We have passed the electric tipping point
As the price of renewables plummets and electrification goes from strength to strength, the head of Norway's transmission system operator considers the inherent challenges and significant benefits,...
View ArticleSynthetic fossil fuels: A dieselgate 2.0 in the making?
Audi, the German car manufacturer, is pitching ‘e-fuels’ as a clean alternative to produce petrol, diesel or gas, without having to extract fossil fuels. Sounds splendid but unfortunately too good to...
View ArticleTrump admits US could rejoin Paris Agreement
President Donald Trump said on Wednesday (10 January) that he actually cares about the environment and that his only misgivings about the Paris Agreement are that it treated the US unfairly. He...
View ArticleBulgaria expects to apply for eurozone waiting room by July
Bulgaria, buoyed by its good macroeconomic indicators, expects to apply by the end of June to join the Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERM-2), an anti-chamber for adopting the single currency, Finance...
View ArticleGerman grand coalition negotiators in favour of free trade
Trade deals TTIP and CETA are particularly controversial in Germany, where they have been met with fierce resistance. As negotiators continue to try and form a new government, the Socialists may come...
View ArticleBulgaria sees little action against Poland any time soon
Member states may not reach a stage where they could take a vote on sanctions against Poland during Bulgaria's six month EU presidency, Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov said on Thursday (11...
View ArticleSmoke and mirrors prior to MEPs’ vote on REDII [Promoted content]
One week before the European Parliament’s vote on the new Renewable Energy Directive (REDII), the debate on solid bioenergy’s role and future contribution to meeting the EU’s renewable energy targets...
View ArticleCommission tells Malaysia proposed biofuel policy respects WTO rules
The European Commission's proposal for the recast of the Renewable Energy Directive is in compliance with the EU’s commitments under the World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules, Commission sources told...
View ArticleMEPs back down from EU bisphenol ban
MEPs have shied away from demanding a full ban on Bisphenol A, instead approving measures that will lower the amount of the chemical that can be part of food packaging.
View ArticleThe Brief – Kaczynski can relax, the EU won’t bite
If you want to know what is going on in the EU, speak to the Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov.
View ArticleEnvironmental advocates slam ECHA for transparency shortfall
Environmental advocacy group ClientEarth has criticised the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) for transparency failings that restrict public access to information and slow the adoption of safer chemicals.
View Article‘No deal’ Brexit threatens ‘bleak future’ for Welsh farmers
Welsh sheep farmers face a “bleak future” if the UK does not maintain free trade with the EU, a leading industry representative has warned MPs.
View ArticleCommission vows €1 billion to keep up with China & US in supercomputer race
The European Commission announced on Thursday (11 January) that it will invest €1 billion into developing very fast high performance computers by 2020, in a bid to keep up with research in the United...
View ArticleBelgian PM seeks EU help in row over deported Sudanese
Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel said yesterday (11 January) he would seek EU help to settle a row over his country's deportation of Sudanese who were allegedly tortured on their return home.
View ArticleMerkel warns of ‘big obstacles’ in final push for new government
Chancellor Angela Merkel said Germany's top parties still had "big obstacles" to surmount before reaching a new coalition deal, ahead of a last-ditch round of negotiations yesterday (11 January).
View ArticleTurning the page on the eurozone crisis: Economy and Finance in 2018
On the tenth anniversary of the financial crisis, the European Union will definitively turn the page on the worst economic crisis in its history with the closure of the Greek rescue programme and the...
View ArticleGreece, Macedonia hope for UN proposal this month in chronic name dispute
Greece said yesterday (11 January) it and Macedonia hoped for progress in talks with a UN mediator on 17 January towards settling a long-running dispute over the latter country’s name that has held up...
View ArticleTusk warns against ‘Game of Thrones’ in Balkans
EU chief Donald Tusk warned in an emotional speech on Thursday night (11 January) against having a "game of thrones" in the Western Balkans, as Brussels seeks to encourage the region's efforts to...
View ArticleTweets of the Week: Bulgarian Presidency, UK cabinet reshuffle, and the...
This week Bulgarian Presidency wants to show its muscle, Theresa May has a cabinet reshuffle, and Barnier in hamper kerfuffle.
View ArticleBulgaria’s EU presidency start drowned by protest shouts
Bulgaria's six-month EU presidency stint yesterday (11 January) got off to a noisy start as anti-corruption protesters blocked streets in heavily-guarded capital Sofia.
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