EU investment bank confirms secrecy of VW fraud report
Secretary general of the EIB says in response to EUobserver's appeal that there is no overriding public interest in releasing the document.
Opinion
More commitment to renewables from Council, please
More and more consumers are likely to invest in solar panels in the future as it becomes simpler to produce one's own electricity, writes Monique Goyens, director general of BEUC, the European Consumer Organisation.
Magazine
A sustainable death wish
No one can escape death. But choices over how one's body is disposed of could either lessen or increase your carbon footprint.
News in Brief
- MEPs urge better protection for journalists
- Dieselgate: MEPs back greater role for EU in car approvals
- European parliament adopts new organic farming rules
- EU granted protection to half million people in 2017
- Report: Facebook to carve 1.5bn users out of EU privacy law
- Greek court ruling permits migrants to travel to mainland
- Commonwealth summit hopes for trade boost after Brexit
- Merkel and Macron meet to finetune eurozone reform plans
Magazine
Bioeconomy is a win-win strategy for Finland
"The big problem in the world today is a lack of resources and a lack of bio-diversity," says Finnish environment minister Kimmo Tiilikainen. His country plans to produce what the world needs the most.
Magazine
Bioplastics industry risks disappointing consumers
Europe is trying to kick its addiction to plastic, so businesses are on the hunt for alternatives. Bioplastics could replace 60 percent of plastic packaging on the market, but the switch is far from straightforward.
Magazine
New bioeconomy strategy will have to address job losses
The European Commission's 2012 bioeconomy strategy is in need of an update, with even the commission itself admitting the paper had weaknesses.
EU commissioners left no paper trail on car lobby talks
Oettinger and Canete spoke to representatives of the German carmakers 15 days before the commission presented a bill o CO2 emission standards.
Stakeholder
Poland is no 'energy island' but key piece in Europe energy map
A new expert report firmly dismisses suggestions that Poland is an 'energy island'.
Opinion
We need a firewall against vested interests in climate policy-making
The next climate conference in May should be an opportunity for the EU to show leadership and break ties with the big oil, gas and coal corporations that are profiting from the destruction of the climate.
Magazine
One man's whisky is another man's fish food
As Scotland's whisky producers look for an alternative to feed their salmon with, one company offers omega-3 rich algae to do the trick.
Car lobby uses Brexit to dispute CO2 targets
The lobby group for European car manufacturers has said that if UK sales data is not counted when calculating CO2 emissions, the target should be reviewed. The commission has refused to comment.
Interview
Norway oil minister: we'll keep drilling because we do it greener
Petroleum and energy minister Terje Soviknes – a member of an anti-tax, anti-EU party – praised Norway's CO2 tax and hoped for European cooperation on carbon capture and storage.
Opinion
'Denial' - is meat the new climate change?
The European Parliament's agriculture committee meets on Tuesday, with speculation that the EPP will vote against a report on the EU plant protein plan if it mentions switching away from animals to plant-based diets.
MPs demand new UK air quality watchdog after Brexit
'There are concerns that EU-exit will negatively affect environmental protection and enforcement in the UK,' says a House of Commons report.
Dieselgate MEPs grow impatient with commission inaction
Industry commissioner Elzbieta Bienkowska told MEPs that the commission was still analysing the reasons given by national governments for letting Volkswagen off the hook.
New pesticides committee begins work on EU approvals
The new European Parliament committee will try to restore citizens' trust in the procedure after the glyphosate affair. Its 30 members have some experience on pesticide issues - but different positions.
Tillerson sacking to delay restart of EU-US energy summits
The US secretary of state is dismissed amid attempts by EU diplomacy chief Mogherini to revive the EU-US energy council, which has not met for almost two years.
Stakeholders' Highlights
- ParabéNs! Portugal Votes to Respect the Rights of Trans and Intersex People
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- Kantor Center Annual Report on Antisemitism Worldwide - The Year the Mask Came Off
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- Macedonians in Bulgaria Demand to End the Anti-Macedonian Name Negotiations
- The EIB Needs to Lead by Example on Tax Justice
- Trans People in Sweden to be Paid Compensation for Forced Sterilisation
- The Danger of Standing Up for Justice and Rights in Central Asia
- China and EU Must Work Together to Promote Global Steel Sector
Latest News
- Obscurity surrounds EU military fund's expert groups
- New EU party finance rules short circuit accountability
- Draghi to stay in secretive 'lobby' group
- Bulgaria offers lesson in tackling radical-right populists
- Getting secret EU trilogue documents: a case study
- Selmayr case scars Parliament and Commission
- Beyond macho: Turkish-EU ties
- 'Flobert' guns - Europe's latest terror loophole
Focus
Plastics lobby in court to keep toxic item off EU list
Bisphenol A is toxic for reproduction and a substance "of very high concern", but PlasticsEurope has filed a case at the EU court to overturn that listing.
