EU to discuss Brazil beef ban over Amazon fires
The EU ought to consider banning Brazilian beef unless it takes action on forest fires, the Finnish EU presidency has said. A wider free trade deal is also at risk.
News in Brief
- Ocean Viking to disembark in Malta after ordeal
- Germany joins France in world outcry on Brazil fires
- British people lose faith in Brexit deal
- Brexit hardliners want further changes to EU deal
- German manufacturers confirm fear of recession
- Belgian socialists and liberals scrap over EU post
- Fall in EU migration leading to UK skills shortages
- Switzerland makes post-Brexit flight preparations
Migration and climate are EU's top priorities, Macron says
In a speech aimed at quelling yellow vest unrest, French president did not come with radical new European proposals.
Greens commit to air quality 'super commissioner'
Following an investigation into the Dieselgate scandal, the European Parliament recommended a single commissioner should be responsible for both air quality and setting industrial standards. But only the Greens want to commit to carry out that advice.
Focus
Nordic-German climate action signals broader alliance
Nordic countries and Germany have joined up on climate change, as Trump and Brexit push northern European countries closer together.
EU sends Spain to court in latest air pollution case
Spain was supposed to have limited nitrogen dioxide levels some nine years ago - but continues to fail to do so. It is one of 20 EU member states breaking EU air quality rules.
Investigation
Macron's carbon border tax - why hasn't he done anything?
The French president has repeatedly said an EU border tax on carbon emissions is 'crucial'. However, his civil servants have yet to send Brussels a single proposal on how such a levy would work.
'Our house is burning,' Macron says on Amazon fires
French and Brazilian presidents have clashed on Twitter over the Amazon fires, as G7 and other states plan treaty to protect biodiversity.
Denmark plans import ban on EU-approved pesticide
Denmark is preparing an urgent national ban on food treated with the pesticide chlorpyrifos after an EU health warning, but European law could block the initiative.
UN report: eat less meat to combat climate crisis
"We don't want to tell people what to eat," said UN climate panelist Hans-Otto Portner. But the impact of humans' carnivorous diet on the climate is substantial.
Feature
'Patchwork' penalties - the EU's perennial fines problem
In EU law, it is often left to national governments to set the maximum level of fines. This leads to a patchwork situation which could be exploited by companies concentrating only on profits.
EU experts agree pesticide may damage unborn children
There are no safe levels for exposure to the pesticides chlorpyrifos and chlorpyrifos-methyl, EU experts have said in a preliminary-finding into the pesticide - suggesting an EU-wide ban is a step closer.
Audi ex-CEO on fraud charge, as diesels remain on road
One-in-five cars equipped with Audi's emissions cheating technology is still on the road, mostly in eastern Europe.
Commission defends Mercosur trade deal
EU commissioners defended a far-reaching free trade agreement between the EU and four Latin American countries, against critics who fear it will damage European farmers' livelihoods and the global environment.
Opinion
Deforestation and the failure of EU self-regulation
As climate protests grow, Brazil's forests disappear at the rate of two football pitches a minute, and a summer of European heat raises the temperature, will new pledges from the EU on deforestation make the cut?
Exclusive
EIB blames Ombudsman for not helping redact VW report
Volkswagen Group duped the European Investment Bank, from which it borrowed €400m, by not disclosing it was cheating on emissions tests. Requests by EUobserver to see the anti-fraud report however have been consistently rejected.
Opinion
Why Visegrad 4 need to get real about climate change
If the trends continue, which they will, industry in the Visegrad 4 countries (Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and Czech Repulic) may struggle to attract investment if it relies on unsustainable energy.
Exclusive
EU moves to end car-testing 'confidentiality clause'
The EU Commission will now spend €3.4m next year to rent cars for emissions testing - after EUobserver revealed that models loaned by the manufacturer were then subject to commercial confidentiality clauses.
