The EC’s Competitive Compass plots a course for policymakers to follow over the next five years

This week the Commission presented the Competitiveness Compass, the first major initiative of this mandate providing a strategic and clear framework to steer the Commission's work. The Compass sets a path for Europe to become the place where future technologies, services, and clean products are invented, manufactured, and put on the market, while being the … Continue reading The EC’s Competitive Compass plots a course for policymakers to follow over the next five years →

Energy in Demand News, January 5, 2025

The Italian energy giant Eni has just fired up the world’s most powerful supercomputer outside the US as it races rivals to build the technology infrastructure needed to better explore for new sources of oil and gas. The supercomputer cost €100 million, reports the Financial Times (behind a paywall). The supercomputer took fifth place in … Continue reading Energy in Demand News, January 5, 2025 →

How do Australia’s vehicle emissions policies compare to those in Europe?

In an article on The Conversation website, Robin Smit, Adjunct Professor, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney compares the approaches taken in Europe to those being adopted in Australia. Australians’ cars are typically larger, heavier and less efficient than in Europe – here’s why Road transport is responsible for a … Continue reading How do Australia’s vehicle emissions policies compare to those in Europe? →

New EEA briefing on impact on children from transport noise

More than one out of five Europeans are exposed to harmful long-term noise from road, rail and air transport. Published in December, European Environment Agency’s (EEA) briefing shows that this noise exposure leads to over half a million children suffering from impaired reading ability and almost 60,000 having behavioural difficulties in Europe. Over 500,000 … Continue reading New EEA briefing on impact on children from transport noise →

New EEA briefing on monitoring water quality in Europe

Concerns about PFAS pollution have increased in many European countries but comprehensive monitoring data are often limited. Published recently, the European Environment Agency’s (EEA) assessment shows that most monitored rivers, transitional and coastal waters and a large part of lakes in Europe are polluted with at least one of the many extremely persistent chemical compounds … Continue reading New EEA briefing on monitoring water quality in Europe →

New EEA assessment on Europe’s air quality health impact

Just under 240,000 deaths per year in the European Union can be attributed to exposure to fine particulate matter, a key air pollutant, according to the latest European Environment Agency (EEA) air quality health impact assessment published this week as the new EU rules enter into force. The latest data also confirm, yet again, that … Continue reading New EEA assessment on Europe’s air quality health impact →

New briefings from the EEA on the status of the circular economy in Europe and highlighting the need for improving recycling quality

Europe has set ambitious goals to create a competitive circular economy that can be key in supporting innovation, decarbonisation and security. The transition is also needed to halt biodiversity loss and wasteful use of natural resources. Published this week, two briefings from the European Environment Agency show the status of circular economy and highlight the … Continue reading New briefings from the EEA on the status of the circular economy in Europe and highlighting the need for improving recycling quality →

Europe’s building sector off track: social, economic and climate targets at risk

The third edition of the EU Buildings Climate Tracker published this week by the Buildings Performance Institute Europe (BPIE) confirms that the EU is missing opportunities to increase energy security and reduce heating costs. It is definitely not on track to achieve its climate targets. Progress on decarbonisation has stalled, with the gap more than … Continue reading Europe’s building sector off track: social, economic and climate targets at risk →

Europe has an opportunity to leverage AI to optimise its energy systems to ensure a more sustainable approach to using its limited resources

Data centres already consume 2% of the world’s electricity demand. It expects this share to grow to 7% by 2030. In an article on the Euractiv website, Christoph Schwaiger discusses how the European Commission is preparing technical specifications for a study to develop a measurement framework for the energy efficiency of general-purpose AI models. Importantly, … Continue reading Europe has an opportunity to leverage AI to optimise its energy systems to ensure a more sustainable approach to using its limited resources →

New EEA briefing on first state of play on national surveillance for heat-related health impacts

Collecting timely and reliable data on the number of deaths and illnesses associated with heat are vital to deploy targeted emergency responses during heatwaves. Twenty of the European Environment Agency’s (EEA) 38 member and cooperating countries currently monitor heat impacts on health, according to an EEA briefing published this week. Impacts of heat on … Continue reading New EEA briefing on first state of play on national surveillance for heat-related health impacts →