Germanyโs Greens make Merz sweat over massive spending plan
The Greens vow to foil the chancellor-in-waiting’s historic plan to invest big in defense and infrastructure. But it may just be a negotiating gambit.
green energy transition
EU must propel global climate momentum to fill the gap left by Trump
Europe has the potential to play an important role, but it will have to move fast, and be smart and more united than before.
Nigel Farageโs next act: Hammer Labour on energy costs
Reform UK has started tying green policies to grimly high energy bills โ and some government MPs are getting nervous.
Europe needs to adapt or it will get left behind
Boldly aiming for โstrategic interdependence,โ the EU should embrace interconnectedness where prudent while building autonomy where it can.
Germanyโs Scholz nears his endgame. Hereโs whatโs going to happen.
A confidence vote set for Monday will almost certainly lead to an early election on Feb. 23.
EU must invest quickly in Kazakhstanโs rare earths production, for green energy transition and global competition [Advocacy Lab Content]
Kazakhstanโs newly discovered lithium deposits ($15.7 billion), and nickel, gold, and rare earth metals reserves ($46 trillion) are attracting global attention. Europe must act now or lose ground to China and the United States.
Lithium comes of age, impacting global energy transition, leading diversification [Advocacy Lab Content]
Lithium has evolved from being labelled โindustrial MSGโ to a valuable recyclable resource known as โwhite petroleumโ, making a real impact on the global green energy transition. Euractiv spoke with Frank Ha, CEO of Tianqi Lithium Corp.
Grids shaping Europeโs green transition, digital technologies and infrastructure investment [Advocacy Lab Content]
The European Commission proposed an EU Action Plan for Grids in late 2023 to deliver on the European Green Deal. They estimate that around โฌ584 billion will be needed for electricity infrastructure investments between 2020 and 2030.
Draghi report on Europeโs competitiveness falls short
While well-received in Brussels, the question of what exactly the common debt should finance, and how it would foster innovation, has been sidelined.
Former Poland PM: โWeโre living under the illusion of environmentalismโ
We arenโt reducing global emissions, just depriving ourselves of jobs, profits, raw material sovereignty and, therefore, security.
Volkswagenโs week from hell risks getting worse
The carmaker’s executives are locked in a stalemate with workers as the company’s future hangs in the balance.
Thousands protest in Serbia against lithium mine project
Thousands hit the streets in Serbia’s capital Belgrade Saturday to protest the rebooting of a controversial lithium mine set to serve as a vital source to power Europe’s green energy transition. Serbia has vast lithium deposits near the western city o…
Thousands of Serbians protest in Belgrade against lithium mine
Controversial mining project is a political fault line in Balkan country over fears about environmental impactsThousands hit the streets in Serbiaโs capital Belgrade Saturday to protest against the rebooting of a controversial lithium mine set to serve…
Europeโs needs a centrist agenda
Extremist and populist parties exploit real fears and frustrations โ they don’t invent them. And far too many feel their grievances have been insufficiently addressed by the political center.
Scholz and ล efฤoviฤ ink lithium deal with Serbia amid environmental concerns
The agreement would benefit carmakers like Mercedes-Benz and Stellantis, but is deeply unpopular in the country.
EU election: Not enough will change โ and thatโs the real problem
The Parliament election is one more shrill alarm bell that needs to be heeded seriously by Europeโs mainstream establishment, and one that should prompt considerable soul-searching.
Chinese exports threaten Europe even more than the US
Biden is right to heed working class voters in Pennsylvania. The Continent, which has even more to lose from a second China shock, better start listening to its workers too.
UKโs path to a secure and decarbonised electricity grid
Whatever the election result, the next generation of carbon capture, BECCS, must be at the heart of the next governmentโs plan for ensuring a secure and decarbonised UK energy system.
Key EU policies โ how will they change after the vote?
With just a week to go until the European election and the campaign in full gear, weโre focusing on how the vote will impact key EU policies such as health, energy, climate, technology and defense. Will they be affected by the shake-up of the blocโs political landscape and the arrival of new MEPs and commissioners [โฆ]
How a climate U-turn broke the Scottish government
Scotland’s governing coalition has fallen apart โ and a stalled drive to cut carbon emissions played a major role.
Is Europeโs hydropower potential tapped out? [Advocacy Lab Content]
Huge dam projects built in Sweden, Austria and France decades ago might not be feasible today, but pumped storage hydropower at sites with existing infrastructure could have major potential to reduce the EUโs emissions.
Itโs time to hit Amazon where it really hurts: In its pocket
The least the public should be able to expect is for the worldโs biggest companies to not receive public money without being held to the same standards as a family-run farm.
Want to accelerate climate action? Show people real-life benefits
Rather than leading with data and promoting health, safety and economic โco-benefitsโ as bonus add-ons, climate advocates need to flip the script.
Germany heading for record employment in renewables industry
Germany is heading towards the highest number of people employed in renewables-linked jobs since 2010, a trend bolstered by demand for heat pumps and installations of solar panels.
