Daniel Eck
Plastic waste and recycling: France among EU’s ‘poor performers’
While the EU's plastic recycling rate has seen a slight increase of 1.4% between 2016 and 2018 amounting to 32.5% total according to Plastics Europe, France has been dragging the average down with a 24.2% recycling rate in 2018. EURACTIV's partner le Journal de l'Environnement reports.
French forest industry not taking advantage of ever-growing forests
The forest continues to expand in France, according to industry figures, but the industry is not making the most of it. EURACTIV France reports.
Could FPÖ’s new ‘modern’ strategy save Austria’s populist party?
Austria's right-wing populist party FPÖ has launched a rebranding exercise with the aim of becoming a "modern right-wing conservative party", EURACTIV Germany reports.
Not all member states will benefit from the European Green Deal
The wide-ranging European Green Deal provides for a European fund for a just transition, which is meant to support regions that are economically highly dependent on fossil fuels. But not all member states will benefit from it. EURACTIV France reports.
EU Central Bank should step up its climate act, French MEP says
In an interview with EURACTIV France, socialist MEP Pierre Larrouturou deplored the meagre €7.5 billion proposed in the European Commission's Just Transition Fund. To finance EU climate action, he suggests some of the ECB's "easy money" could fuel the European Investment Bank (EIB) instead of going into private banks.
New cars still way behind in reaching EU emission standards by 2021
While the European Union has set a limit of 95g/km for new vehicles, with one year to go before the deadline, manufacturers are stagnating at 122g/km according to AAA Data. EURACTIV's partner le Journal de l'environnement reports.
Guy Verhofstadt ready to chair citizen consultations on Europe’s future
From May onwards, hundreds of EU citizens will be invited to reflect on Europe's future at a conference that will debate European policy priorities in an attempt to introduce direct democracy in EU decision-making. EURACTIV France reports.
Merkel and Putin’s forced ‘rapprochement’
Russia's international influence has led to stronger cooperation between German Chancellor Merkel and Russian President Vladimir Putin. But what can both leaders achieve? EURACTIV's media partner Der Tagesspiegel does a Q&A.
Despite plans to ban glyphosate, its sales in France increase by 10%
Despite France's campaign against glyphosate and a plan to ban it in a majority of agricultural practices by the end of 2020, the world's most commonly used weedkiller saw its sales volumes soar by 10% in the country in 2018.
Could Germany impose a tax on meat?
Shortly before Germany launches its "green week", Lower Saxony's conservative agriculture minister, Barbara Otte-Kinast (CDU), raised the issue of introducing a meat tax, again, which is something animal welfare activists have been demanding for years. EURACTIV Germany reports.
Germany’s plans for automatic facial recognition meet fierce criticism
Germany's Interior Minister Horst Seehofer plans to use automatic facial recognition at 134 railway stations and 14 airports, according to a news report published on 3 January. Although official confirmation of the plan is still missing, an alliance between civil society and politicians has called for the banning of this surveillance technology. EURACTIV Germany reports.
‘We wanted to stop the right-wing authoritarian trend,’ says Green Austrian MP
In an interview with EURACTIV Germany, Green Austrian MP Lukas Hammer spoke about his party's negotiations with the Austrian People's Party (ÖVP) while drafting the coalition agreement and why his party took the risk of accepting tough migration policies in exchange for increased climate protection.
Ombudsman slams EU Council for tolerating presidencies’ private sponsorship
With Coca Cola and BMW sponsoring Romania and Finland during their respective EU Council presidencies last year, it would appear that member states have no qualms with private sector funding. But the European Ombudsman finds that this tarnishes the EU's reputation. EURACTIV Germany reports.
French vineyards fear losing land to new pesticide-free zones
Pesticide-free zones, implemented in France since 1 January 2020, have angered winegrowers, who are losing a great deal of surface area, while civil society still considers them insufficient. EURACTIV France reports.
EU carbon border tax cheaper and fairer than French energy levy, says report
The European Commission's carbon border tax proposal would have a small impact on French households, unlike the country's own proposal to tax energy which prompted the birth of the 'gilets jaunes' movement. EURACTIV France reports.
Future of France’s organic products may lie in hands of large supermarkets
If the production of organic products continues to grow every year in France, mass distribution will supply even more of these products by 2022, according to an analysis note from the Xerfi Precepta Institute. But could such a development prove to be risky? EURACTIV's partner Le Journal de l'environnement reports.
French dairy industry ranks first worldwide but farmers don’t reap the benefits
The concentration of the French dairy industry, which is at the origin of the impoverishment of milk producers, paradoxically ranks the sector above its global competitors, according to a study by France Agrimer. EURACTIV France reports.
Germany missed EU deadline to submit national climate plan
All EU member states should have submitted their climate protection plans for the coming decade to the European Commission by 31 December 2019. But some missed the deadline, including Germany. EURACTIV.de reports.
Austria’s new conservative-Green coalition enthusiastic about climate and Europe
Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz has formed what is now his second ruling coalition, this time between his conservative ÖVP party and the Greens, replacing the interim government of experts. Although the new government is set to make Austria a climate pioneer, there are question marks as to how long the new alliance is likely to last. EURACTIV Germany reports.
Eurozone growth driven by services, weighed down by industry slump
While the eurozone's private sector stagnated until December 2019, the manufacturing sector saw a prolonged slump. It is the services sector that continues to drive the Eurozone's growth. EURACTIV's partner La Tribune reports.
German futurologist: Transition to sustainable mobility needs state intervention
In an interview with EURACTIV's partner Wirtschaftswoche, Futurology and Transport Design Professor, Stephan Rammler, predicts the year 2019 may have been a historical turning point for the transport industry.
Government’s handling of pension strikes threatens France’s EU credibility
The French government continues to defend its pension reform proposal initially recommended by the European executive. Although it has since been watered down, its divisiveness has led to the paralysis of the transport system for almost a month. EURACTIV France reports.
Europe ‘disappointed’ with COP25’s mediocre outcome
Sixteen days of negotiations were not enough to find common ground on international carbon trading rules, one of the main issues of contention at the COP25 climate summit in Madrid. EURACTIV France reports.