EU countries rush to expand gas import capacity
EU plans to quit Russian gas and replace it, in part, by importing overseas liquified natural gas has lead to a flurry of new gas projects — which threaten to lock in unnecessary gas use for decades.
Lagarde signals summer interest rate hike
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.
EU 'foot dragging' on Poland border wall with Belarus
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.
News in Brief
- McDonald's to sell up and exit Russia
- Nordic nations to help Sweden and Finland if attacked
- Germany to reject EU green label for nuclear
- Afghans and Syrians using Western Balkans to enter EU
- Putin: Russia will respond if Nato bolsters Sweden and Finland
- British PM urges Northern Irish parties to work together
- EU-US pledge to counter Russian propaganda in Ukraine
- EU greenhouse-gas emissions rebound to pre-pandemic levels
MEPs call to speed up curbs on toxic 'forever chemicals'
MEPs have raised concerns over the level of contamination of some hazardous chemicals in Europe, prompting calls to speed up the restrictions on the so-called "forever chemicals".
Russia's war stifles EU pandemic recovery
The impact of Russia's war in Ukraine is being felt throughout the EU and the eurozone. The European Commission has downgraded its economic forecast to 2.7-percent growth this year.
Revealed: Big Oil shaped EU's gas-cutting strategy
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".
EU favours LNG and hydrogen in new external energy policy
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.
EU central bankers divided on interest rates, amid rising prices
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's Russian gas exit plan at risk of being undermined
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.
MEPs moot new emergency fund to battle energy crisis
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.
Brussels warns on Russian gas cuts: 'Any country could be next'
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"
EU regions ask to speed up green transition amid energy crisis
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.
EU energy regulator warns against capping gas prices
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.
EU warns paying roubles for Putin's gas may breach sanctions
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.
Magazine
Ugandan activist Hilda Nakabuye warns over climate inaction
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.
EU warns next winter may be 'difficult for European economy'
The European Commission has raised concerns over the impact of the next winter's heating costs on the continent's economy.
Hiking rates will damage economy, experts warn
The ECB is under internal pressure to raise interest rates, but economists warn it will cause unemployment and economic hardship.
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Latest News
- EU countries rush to expand gas import capacity
- MEPs call to speed up curbs on toxic 'forever chemicals'
- Russia's war stifles EU pandemic recovery
- Sweden and Finland Nato decision is right for Baltic
- Sweden to join Finland in applying for Nato
- Russia sanctions and energy dominate Next WEEK
- Will 'Putin's Nato' follow Warsaw Pact into obscurity?
- EU reaches deal on flagship cybersecurity law
Magazine
Interview: 'Carbon tax' MEP with one eye on Mozambique
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.
Thousands of toxic chemicals face EU restrictions
The EU unveiled a plan to restrict the use of harmful substances — deemed by campaigners as the "largest-ever ban of toxic chemicals".
Magazine
Magic Magid: The paradox at the heart of EU's Green Deal
Former Green MEP Magic Magid talks about organising more evidence-based research to help tackle the devastating impacts of the climate crisis on European communities of colour.
Magazine
China & EU must cooperate on green goals, despite divides
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.
Magazine
African economies risk suffocation by 'shock' carbon tax
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.
From Polish kings to EU: Who'll protect Białowieża forest?
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.
Magazine
Experts: climate change will not mean mass migration
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.
Magazine
Path to a just transition in Africa is via green industrialisation
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.
Magazine
Scepticism in Africa about the EU's green connectivity plan
The EU's much-publicised Global Gateway connectivity initiative is not universally welcomed in Africa. Here's why.
Opinion
The moral cost of 'social peace' in Germany
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?
Magazine
German wind energy stumbles
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.
Magazine
Nuclear and gas in EU taxonomy slammed as 'greenwashing'
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."
Magazine
Outside shocks supercharge the EU Green Deal — for now
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.
Magazine
War, Peace and the Green Economy
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.
Column
For EU Green Deal to go global, you need delicate diplomacy
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
EU urged to grow more wheat to avert food crisis
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.