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Latest News
- Spain heading for yet another general election
- EU to discuss Brazil beef ban over Amazon fires
- 'Our house is burning,' Macron says on Amazon fires
- What happens when trafficking survivors get home
- EU states and Russia clash on truth of WW2 pact
- EU considers new rules on facial recognition
- EU to pledge Africa security funds at G7 summit
- Letter from the EESC on per diem article
Four states block EU 2050 carbon neutral target
Poland, with the support from the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Estonia, blocked a commitment to climate neutrality by 2050. It is now just a footnote in the summit conclusions.
Commission goes easy on scant national climate plans
Environmental NGOs immediately denounce member states' draft plans as a "climate fail", while EU commissioners refrained from "naming-and-shaming".
EUobserved
Does Juncker even know what is in the Paris climate deal?
'To fix new goals again and again, doesn't make sense,' said the president of the European Commission. However, repeatedly ratcheting-up climate ambition is a key part of what was agreed in Paris.
Investigation
'Green' Erasmus+ project sending students by plane
An EU-funded school programme aimed at promoting environmental awareness is sending students across Europe - by airplane.
Investigation
Porsche told EU not to publish diesel emission result
The EU Commission has kept results of an emissions test of a Porsche diesel vehicle secret for months, at the request of the German car company - which was fined €535m for its role in the Dieselgate scandal.
Thunberg: We can still fix climate, but must start today
Strong appeals from Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg and former EU commissioner Connie Hedegaard to take climate to heart when voting in Sunday's European elections.
Stakeholder
Climate policy in Nordics: how to maximise global impact?
To maximise the global impact of climate policy, Norwegian economists recommend a shift of focus - from national emissions reductions, to clean technology development and better use of international emissions-trading systems, notably EU market mechanisms.
Use 25% of budget on climate change, urge EU states
A discussion document by eight EU countries is piling on the pressure for the EU to do more to fight climate change. But their demands are likely to meet German resistance as leaders gather in Romania to discuss Europe's future.
Key Arctic ministerial hits US climate rock
US secretary of state Mike Pompeo refused to compromise, so Arctic ministerial meeting ends with no formal agreement on climate change.
Focus
US climate scepticism irks Arctic foreign ministers
US secretary of state Mike Pompeo meets Russia's Sergey Lavrov and other Arctic foreign ministers, amidst a row over climate change. Pompeo is also likely to warn against Chinese advances in the Arctic.
Analysis
EU purchase of US gas serves dual purpose
The EU wants to diversify the sources where it gets its natural gas from - while importing more liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the US could also slightly appease Donald Trump.
Feature
Le Pen warns against pushing Russia 'into arms of China'
French far-right leader, Marine Le Pen, is campaigning to 'save' Europe by transforming it into what she calls a De Gaulle-inspired 'Alliance of Nations'. She also warns against pushing Russia into the arms of China.
Applause and praise, but no new climate action for Greta
Swedish 16-year old activist called on MEPs to "panic" and questioned why they had emergency summits on Brexit, but not on climate change.
Focus
EU-funded CO2-capture in China to miss 2020 deadline
As EU and China leaders meet for a summit in Brussels, EUobserver looks at a commitment made at a previous EU-China gathering.
Interview
Why a solar power lobbyist joined a fossil fuel club
James Watson is now secretary general of Eurogas, after more than four years at the helm of SolarPower Europe. "I don't feel there is any inconsistency with what I've done before and what I'm doing now," he tells EUobserver.
Exclusive
EU bodies dodge questions on secret VW loan report
The European Anti-Fraud Office (Olaf) and the European Investment Bank (EIB) have refused to answer detailed questions about the demand from the European Ombudsman to publish an Olaf report on a €400m EIB loan Volkswagen Group (VW) received through deception.
Stakeholders' Highlights
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- Theresa May: “We will not be turning our backs on the Nordic region”
- Open letter to Emmanuel Macron ahead of Uzbek president's visit
