean sources of energy and to consume less of it, writes Harry Verhaar.
‘No Green Deal without digital,’ EU official says
Digital technologies have the potential to unlock carbon emissions cuts in sectors that were previously considered hard-to-abate, such as buildings, industry and agriculture, a European Commission official said.
The uncomfortable truth about the EU Forest Strategy’s opponents
The outcry against Europe's new forest strategy is baffling, signalling that EU countries and the private sector, as well as a faction of European Parliament lawmakers are in denial about the serious problems face by Europe's forests, argue Anna Deparnay-Grunenberg and Michal Wiezik.
Future German Chancellor committed to gas, Greens fall in line
As the European Commission is expected to present the rules for sustainable finance via the EU taxonomy this year, the largest EU state and its future chancellor is more committed to gas than ever.
EU climate and infrastructure agency eyes end of fossil fuel projects
The director of CINEA, a recently-established EU agency managing €55 billion in EU funding for clean energy and transport, told EURACTIV about the challenge of ending fossil fuel projects entirely, saying coal and natural gas assets “are not simply going to go away” and need to be managed during the transition.
Irish minister: Europe needs to move away from foreign-controlled fossil fuels
The EU needs to increase its renewable energy capacity, become more self-sufficient in energy production and move away from foreign-controlled fossil fuels, according to Ossian Smyth, Irish minister of state.
Gas prices: keep calm and renovate buildings
There will be no quick fix to Europe’s costly dependence on gas imports. But leaders do have the power to put in place lasting renovation solutions to cut consumer bills and deliver our climate commitments, writes Brook Riley.
Nothing is more blah-blah-blah than the EU’s ‘sustainable’ trade policy
You can put all the sustainability principles you like in trade deals but without means for control, monitoring, enforcement or legal consequences for a failure to comply, they aren’t worth a thing, writes Adélaïde Charlier and Deborah Osei-Mensah.