Fit for 55

Europe needs to speed up on climate action

Europe's recent push to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions is desperately needed, but it is happening too slowly, with many key measures laid out in the Fit for 55 climate package not coming into force until the 2030s, writes Michael Bloss.

A third of trucks surpass air pollution limits in real-world conditions, study finds

Almost one third of trucks driving on Spanish roads surpassed the EU's legal emission limits for NO2, a harmful air pollutant, a study commissioned by the clean mobility NGO Transport & Environment (T&E) has found.

German industry gears up for its next lobbying battle: the internal combustion engine

While German carmakers unveil their latest electric vehicles at the International Motor Show in Munich, the industry associations they are members of have made their position clear: the next German government must fight for the internal combustion engine at EU level.

MEPs blast Commission’s flagship forest strategy as vague, overstepping EU remit

European lawmakers from across the political spectrum have united in criticism against the European Commission’s new flagship Forest Strategy, describing it as vague and superficial while flagging concerns that it goes beyond the remit of EU competences.

EU biofuel reform plan risks undermining waste-based fuels: industry

The European Commission's proposal to halt advanced biofuels from being double-counted towards road transport energy targets would diminish the use of waste-based fuels in favour of cheaper crop-based biofuels, a leading industry organisation has told EURACTIV.

German think-tanks ring climate alarm as candidates squabble over minutiae

Five million Germans watched their future Chancellor debate environmental issues on Sunday (29 August), amid calls from prominent think-tanks who highlighted Germany’s legal obligation to cut emissions 65% by 2030.

German car parts suppliers fret over combustion engine phase-out

The European Commission’s Fit for 55 package will rapidly tighten emission standards for cars, effectively banning the sale of vehicles fitted with internal combustion engines by 2035. German carmakers had preempted the move, but parts suppliers and employees are worried.

Carbon pricing in buildings? Help renovate and fuel-switch to renewables first

Including buildings in an emissions trading scheme will have a limited impact on emissions. The EU must also focus on an ambitious revision of the energy performance of buildings directive to ensure that emissions are sufficiently decreased, writes Monica Frassoni.

Firms propose green solutions for France’s EU presidency bid

A group of major French companies have sent a letter to Prime Minister Jean Castex  proposing solutions to best support Europe in its energy transition once France assumes the six month rotating EU Council presidency at the start of 2022. EURACTIV France reports.

EU drops ‘accounting trick’ to boost green fuel in road transport

The biofuels industry has welcomed the European Commission's proposal to end the statistical inflation of waste-based biofuels in the EU's road transport energy mix, a practice they say camouflaged the use of fossil fuels.

EU’s new climate package must now close the ‘National Ownership Gap’

Europe must go beyond EU-level targets and ambition to implement climate action across member states, if it wants to reach its own ambition and limit the world to 1.5°C warming, write Sharon Turner and Thomas Muinzer.

French gas association optimistic about reaching 2023 biomethane target this year

The gas industry is committed to ensuring that by 2050, 100% of gas is renewable or decarbonised, but to achieve that, it will have to diversify, Patrick Corbin, president of the French Gas Association (AFG) said in an interview with EURACTIV France.

Critics warn carbon price proposal would exacerbate energy poverty

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. 

Tackling energy poverty is a non-negotiable part of the green transition

Europe's new climate legislation must focus on renovating its inefficient buildings and lifting millions of people out of energy poverty, but that is only possible if the EU works together with local governments, writes Emil Boc.

EU industry shuns carbon border levy, calls for export rebates

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.

EU ministers attack plans to extend carbon pricing to heating, transport

EU environment ministers expressed "quite a lot of reservations" about European Commission plans to set up a second emissions trading scheme for road transport and buildings at their first meeting since Brussels tabled the proposal last week.

EU’s green hydrogen plans hailed as ‘true game-changer’ by industry

The European Commission boosted regulatory support for green hydrogen in its proposed overhaul of climate legislation published last week, with the renewable hydrogen coalition calling it "a true game changer" for the nascent EU industry.

Fit for 55 will penalise poor Europeans

The European Commission's 'Fit for 55' legislative package will penalise poor Europeans. This is not the just energy transition the EU promised, writes Martha Myers.

Overly complex EU climate package will curb investment in green fuels, warns industry

The advanced biofuels industry has criticised the complexity of the EU’s climate legislation package, arguing that the uncertainty caused by the slew of new rules will hinder investor confidence.

Climate-focused investors give warm welcome to EU masterplan

A European Union climate masterplan to raise the cost of pollution and eliminate emissions is a step towards a single carbon price that many investors striving to make companies more sustainable say can help to engineer deeper change.

Europe fiddles while forests burn

The European Commission's approach to using forest wood for energy could prove a faux pas ahead of the COP26 UN climate summit in November, a dangerous move which contradicts the findings of the EU executive's own research department, writes Peg Putt.  

EU green jet fuel proposal shuns crop-based biofuels, focuses on next generation

Proposed EU legislation aimed at cutting flight emissions by ramping up the use of sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs) has excluded the use of first-generation biofuels, arguing they bring "limited environmental benefits".

France sceptical about extending carbon pricing to buildings, transport

France expressed "reservations" about the social consequences of extending the carbon market to the building and transport sectors, a proposal put forward by the European Commission on Wednesday (14 July). EURACTIV France reports.