Oil and Industry Archives

Europe is hardly the first place that springs to mind when thinking about the world's major oil producing regions, and there is a perception that the domestic industry has already seen its heyday, particularly in the North Sea.

There is no evidence that deep-sea mining will reduce our dependency on land-based mining. We need to end business as usual and act to reduce the demand for these raw materials by making the transition towards a circular economy, write a group of Greens/EFA MEPs.

Unusually low fuel prices in Bulgaria are probably the result of cartels, or contraband, Bozhidar Danev told EURACTIV.com in an exclusive interview, saying the authorities have  so far been unable or unwilling to address the issue.

Malaysia will respond with "might and tact" if the European Union proceeds with a plan to limit use of palm oil in biodiesel, a cabinet minister said on Tuesday (5 March).

Amid fears about pollution, penalties and bans, buyers are abandoning diesel cars in droves. EURACTIV's media partner The Guardian reports.

Russia's Energy Ministry said on Saturday (3 March) that gas giant Gazprom's intention to terminate contracts with Ukraine poses no immediate threat to natural gas supplies to Europe through Ukraine.

The Council of the EU has given the final stamp of approval to an update to the European Union’s Emissions Trading System (ETS), which hopes to help the bloc cut emissions by 40% by 2030.

Europe’s electricity industry appears to have come to terms with the reality that wind and solar power will be central to a shift away from fossil fuels, especially coal-fired power generation. Now policy makers in Brussels are swivelling the spotlight towards transport, and the biggest fossil fuel of all: oil.

The OECD has encouraged governments to start taxing CO2 emissions more aggressively, in a new report which warns that current taxation levels are not enough to fight climate change effectively

The coalition agreement between the German Conservatives and the Social Democrats outlines a relatively ambitious energy policy. EURACTIV’s partner Le Journal de l’environnement reports.

Since 1990, the production of "green" electricity in Germany has increased by 1,000% and export rates, according to preliminary data for 2017, just smashed another record. EURACTIV Poland’s partner WysokieNapiecie.pl reports.

Falling demand for diesel-powered cars is having a “brutal” impact on carmakers while the EU’s CO2 reduction policy is jeopardising a fragile recovery in sales, the president of the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA) told reporters on Wednesday (31 January).

The centre-left Socialists and Democrats (S&D) faction in the European Parliament are gearing up for a fight over EU car emission standards for 2030, floating a 40% cut in CO2 and suggesting a radical change in the way emissions are measured in the first place.

Europe’s continuing need for Russian gas – for reasons of proximity and price – is a reality, but it need not leave the EU over a barrel, writes Noah Gordon.

Audi, the German car manufacturer, is pitching ‘e-fuels’ as a clean alternative to produce petrol, diesel or gas, without having to extract fossil fuels. Sounds splendid but unfortunately too good to be true, warns Jonas Helseth.

Environmental groups have failed in their bid to prevent Norway from issuing exploration licences in the Barents Sea. A court did not agree that the decision breaches the Norwegian constitution, insisting it only applies to emissions produced within the country's borders. EURACTIV’s partner Journal de l’environnement reports.

France’s parliament passed legislation on Tuesday (19 December) requiring all oil and gas exploration and production on French territories to end by 2040, the first time any country has taken such a step.

EU policy on vehicle emissions is biased towards electrification, the trade association FuelsEurope argued on Monday (4 December), as it presented a study suggesting that a gradual switch from diesel to zero-emissions cars would have almost no impact on urban air quality by 2030.

In a world where technologies are evolving at a blistering pace, many are struggling to make smart choices, especially in the area of transport, writes Pete Harrison.

The IEA’s latest World Energy Outlook suggests the EU is set to wean itself off oil even as global consumption continues to rise. EURACTIV.com asked Georg Zachmann, a senior fellow at the Brussels-based think tank Bruegel, how he sees oil demand in the EU changing in the coming years.

Is the EU committed enough to increase taxes on fossil fuels? That is a question that needs to be raised now considering the long-running debate on the best measures, including energy taxation, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, write Kai Schlegelmilch and Zoltán Szabó.

The Norwegian central bank, which runs the country’s sovereign wealth fund – the world’s biggest – has told its government it should dump its shares in oil and gas companies, in a move that could have significant consequences for the sector. EURACTIV's media partner The Guardian reports.

For decades, labourers were presented with a false choice: good jobs or a clean environment. They were told that efforts to cut pollution would kill jobs—that they had to choose between clean air and the economy. Now we know better, insists Kathleen Van Brempt.

EXCLUSIVE: EU companies investing in oil and gas extraction overseas can reap hefty profits but also threaten global carbon targets. In reaction, a number of civic groups have jointly proposed a carbon tax on products and income derived from overseas extraction.