The โdirty dozenโ of Davos
Autocrats, blowhards and bores: The 12 bad boys of the World Economic Forum shindig in the Swiss Alps.
Northern Europeโs new naval priority: Submarine sabotage
After damage to a Baltic Sea pipeline, Western navies are deploying to the region in an effort to protect vulnerable infrastructure.
Germany and EU face a new trilemma
The green transition and economic security are complimentary phenomena that can create a positive feedback loop.
DSO Entity and the EU Year of Skills Factsheet [Promoted content]
In 2023, DSO Entity conducted an online side-campaign to the European Commissionโs Year of Skills, with the objective to inform on the needs of the energy sector related to the problem of upskilling and reskilling the workforce to help achieving…
In Poland, coal is no longer king โ but its mark remains
The industryโs legacy lives on in the culture, the economy and the European Unionโs climate policies.
Behind the scenes: A billionaire at COP28
Australian tycoon Andrew Forrest has made a big bet โ that after building a mining empire, his next fortune will come from the green transition.
How to navigate Belgiumโs EU presidency policy agenda like a pro
Time is running out to make progress on files before the 2024 European election.
Climate action must avoid fueling conflict
The green transition must be sensitive to prevent the emergence of new disputes.
Nissan confirms future of Sunderland factory with government support
The pledge to build three electric vehicle models in the UK will protect 7,000 direct jobs, the firm said.
โฌ4 bn extra for Africa: Germanyโs Scholz doubles EU green energy fund
Germany is providing fresh money to Africa as part of advancing the continentโs green energy transition, building on a more consistent engagement strategy of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s coalition government.
Q&A: How to create a sustainable lithium supply chain for a carbon neutral world?
As the world races to electrify and reduce carbon emissions, demand for the silvery-white alkali metal is skyrocketing.
Top court blows โฌ60B hole in Germanyโs climate financing plans
Ruling comes amid tense budget negotiations for Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
How to increase Europeโs competitiveness in the new global economy
As Europe’s competitiveness lags behind other world regions, the EU should focus on increasing public and private investment in technology and skills as well as push forward on the green energy transition to ensure reliable clean energy supply, a…
German hard-left icon set to start a new populist party
The new party would further scramble Germanyโs fracturing political landscape โ and likely peel away support from the far right.
Multilateralism is broken
The EU is doing little to prevent the tragic death of global governance.
EU โhas given too much to the marketโ, French Greens top candidate says
“An ill wind is blowing against ecology. It is in these conditions that we are approaching the European elections”, warns Marie Toussaint, MEP and head of the list of the French Greens (Europe รcologie – Les Verts, EELV) for the June 2024 elections, in…
Action on critical minerals is needed now
As tensions with China grow, Western countries need to do more to finance and build alternative supply chains for critical minerals.
Big critical raw materials meeting has no space for indigenous groups
Indigenous leaders say they should be taking part in the International Energy Agency’s summit on critical raw materials and the energy transition.
Mounting discontent augurs badly for EU Green Deal
Recent climate regulations are triggering an unintended backlash that risks undermining Europe’s very own climate agenda from within.
In her State of the Union, von der Leyen should swap pragmatism for principles
Instead of courting voters with a laundry list of promises, she should place democratic values front and center in her address.
Grand bargain for Bretton Woods
This system was born of a dream of prosperity and peace. And considering the existential threats facing humanity today, it is arguably even more important to resurrect it.
Europeโs green deal will need broad support to succeed
EU has embarked on no less than an industrial revolution. A revolution that โ unlike those of the past โ is set against a tight deadline.
Europe needs to think bigger to build its capital markets union
The global landscape is evolving rapidly, and Europe must keep pace, if not lead, that change.
Poles face choice over their countryโs standing in Europe
At risk in October is whether Poland is going to be at Europeโs heart, shaping decisions, or on the blocโs periphery, losing important benefits and clout.
Britainโs North Sea decision: Waning leadership at home and abroad
The fastest way the UK government can help cut bills, avoid emissions and reduce dependence is by increasing support for energy efficiency to reduce the total amount of natural gas needed.
Europe lost to China on solar โ now itโs about to do the same with wind
How can European leaders, with good conscience, see another industry that originated in Europe โ let alone one so vital for the global energy transition โ be lost to China?
Now is the time to double down on green pledges โ not back down
At its heart, tackling climate change is a conservative mission to protect our planet and build a more prosperous country.
Why China is not as powerful as the West might think
Xi Jinping’s brand of economic policy is less and less convincing to Western companies. Politicians are waking up, too.
Germany faces 5 tough years, economy minister warns
Berlin should borrow money to subsidize energy for companies or risk losing its industry, Robert Habeck cautions.
Kazakh expert: Central Asia needs a transnational electricity grid
Kazakhstan is โcompletely dependentโ on Russia when it comes to balancing energy needs and the best solution is to create a transnational electricity grid in Central Asia, similar to the one in Europe, a Kazakh expert told a Brussels audience on Tuesda…