German Chancellor Merz breaks key election promise on electricity tax
Barely two months after assuming the German Chancellorship, Friedrich Merz has broken a key election promise.
Energy and climate
Latest reporting and analysis on energy and climate.
Could Belgium lead a new European mining era?
A Belgian liberal party said it wanted to bring local mining back to Belgium to extract critical raw materials from European soil.
Low emissions for thee not me: Von der Leyen flew private 16 times in 2024
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen maintained a large ecological footprint as she remained an avid user of private jets in 2024.
French Greens MP: ‘Sabotage by environmentalists is legitimate’
French Greens MP Lisa Belluco sparked controversy during a protest in Vienne, France, against the Duplomb Law, which lifted constraints on farmers regarding pesticide…
Belgium imports more Russian gas than before Ukraine war
Belgium imported more Russian gas in 2024 than before Moscow launched its invasion of Ukraine.
‘Big beautiful bill’ makes European renewable energy companies’ shares tank
US President Donald Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” (BBB) is causing shares to slide in Europe's renewable energy sector.
Dazzling solar panels blind pilots during approach to Schiphol airport
A solar panel park near Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport is posing a serious safety risk and disrupting air traffic, according to airport authorities.
Broken promise of electricity tax cut causes first rift in Germany’s new government coalition
A cancelled cut of the tax on electricity is causing friction between Germany’s Conservatives (CDU) and Social Democrats (SPD) who formed a coalition government…
MEPs urge EU support for firms seeking to exit long-term Russian energy contracts
A cross-party group of MEPs has urged the European Union to help companies extricate themselves from long-term contracts with Russian energy providers.
Exclusive: Minister says EU energy policies frustrate Member States’ efforts to lower prices
Csaba Lantos, Hungary’s Minister for Energy, tells Brussels Signal that plans by the EU for a full embargo on Russian energy will lead to a price explosion across…
ArcelorMittal cancels German ‘green’ steel projects and shifts focus to France
International steel giant ArcelorMittal said it would no longer pursue plans to “decarbonise” its German steel mills.
Renewable energy ‘puts Germany at risk of major blackout’
The Berliner Zeitung newspaper reported that the high uptake of solar energy in Germany had increased the chances of an overload and an electricity blackout like…
‘Stop the Rich’: Activists plan march in Brussels’ wealthiest district
A group of activists said they planned to march through one of Brussels' most affluent districts, the Prince d’Orange neighbourhood in Uccle, under the banner:…
French Green Party leader warns of ‘ecocide’ in Gaza
French Green Party leader Marine Tondelier has claimed an "ecocide" was taking place in Gaza.
Dutch emission rules ‘endanger achievement of NATO targets’
The Dutch Government is set to miss NATO targets due to stringent nitrogen emission regulations, a new report found.
With the Middle East ablaze and the world in conflict, Europe must rethink its energy strategy — now
The Middle East is on fire. As Israel strikes Iran and Tehran responds, Europe, too, will pay the price.
Spain’s VOX aims to save olive groves from solar-power push
Spain's populist right-wing party VOX has presented a bill to stop the advance of solar power panels at the expense of olive groves.
World Bank abolishes financing ban on nuclear power projects
The World Bank's board has agreed to lift a longstanding ban on financing nuclear energy projects.
New Belgian offshore wind farms ‘likely to cut output of older ones’
New wind farms planned for construction off the Belgian coast by 2030 could reduce the electricity output of existing wind farms to the east by up to 15 per cent.
‘It’s the solar power’: Spanish TV exposes technicians’ internal conversations prior to blackout
Spain's Telecinco TV channel has accessed the internal exchanges of Red Eléctrica technicians which are under analysis by an investigative committee.
EU to cut Russia’s oil cash, if the West can agree
Brussels said it wanted to squeeze Moscow's war chest by slashing the price Russia charged for crude oil.
IEA and EC signal China’s clean-tech ‘paradox’
China has been driving a global boom in clean energy investment while expanding its coal footprint at home and abroad.
Polish court rules some EU energy policy laws ‘unconstitutional’
Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal, a court (TK), has ruled some European Union regulations on energy policy to be incompatible with the Polish Constitution on the…
UK multinational’s boss warns half of Antwerp industry set to vanish
Jim Ratcliffe, the owner of UK multinational chemicals and energy giant INEOS, has warned that half of the industry located in Antwerp, Europe's second-largest port,…
Germany’s Die Linke demands ‘heat holidays’ for workers
German left-wing party Die Linke has demanded a reduction in working hours when workplace temperatures rise above certain levels.
Much-needed critical minerals require ‘investments, not commitment’, IEA warns
Investment in critical minerals has started to fall, just as global demand accelerates, warned the International Energy Agency.
EC funding fuelled ‘green’ NGOs’ litigation against European companies
The European Commission paid activists to target private companies in the courts, expanding Europe's shadow lobbying scandal, according to German news reports.
UK makes solar panels mandatory on most new homes
The “vast majority” of new homes in England will soon be fitted with solar panels as standard, UK energy secretary Ed Miliband has confirmed.
Czechia to build new nuclear reactors after high court overturns ruling
Czechia has joined the European countries in re-embracing nuclear energy.
Activists lobby European Parliament for moratorium on new windmills
A group of activists demanding a stop to the construction of new wind farms and large solar plants in Europe have rallied in front of the European Parliament in…