Saturday
14th May 2022
Internal documents found EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and energy commissioner Kadri Simson coordinated their Russian gas cutting strategy with oil CEOs to determine which measures were "feasible".
European Central Bank president Christine Lagarde signalled an interest rate increase possibly as early as July, but some experts warn for a repeat of the 2011-2012 debt crisis.
NGOs and academics say Poland's wall with Belarus violates EU environmental laws. The EU commission says "public safety" exemptions exist — in a possible endorsement of the 186km-long wall.
Activists warn Europe's Russian-gas exit strategy may be derailed if fossil hydrogen is expanded and labelled a green energy source in the revised Renewable Energy Directive currently underway.
Some MEPs have called on the EU to set up a pandemic-type emergency recovery fund to battle the "energy emergency", but the Commission is reluctant so far.
The war in Ukraine is fueling the "perfect storm" for a new and serious food crisis that could have been avoided, a new report has found.
The EU aims to diversify supplies and increase imports of renewable hydrogen as part of its efforts to wean the continent off Russian gas — amid a dramatically changed geo-political reality.
Inflation is driving up cost of living across the continent, calls to rapidly increase interest rates are mounting. But some senior ECB council members cautioned against higher borrowing costs for fear of economic damage.
EU energy commissioner Kadri Simson said Russia's "unjustified" decision to cut gas supplies to Bulgaria and Poland means "any member state could be next"
Regional and local authorities have called on the EU and member states to accelerate the green transition and phase out Russian oil, gas and coal imports — amid high prices and market uncertainty.
In a long-awaited report, the European energy regulator sets out proposals to deal with surging electricity bills — but advises against capping prices on the wholesale gas market, which some member states such as Spain and France have supported.
The European Union has said that gas payments in roubles would breach the EU sanctions regime on Russia — urging companies not to accede to Russian demands.
Hilda Flavia Nakabuye, one of Africa's leading climate activists and lead of Uganda's Fridays for Future movement, describes young Africa's green hopes.
The European Commission has raised concerns over the impact of the next winter's heating costs on the continent's economy.
The ECB is under internal pressure to raise interest rates, but economists warn it will cause unemployment and economic hardship.
Dutch MEP Mohammed Chahim is rapporteur forthe proposed carbon tax on imported goods which is planned to come into force in 2026. It is one of the biggest and most complex legislative proposals Europe has ever drawn up.
The EU unveiled a plan to restrict the use of harmful substances — deemed by campaigners as the "largest-ever ban of toxic chemicals".
The sombre moment of Russia's invasion of Ukraine requires that China and the EU put aside their differences and strengthen their cooperation on the green transition — even if doing so is difficult.
What some Africans now are bracing for is a carbon "shock", where EU tariffs would end up "suffocating some African economies," a senior advisor at the African Climate Foundation warns.
Polish kings used to protect the Białowieża Forest in north-east Poland from locals, but now it is the EU's turn to play that role amid plans to build an anti-migrant wall.
Reality or alarmist?: EUobserver talks to two leading experts who question the conventional assumption that climate change will drive millions of people to migrate to Europe.
On natural gas especially, African leaders and Europeans do not see eye-to-eye. Simply put, the words "transition fuel" have a different meaning in Brussels and Addis Ababa.
The EU's much-publicised Global Gateway connectivity initiative is not universally welcomed in Africa. Here's why.
Germany remains the main obstacle to European sanctions on the Russian oil & gas industry. When will the Zeitenwende ['turning point' in German energy policy] finally deliver?
A case study: red tape, "Not In My Back Yard" (NIMBYs), and Green vs Green conflicts are putting brake on Germany's rapid wind expansion.
The EU's decision to include natural gas and nuclear power as "transitional activities" in its sustainable investments guidelines for green finance continues to generate massive controversy. Critics call it the "biggest greenwash ever."
Russia's war against Ukraine and, before that, Covid 19 risk derailing the EU's ambitious Green Deal. Instead, as Wester Van Gaal explains, both external shocks have supercharged the project — at least for now.
This magazine is about the world's collective and potentially transformational journey towards a green economy. It is also about taking the reader on what we hope is a fascinating "green voyage" across Europe, Africa and China.
Trying to keep the EU's green transition on track during the war in Ukraine is one important task. The other one is to convince other countries to embrace the Green Deal. It is not proving easy
European agriculture ministers have called for higher domestic farm output, amid food security worries, and a looming food crisis in Africa. Many African countries, eg Benin, Egypt, Sudan, Madagascar, and Burundi, are almost entirely, or exclusively, dependent on Ukrainian grain.
Europe set up a rapid decontamination team to protect Ukraine and EU member countries against chemical, biological or nuclear attacks, and sent three million potassium iodide tablets to Ukraine, amid worries over the safety of the country's nuclear facilities.
EU ambassadors will discuss a new package of sanctions on Wednesday, including a ban on coal imports worth an estimated €4bn per year.
European commissioner for energy Kadri Simson is scheduled to attend events that include speakers from Gas Infrastructure Europe, a gas lobby organisation that represents former Kremlin-controlled oil and gas companies, amid the escalating climate crisis.
