Power plants fuelled by natural gas will not be classed as “sustainable” or “transition” investments in Europe unless they meet emission limits which are so low that none are currently able to...

Paris and Berlin have added their names to a growing list of EU capitals asking for the European Green Deal to be placed at the heart of the EU’s post-pandemic recovery plan.

“We are saying goodbye to the coal age,” Greece’s energy state secretary told EURACTIV following last week's announcement that the country’s last lignite plant will be shut down in 2025, three years...

EU energy ministers were divided into two camps at the EU Council meeting on Tuesday (28 March): the pro-nuclear alliance, which includes France and 10 other member states, and the "renewable...

The European Commission has tabled long-awaited rules defining the circumstances under which hydrogen can be labelled as coming from “renewable” energy sources. Last minute, Paris also won recognit...

The European Commission is looking to increase the EU's renewable energy target for 2030 as part of plans due next week, which also include faster permitting rules for new projects and a solar...

The European Parliament voted on Tuesday (6 October) to update the EU’s climate target for 2030, backing a 60% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by the end of the decade, up from 40% currently.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen triggered a political storm in France when she declared last week that nuclear power was not a “strategic” technology to reach the EU’s climate...

A massive underground deposit of high-grade phosphate rock in Norway, pitched as the world’s largest, is big enough to satisfy world demand for fertilisers, solar panels and electric car batteries...

French energy company Engie and the Belgian government are set to sign contractual documents Friday, setting out the terms and conditions for restarting reactors Doel 4 and Tihange 3 in the winter of...

Belgium has reached an initial accord with French utility group Engie to extend the use of nuclear power by 10 years after Russia's invasion of Ukraine forced the government to rethink plans to rely...

The European Commission’s promised green recovery plan will focus on building renovation, renewables and hydrogen as well as clean mobility and the circular economy, according to a leaked working...

By refusing to table a target for 2030, France is failing to implement the EU's renewable energy directive, the European Commission said on Monday (18 December) as part of its "recommendations" on...

Eleven EU countries have called on the EU to take full account of "all fossil-free energy sources" when elaborating future energy and climate policies, according to a joint statement issued on...

Are you an experienced journalist with a special interest in energy and the environment? Do you commit to forward-looking journalism and being keen on exposing the dynamics of European decision-mak...

School kids are on climate strike “because we have done our homework” and listened to science, 16-year-old green activist Greta Thunberg told EU policymakers in Brussels today (21 February). “Just...

The European Commission will argue this week in favour of a 55% cut in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and push for higher shares of renewable energy as part of an ambitious plan to achieve net-zero...

The International Energy Agency (IEA) has acknowledged “weaknesses” in how biomass energy is counted in national statistics after several EU countries reported a sudden increase in residential wood...

The Greek economy is still in crisis, contracting 1.2% in the quarter. The figures, published by the Greek statistics agency, Elstat, show it was the worst quarter since the summer of 2015, when the...

New nuclear is less cost-competitive than wind, solar or electricity storage options and hinders investments in renewable energies that could otherwise be deployed much faster, according to a...

The European Commission aims to promote so-called “green” hydrogen produced from renewable electricity over the “grey” sort obtained from natural gas steam reforming, according to a leaked policy...

Austria’s energy and climate minister Leonore Gewessler told EURACTIV in an exclusive interview that her country was ready to go to court if the EU decides to include nuclear power into the bloc's...

The European Union, has drawn up plans to label some natural gas and nuclear energy power plants as "transitional" or "green" investments provided they meet specific criteria such as displacing more...

The cost of pollution in Europe has surged more than 50% this year, signaling that the region’s tougher climate policies are starting to make a difference.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen outlined limits to EU backing for nuclear power under the bloc’s Net-Zero Industry Act, which seeks to support home-made production of clean...

If the European Green Deal made economic sense before the COVID-19 crisis, “it makes even more sense now” because it will help reboot the economy, said Frans Timmermans, the EU Commission vice-pres...

Portuguese energy utility EDP has announced the closure of its Sines coal power plant, bringing forward the planned shutdown of coal-fired power plants in the country by two years, from 2023 to 2021.

President Emmanuel Macron said he was in favour of "nuclear power being integrated into the taxonomy" on green finance in an address before the European Committee of the Regions on Wednesday (1...

The European Union's flagship fund to wean regions off fossil fuels will not finance natural gas projects, EU governments said on Wednesday (16 December), ending a debate over whether to make the...

The European Commission plans to delay a decision on whether to label nuclear and natural gas power plants as a sustainable investment under green finance rules due to be published next week,...

