EU Policy News +
EU Policy News
EU’s 27 Member States reached an agreement on the EU Climate Action Package, including the dedication of part of the revenues of the Emission Trading System to Carbon Capture and Storage as the EU Parliament requested. Several adaptions to coach reluctant Memebr States towards the agreement have been made:
1. The auctioning rate to be reached [...]
The EU-27 urban development Ministers met in Marseille to discuss how different policies can contribute to sustainable urban development. As a follow-up to the May 2007 Leipzig Charter on integrated sustainable urban development, ministers committed to building a reference framework for sustainable cities. The framework would outline the general principles of a sustainable city: an integrated approach of all public policies [...]
EU Parliament discusses energy innovation. Updated 21-11-2008The EU Parliament (EP) and national parliamentarians discussed Europe’s future energy supply, the promotion of energy innovation and the EU’s role in international climate negotiationsat a two day meeting in Strasbourg.
“It is important that we Europeans now agree on a common position”, stressed European Parliament President Hans-Gert Pöttering outlining the EP’s plans to vote on [...]
MEPs discussed Europe’s car industry as Industry Commissioner Günter Verheugen indicated that sales could fall by up to 1 million cars next year. Around 15 million Europeans are employed in the motor industry and one of the main names - Opel (Vauxhall in the UK) - is in difficulty due to the credit crunch and falling sales. [...]
The European Commission on November 13 proposed its second Strategic Energy Review to build up energy solidarity among Member States and a new policy on energy networks to stimulate investment in more efficient, low-carbon energy networks. The Review includes a new new EU Energy Security and Solidarity Action Plan as well as a package of [...]
Hydrogen in Second EU Strategic Energy Review Updated 13-11-2008In the Second Strategic Energy Review that the European Commission presented on November 13 a five-point EU Energy Security and Solidarity Action Plan is proposed, focusing on:
Infrastructure needs and the diversification of energy supplies;
External energy relations;
Oil and gas stocks and crisis response mechanisms;
Energy efficiency: with a reference to a potential use of € 9 bln [...]
The leaders of the main political groups in European Parliament have committed to a review of its output of greenhouse gasses in order to cut its carbon footprint by 30% by 2020. Around 2/3 of the Parliament’s footprint comes from the use of electricity, gas and transport. Buildings and IT equipment make up 19% of [...]
International Renewable Energy Agency established. Updated 03-11-2008At a conference in Madrid, 51 states laid the foundations and agreed on the text of the Statute of IRENA, the International Renewable Energy Agency, that will be signed at an official ceremony on 26 January 2009 in Bonn. IRENA will support industrialised and developing countries in expanding renewable energies. Worldwide many countries have set [...]
EU Member States urge EU Council to take up CO2 emissions of passenger cars with EU Parliament. Updated 28-10-2008France - who is holding the EU presidency till this December and one of the EU’s largest car producers in Europe together with Germany, Italy, and the UK - has tried to convince EU governments to water down the proposals and give industry more time and flexibility to meet the targets ”There is a political will to avoid second reading in [...]
130 European cities sign declaration to take local action on climate change Updated 27-10-2008The non binding declaration signed by 130 cities in 34 EU countries, includes guidelines for implementing local policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by involving all local actors, better urban planning, transport and mobility, renewable energy and diversified energy production.”Cities are best placed to speak with their citizens on global matters such as climate change” and to show how local [...]