Europe - EBR

Edition: International | Greek

FOLLOW EBR MAGAZINE ON:

Home » Europe

Due to the considerable water sources in Sweden, about 40% of electricity is generated from hydropower, and about 39% from nuclear energy, i.e. zero emission energy sources. Denmark, in turn, began construction of its first wind farms in the 1970s, enabling its energy sector composition to have reached about 50% of wind energy from its total consumption.

A ‘solidarity clause’ in the EU climate law

By: EBR | Monday, September 7, 2020

The European Union should include a “solidarity clause” in its climate law to ensure that member states most burdened by the EU’s new carbon reduction targets are compensated for the additional costs of purchasing allowances under the EU Emissions Trading System

The ‘blacklist’ has been controversial and a sore point in EU-African relations for several years, with some African finance ministers pointing out that the EU has done little to crack down on its multi-nationals exploiting tax treaty loopholes to dramatically reduce their tax obligations in African states each year.

Countries seek removal from controversial EU ‘blacklists’

By: EBR | Friday, September 4, 2020

A number of countries, including Botswana, are putting pressure on the European Commission to remove them from the controversial ‘blacklists’ of countries deemed not to be cooperating in the fight against money laundering and terrorist financing

It is a priority for the Commission to ensure that the organic farming sector has the right tools in place as well as a well-functioning and consensual legal framework which is key to achieving the objective of 25% of agricultural land dedicated to organic farming.

European Green Deal: Commission prepares new initiatives to boost the organic farming sector

By: EBR | Friday, September 4, 2020

The European Commission has today launched a public consultation on its future Action Plan on Organic Farming

Business consultancy EY has identified 1,000 green projects it says will help Europe recover stronger and more resilient from the economic slump caused by the COVID-19 outbreak.

1,000 ‘shovel-ready’ projects identified in support of EU’s green recovery

By: EBR | Thursday, September 3, 2020

The projects require €200 billion of public and private investment to get off the ground, the consultancy said in a report published on Thursday (3 September)

2021 will be a flagship year for EU digital legislation. From the preparation of the Digital Services Act to the EU’s upcoming legislative proposal on artificial intelligence, the EU will look to balance the aims of ‘promoting innovation’ with ensuring technology is ‘trustworthy’ and ‘human-centric’.

Technology has codified structural racism – will the EU tackle racist tech?

By: EBR | Thursday, September 3, 2020

The EU is preparing its ‘Action Plan’ to address structural racism in Europe. With digital high on the EU’s legislative agenda, it’s time we tackle racism perpetuated by technology

By dissecting economic data from scientific literature and simulating a farm model, researchers found that “agroecological farms generally have better medium-term economic results than conventional farms.”

Ecological farming can be more profitable than conventional, says new report

By: EBR | Tuesday, September 1, 2020

A recent report by the government think tank France Strategie argues the profitability of more environmentally friendly farms and proposes a review of the methods of allocating CAP subsidies to encourage a green transition in farming

The new industry-led group will be modelled on the European Battery Alliance, which brought together more than 200 companies, governments and research organisations around the manufacturing of batteries for the auto industry.

EU to launch raw materials industry alliance

By: EBR | Tuesday, September 1, 2020

The European Commission will announce the launch of a new industry alliance this week, with a view to building a complete EU supply chain for raw materials like lithium, which are seen as critical for the bloc’s digital and green transitions

"The EU is going to be a major force on international bond markets".

These are the EU’s ’best of times, and worst of times’

By: EBR | Tuesday, September 1, 2020

Giles Merritt welcomes the EU’s crucial achievement of new financial powers, but says Europe’s taxpayers will expect a greatly enhanced level of political leadership and accountability

"Global collaboration is the only way to overcome a global pandemic. Under the Coronavirus Global Response and the Global Goal Unite campaign, we have seen the world come together as one. Almost €16 billion have been pledged so far and the most talented researchers and organisations are pooling their efforts to deliver vaccines, tests and treatments, which will be our universal, common good..."

Coronavirus Global Response: Commission joins the COVID-19 Vaccine Global Access Facility (COVAX)

By: EBR | Monday, August 31, 2020

Today, the European Commission has confirmed its interest to participate in the COVAX Facility for equitable access to affordable COVID-19 vaccines everywhere, for everyone who needs them

"Europeans rightly expect to drive the cleanest and safest cars. That presupposes the strictest controls of cars placed on the market and circulating on our roads..."