The governments of France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden, Denmark, Spain, Portugal and Luxembourg have launched an appeal to boost EU climate action ahead of a major summit on the future of Europe...

Half of Europe's 324 coal-fuelled power plants have either closed or announced a retirement date before 2030, it emerged on Monday (22 March) when French power utility EDF announced the 162nd plant...

The European Commission is preparing a “toolbox” of measures for EU governments to tackle the ongoing surge in energy prices without harming Europe’s single market. EURACTIV got its hands on the...

A first-of-its-kind study on demand-side flexibility – the ability for households to change their energy consumption patterns based on external signals – shows that EU consumers could save more than...

The next European Commission will have to reopen the Emissions Trading Scheme directive if it is serious about reaching carbon neutrality by 2050, argues Bas Eickhout, warning the next Commission...

The European Commission will table new EU-wide regulations this autumn to ensure that batteries manufactured or imported into Europe are “the greenest on this planet,” a top EU official told EURACTIV.

A plan by Spain's Balearic Islands to switch to 100% renewable energy and ditch coal power became law last week, while 26 islands across the EU are launching a new clean energy strategy on Monday (18...

The European Union's proposed €750 billion fund to help the bloc recover from the coronavirus crisis will have green strings attached, with 25% of all funding set aside for climate action, the...

The Ukrainian energy ministry has weighed into the debate over the EU’s sustainable finance taxonomy by calling on the European Parliament to support plans to label nuclear and gas as green energy...

As Germany embarked on its ‘Zeitenwende’ – or turning point – following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the key question was just how many sacred cows Berlin could slaughter.

A cross-party group of lawmakers in the European Parliament – ranging from the far-left to the centre-right – have penned a joint letter calling for the EU’s proposed €750 billion recovery fund to be...

Leading industry figures acknowledge that not all biomass brings benefits to the climate, insisting that only low-value wood and forest residues should make the cut under EU law.

On 24-25 March 2022, the European Council adopted conclusions on the Russian military aggression against Ukraine, security and defence, energy, economic issues, COVID-19, external relations and the...

A proposal to bring both nuclear power and natural gas into the bloc’s green finance taxonomy is circulating in Brussels. The paper has been branded as a “scientific disgrace” by campaigners who...

An updated version of the European Commission’s draft hydrogen strategy confirms the EU’s “priority focus” on clean hydrogen produced from renewable electricity, but also recognises the role played...

In a policy document due to be adopted on Wednesday (18 May), the European Commission urges EU member states to step up preparations for a “full disruption of Russian gas supplies” by considering...

Biogas production has been earmarked as a key way to help fortify the EU's struggling farm sector against burgeoning energy costs, according to a draft of the European Commission’s communication on...

The new Polish government has announced its ambition to become a green player in Europe, backing a 90% greenhouse gas reduction target for 2040 and looking to pull forward the country’s coal exit.

The incoming European Commission of Ursula von der Leyen is preparing a raft of new climate and environmental laws as part of a European Green Deal due to be unveiled on 11 December. EURACTIV got...

Self-proclaimed “faceless” EU civil servants have decided to put their hands in their pockets to build a European solidarity fund for people in COVID-hit regions like Spain and northern Italy.

The European Parliament's environment committee has voted for a new EU-wide target to reduce carbon emissions 60% by 2030, setting the stage for tough negotiations with EU countries and the European...

The European Union needs to “significantly improve its policy package” for 2030 in order to align itself with the emission trajectories of the Paris Agreement, according to renowned Belgian climate...

The Czech Republic said it was ready to back the EU’s proposed 2030 target to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 55%, provided that the objective is a collective one and that EU state aid rules do not...

New forms of ocean energy are gaining interest globally, and because European companies are leaders on tidal and wave technologies, that is good news for the environment and for the European economy,...

French Energy Minister Agnès Pannier-Runacher is trying to get EU Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson to include nuclear among energy sources for the production of so-called "green" hydrogen, according...

Considering the limited amount of green hydrogen available, the European Commission should prioritise its use in sectors that cannot decarbonise through other means like electrification, write Miriam...

A group of environmental organisations and global energy companies, including Shell, have called for mandatory EU rules on methane encompassing the entire gas value chain, including imports from...

While attention continues to focus on the urgent health aspects of the COVID-19 outbreak, EU leaders have called on the European Commission to start preparing “a comprehensive recovery plan” that...

The European Parliament voted on Wednesday (14 September) in favour of a 45% target for renewable energy in the EU's energy mix by 2030, paving the way for negotiations with the 27 member states to...