Half of EU countries have no mandatory energy-saving measures in place for next winter, new analysis by European Environmental Bureau shows

Most measures adopted by EU member states to save gas and electricity are voluntary and only targeted at public buildings, new analysis published this week reveals. Governments refraining from mandatory reductions for business and industry are shifting the burden of the energy crisis onto the most vulnerable citizens, warns the European Environmental Bureau (EEB). The … Continue reading Half of EU countries have no mandatory energy-saving measures in place for next winter, new analysis by European Environmental Bureau shows →

New report from Strategic Perspectives: “Turning the European Green Deal into Reality” will bring security and benefits for businesses and households

With most of the laws adopted to implement the 2030 climate target, Strategic Perspectives takes stock of the European Green Deal. What began as a vision to make Europe the first continent to achieve climate neutrality by 2050 has not only evolved into the world’s most comprehensive set of laws to decarbonise the economy. The … Continue reading New report from Strategic Perspectives: “Turning the European Green Deal into Reality” will bring security and benefits for businesses and households →

New report from Renovate Europe

This week the Renovate Europe Campaign, together with E3G, published the report 2021-2027 Cohesion Policy Support for Energy Efficiency and Building Renovation. The study looks into how EU member states plan to use cohesion policy funding to support renovation and draws attention to key actions to maximise impact. An estimated €20bn are programmed for energy … Continue reading New report from Renovate Europe →

European Commission presents new ecodesign rules for electrical appliances in “standby” mode

This week the European Commission adopted new EU rules to reduce the energy consumption of electrical appliances when they are in ‘standby’ mode. The revised rules introduce a number of amendments to the 2008 ecodesign regulation on standby, off mode and networked standby, last updated in 2013, following an extensive consultation exercise and scrutiny from … Continue reading European Commission presents new ecodesign rules for electrical appliances in “standby” mode →

New briefing on the revised Energy Efficiency Directive

The Coalition for Energy Savings has recently published a briefing that explains the key EED provisions agreed. The ‘Fit for 55 package’ and the REPowerEU plan proposed to upgrade the current Energy Efficiency Directive (EED) to align it with the higher 2030 climate objective and speed up the phase-out of fossil fuel imports from Russia. … Continue reading New briefing on the revised Energy Efficiency Directive →

European Council and Parliament reach provisional deal on renewable energy directive

The Council and the Parliament negotiators this week reached a provisional political agreement to raise the share of renewable energy in the EU’s overall energy consumption to 42.5% by 2030 with an additional 2.5% indicative top up that would allow to reach 45%. Each member state will contribute to this common target. This provisional political agreement will now … Continue reading European Council and Parliament reach provisional deal on renewable energy directive →

Member states should take more responsibility for meeting the targets of the EU buildings directive

Aneta Zachová writes on the EURACTIV website about the views of energy-saving construction expert Petr Holub that the onus for meeting targets from the EPBD should be on member states and not individual owners. Do you have any views on this? Czech expert: EU Building Directive targets should be met by states, not owners … Continue reading Member states should take more responsibility for meeting the targets of the EU buildings directive →

A political battle over firewood’s future in the EU’s energy transition is playing out in Brussels

As Europe races to replace Russian fossil fuels with cleaner power sources, EU lawmakers are weighing up the future of firewood as a renewable energy source. The debate is getting heated. In an article on the Deutsche Welle website, Sarah Steffen and Tamsin Walker discuss latest developments. EU weighs up future of wood-burning as … Continue reading A political battle over firewood’s future in the EU’s energy transition is playing out in Brussels →

The EU’s plans to reduce GHG emissions are still not in line with the 2015 Paris Agreement

Science says it loud and clear that the EU’s plans to reduce emissions are not in line with the Paris Agreement. The question is whether EU member states will set things right and shoot beyond the minimum ambition with their National Climate and Energy Plans, write Brigitta Bozsó and Klaus Röhrig, policy experts at Climate … Continue reading The EU’s plans to reduce GHG emissions are still not in line with the 2015 Paris Agreement →

The EU Net Zero Industry Act must not be protectionist

How the EU might respond to clean teach subsidies, in the form of a leaked draft law entitled the Net Zero Industry Act (NZIA), is deeply worrisome. Niclas Poitiers, André Sapir, Simone Tagliapietra, Reinhilde Veugelers and Jeromin Zettelmeyer explain their views in an article on the Breugel website. Bruegel is the European think tank that … Continue reading The EU Net Zero Industry Act must not be protectionist →