New rules on cleaner and safer cars start to apply across Europe

By: EBR | Monday, August 31, 2020

Tomorrow, the EU Regulation on the approval and market surveillance of motor vehicles will start to apply

On 21 July the EU heads of state reached agreement on an unprecedented financial package, including an EU recovery fund called ‘Next Generation EU’ (NGEU). NGEU, which is tailored to tackle the crisis that is unfolding worldwide as a result of Covid-19, sees the EU borrow from capital markets to finance expenditure throughout the Union.

Solidarity is needed on EU citizenship as well as on COVID-19

By: EBR | Monday, August 31, 2020

The response by EU leaders to the COVID-19 crisis suggests that solidarity is on the rise. But what about solidarity between Europe’s own citizens, and the 65 million Britons who face losing their rights to EU citizenship?

"To understand the EU’s role we need to view it over a period of 5-10 years. Those who set the Amazon alight today are betting on huge profits in the years to come."

The EU must face its responsibility for the Amazon fires

By: EBR | Monday, August 31, 2020

Only with a strong law can European consumers be confident that the production of the food they eat does not fuel the horrendous fires we witness every year in the Amazon

“This places challenges for such countries to reach their renewable energy targets with less climate-damaging biomass.”

Scientists call on EU to ‘correct’ biomass carbon accounting rules

By: EBR | Friday, August 28, 2020

Europe’s academies of science have called on EU lawmakers to introduce a “radically new standard” in the blocs’ Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) to ensure net carbon emissions from biomass power stations are “properly accounted for and declared”

"To leave enough time to ratify a deal before the end of the transition period on December 31st, the EU on its side would like to finalize a deal ahead of the EU summit to be held on October 15-16, 2020."

Brexit Negotiations: What Are They Waiting For?

By: EBR | Tuesday, August 25, 2020

In its negotiations with the EU, the UK government still puts false hopes on “heavenly” intervention by Germany’s Angela Merkel

"While the EU regulates methane emissions from gas burned in the bloc, it doesn’t do so for emissions during the production or transport of gas imports, so those emissions don’t show up in the tally of greenhouse gases linked to Europe’s gas-fuelled power plants, nor are they counted in the EU’s climate goals."

Draft EU methane strategy shies away from binding emissions standards

By: EBR | Tuesday, August 25, 2020

The European Union’s long-awaited plan to curb emissions of the potent greenhouse gas methane will not impose binding standards on natural gas sold in the bloc, according to a draft seen by Reuters

The Commission’s statement triggered strong reactions in Athens, with the main leftist opposition Syriza party accusing the right-wing New Democracy government (EPP) of populism.

EU Commission exposes Greek health minister over COVID-19 vaccine

By: EBR | Wednesday, August 19, 2020

The European Commission yesterday (18 August) refuted claims by Greece’s health minister that a first batch of COVID-19 vaccines is expected in December saying there is no timeline as there is no vaccine yet.

The Bulgarian Energy Holding (BEH) and the Greek-Italian company Poseidon are the shareholders in the company ICGB responsible for the project. The pipes are delievered by the Greek company Corinth Pipeworks, while another Greek company J&P – Avax is responsible for the design and construction of the gas route.

Strategic gas interconnector Greece-Bulgaria on bumpy road

By: EBR | Friday, August 7, 2020

The construction of a strategic EU-supported pipeline which is expected to break the monopoly of Russian gas on the Bulgarian market has hit a snag

Sales of textiles, clothing and footwear grew by 20.4% month-on-month in the eurozone, after a record 224.1% jump in May.

Eurozone retail sales return to pre-pandemic levels

By: EBR | Thursday, August 6, 2020

The volume of retail sales in the euro zone rebounded in June to levels recorded in February before lockdowns, official estimates showed on Wednesday (5 August), completing a recovery that began in May after record drops in March and April

In a recent paper, the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) found that emissions must fall every year by 4.2% until 2030 to cap warming at 1.5°C.

The EU can and must cut emissions by more than 55% by 2030

By: EBR | Tuesday, August 4, 2020

The European Commission has proposed to strengthen its 40% greenhouse gas emission reduction target to 50% or 55% on 1990 levels in the next ten years

The European health advisory body teamed up with the EU’s maritime and aviation safety as well as railway agencies to manage COVID-19 spread on planes, cruise ships and trains.

Autumn challenges ahead as COVID rates rise amid European travel season

By: EBR | Friday, July 31, 2020

Several European countries are experiencing a surge in coronavirus cases as holidaymakers set out to enjoy the last month of summer but experts are more concerned about a potential increase in COVID-19 infections in autumn