This was a critical week for ensuring the European Union takes a more ambitious approach to the low-carbon energy transition. The European Commission unveiled a €1 trillion investment plan to fight climate change on Tuesday. The Commission proposals would dedicate around a quarter of the EU budget to the task. The proposal has already had … Continue reading
The European Union has already invested so much of its political capital into the green transition that a failure to fulfill its promise to achieve climate neutrality by 2050 would severely damage its legitimacy. The Green Deal is not just one of many EU projects. It is the Union’s new defining mission. Jean Pisani-Ferry, a … Continue reading
At a time when we have to pull out all the stops to achieve our long-term low-carbon energy and climate objectives, it is discouraging to see that the European Commission is having to take legal steps against some of the EU’s member states in order to ensure that the Energy Performance of Buildings directive is … Continue reading
Hardly a newscast goes by without several items relating to Brexit. Following a post by Andrew Warren last week in EiD, Michele Stua and Ed Dearnley from the University of Sussex analyse some of the possible outcomes in an article on The Conversation website. Do you have any views? What will Brexit mean for … Continue reading
Europe’s transport sector is making only mixed progress in meeting its environment, health and climate policy targets, according to a European Environment Agency (EEA) assessment published this week, which tracks the short and long-term environmental performance of this key economic sector across the European Union. Reducing the environmental, health and climate pressures arising from Europe’s … Continue reading
This week there are some items that should be of interest to you. First, the European Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (eceee) provides an explanatory note on why the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, that is currently under revision, must focus on energy needs. Second, there is a good article on how to minimise … Continue reading
The Market Design part of the “Clean Energy For All” package will be adopted in the first part of 2018. The European Commission affirms the intention of the “Clean Energy For All” package is to put the consumer at the centre. But is the package truly going to deliver and make profound changes in consumer … Continue reading
The Irish Farmers’ Association has been reviewing the impact of missing targets for renewable energy. Niall Claffey explains in an article on the AgriLand website. ‘€600 million/year’ fine if Ireland misses 2020 renewable energy targets “We are potentially looking at a €600 million/year fine for missing the 2020 targets – where’s the urgency?” This … Continue reading
A vibrant and highly competitive EU manufacturing sector can provide the resources and many of the solutions for the societal challenges facing the EU, such as climate change, health and the ageing population, and the development of a healthy, safe and secure society and thriving social market economy. The necessary transition to a more … Continue reading
A committee of the European Parliament that is reviewing the Commission’s proposed clean energy package has just done something hopeful: it voted for a binding 40% energy efficiency target for 2030. The Commission had called for a binding 30% target and many members of Council (and others) oppose even 30%, and do not want the … Continue reading
