The expansion of the European emissions trading system for buildings and road transport should not be the only driver for decarbonizing the two sectors. Rather, the ETS 2 must be embedded in a broad policy mix and binding national reduction targets, demand the authors of a study by the German Forum Ökologisch-Soziale Marktwirtschaft (internationally known […]
The EU Commission’s proposal for a Social Climate Fund contains “a lot of climate” but “too little focus on social issues,” judged Esther de Lange (EPP/CDA) on Twitter. The Dutchwoman is the rapporteur of the dossier from the Fit for 55 package for the ENVI Committee. Together with the Maltese rapporteur for the EMPL Committee, […]
At the meeting of EU agriculture ministers in Brussels on Monday, the German Minister of Food and Agriculture, Cem Özdemir, spoke out in favor of more sustainable carbon cycles. The EU Commission had presented its communication on carbon cycles at the Agriculture and Fisheries Council. In it are proposals for measures to help farmers remove […]
More than €2 billion in EU funds intended to help companies improve their energy efficiency did little to meet climate protection targets. In some cases, they financed investments that would have been made anyway. That’s according to the European Court of Auditors in a special report published Monday. The auditors called for more clarity in […]
In the dispute over EU rules on take-off and landing rights in aviation, German Minister for Transport Volker Wissing (FDP) supports Lufthansa’s position. A ministry spokeswoman said that Wissing had written to EU Transport Commissioner Adina Valean to ask for short-term relief on the regulations due to the re-emerging COVID-19 crisis in air traffic. The […]
Given the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the new Foreign Minister, Annalena Baerbock, is traveling on to Moscow today after yesterday’s visit to Kiev. Against the backdrop of the Russian threat and the resulting ongoing sanctions debate, she expects a difficult conversation with her counterpart Sergey Lavrov there, as Falk Steiner points out in the news.The Nord Stream […]
The first discord is brewing in the traffic light coalition between Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP) and the Greens. On Monday, Wissing would not commit to a coalition target of 15 million all-electric cars in Germany by 2030. “We want electrically powered vehicles, of course, hybrids are also a contribution to this,” the FDP […]
It has a lot of positive things in it, says Michael Bloss (Greens/EFA) about the draft report on the ETS reform of his colleague in the ENVI Committee of the EU Parliament. Bloss’s task as shadow rapporteur for the Greens will be to analyze Peter Liese’s report in detail and submit amendments by February 16, […]
Ms. Droege, what is your climate policy assessment for 2021? Do you feel more optimistic about what has been achieved, or more skeptical about what lies ahead?On the positive side, the USA is again proactively involved. From a global perspective, this window of opportunity has been seized. But clearly, too little has happened in terms […]
It’s a nice idea. So-called “peer parliaments” could increase the participation of citizens in European climate policy. This is urgently needed, as the Brussels bubble often seems far removed from the reality of people’s lives. “We will only defeat the climate crisis if everyone joins the fight,” says Executive Vice President Frans Timmermans, calling for […]