VW dismisses complaints on Dieselgate fix
'I think customers who want to get information (...) are able to receive information if they want," VW management board member Hiltrud Werner told EUobserver. Consumer groups disagree.
Cleaner air in Bulgaria after EU ruling, commission says
The Brussels-based executive is still assessing whether it should take nine more EU member states to court over air pollution.
Commission shrugs off jab on EU energy 'slogan'
EU climate commissioner Canete shrugged off recent dismissal of the commission's "energy efficiency first" policy as being no more than a "slogan".
Opinion
Eco-cooperation with Russia vital for Baltics despite sanctions
Russian sanctions have halted environmental cooperation in the Baltic Sea, putting millions of EU citizens living in the region at risk.
EU investment bank rejects MEPs' plea for VW fraud report
European Investment Bank cites privacy and ongoing investigations as reasons for refusing to release an anti-fraud report into how it lent €400m to Volkswagen, while the company was rigging emission tests.
Visual Data
Eastern Europeans shy away from Volkswagen's diesel 'fix'
Data shows that at least two million of the 8.5 million 'cheat diesels' are still driving around in Europe unchanged.
Leaked EU document says energy efficiency just a 'slogan'
Internal document says national government do not want EU obligations to prioritise energy savings projects over natural gas projects.
German court upholds diesel car ban in cities
The ruling is bad news for the future of diesel engines in passenger cars. The EU has, however, taken a backseat on coordinating the EU's 200+ low-emission zones.
German ministries were at war over CO2 car cuts
Foreign minister Sigmar Gabriel was not the only German government official trying to water down an EU draft bill on CO2 emissions from passenger vehicles last year. In fact, three Berlin ministries were contradicting each other behind the scenes.
Bigger renewable energy targets feasible, says study
Tough trilogue negotiations between the three EU institutions on 2030 renewable energy targets start Tuesday amid suggestions more ambitious targets are feasible.
Poland and Greece broke EU environment laws, rules court
Greece must pay a €5m fine for failing to fulfil an almost 20-year old requirement to treat urban waste water, while Poland has not done enough to fight air pollution.
Poland wrong to log in ancient forest, says EU lawyer
Advocate general Yves Bot of the Court of Justice of the EU says that Poland 'has failed to fulfil its obligations' under two nature-related EU directives.
EU states stay mute on implementation of mercury bill
Most EU states forget to tell Brussels how they will punish misuse of the toxic metal, despite legally agreed deadlines having passed.
WHO praises EU's action against pollution, despite delays
The World Health Organization has called upon policymakers in the EU to take forward a decisive action to clean up the air for the benefit of citizens.
Pro-EU network teams up with VW for integrity event
European Movement International will host an event titled 'Integrity, transparency, and good corporate citizenship' in co-operation with Volkswagen Group, which carried out large-scale emissions fraud.
Stakeholders' Highlights
- EU Tax Proposal on Digital Services Causes Concern for Small Exporting Economies
- Condemns the Horrific Murder of Holocaust Survivor Mireille Knoll in Paris
- An Open China Will Foster a World-Class Business Environment
- An Opportunity to Help Shape a Better Future for Europe
- Controversial Turkish Azerbaijani Gas Pipeline Gets Major EU Loan
- Syria’s Children ‘At Risk of Never Fully Recovering', New Study Finds
- Meets with US Congress Member to Denounce Anti-Macedonian Name Negotiations
- European Defence Union: Time to Aim High?
- Watch UNESDA’s President Toast Its 60th Anniversary Year
- AJC Condemns MEP Ana Gomes’s Anti-Semitic Remark, Calls for Disciplinary Action
- EU Commissioners Deny 9.8 Million Workers Legal Minimum Standards on Information Rights
- Appropriate Risk Management is Crucial for Effective Strategic Leadership
Stakeholders' Highlights
- Will the Circular Economy be an Economy With no Workers?
- The 2018 European Medal of Tolerance Goes to Prince Albert II of Monaco
- Global Policy Trends: What to Watch in 2018
- Promoting Human Rights and Democracy in the Next Eu Multiannual Financial Framework
- Digital Cooperation a Priority for China-EU Relations
- Competition must prevail in the quest for telecoms investment
- Taking Stock of 30 Years of EU Policy on the Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict: How Can the EU Contribute to Peace?
- Congratulations Finland!
- Cyclone Season Looms Over 720,000 Rohingya Children in Myanmar & Bangladesh
- EU Court: EU Commission Correct to Issue Guidelines for Online Gambling Services
- China Hopes for More Exchanges With Nordic, Baltic Countries
- Condemns Facebook for Actively Promoting Anti-Macedonian Racism
