Dozens of UK Labour MPs urge PM Starmer to water-down Net Zero commitments
Dozens of UK Labour MPs have written to Prime Minister Keir Starmer and senior Cabinet ministers calling for a review of key Net Zero policies, amid concerns over…
Energy and climate
Latest reporting and analysis on energy and climate.
Middle East war: global economic fallout
Here are the latest economic events in the Middle East war:
Volkswagen recalls 100,000 electric vehicles as battery defect may pose fire hazard
German carmaker Volkswagen (VW) has to recall almost 100,000 electric vehicles worldwide due to faulty batteries.
German economy minister warns of fuel shortage from end of April
Germany’s Federal Minister for the Economy, Katherina Reiche, has warned of an impending fuel shortage if the Iran war drags on for much longer.
Belgian industry asks for closed nuclear plants to be reopened
Belgium’s energy-intensive industries are calling for an urgent study into extending the operation of several recently closed or idled nuclear reactors.
South Korea gets US permission to import oil from Russia to ease fuel crisis
South Korea will likely turn to Russia for oil imports after the closure of the Strait of Hormuz has cut the east Asian country off from its main suppliers in the…
Unheard noise, real concerns: Wind turbines under scrutiny
A conference titled Unheard but Not Harmless: Public Health and Wind Energy Infrasound took place today at the European Parliament, hosted by MEP Fernand Kartheiser.
‘Green’ policies make Germany especially vulnerable to surge in price of natural gas
Germany is especially vulnerable to energy price increases following the war in Iran and the closure of the Street of Hormuz – due to a mix of supposedly “green”…
Leading European nations and Japan signal they want to help keep Strait of Hormuz open
Leading European nations and Japan have signalled readiness to support efforts to ensure safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz.
Losses for German automotive supplier ZF double to €2.1bn after electrification failure
German technology group ZF Friedrichshafen has reported a net loss after tax of €2.1 billion for fiscal 2025, almost doubling the €1.
Slovakia says No to cross-border ‘fuel tourism’ and limits fuel sales
The Slovak Government has introduced emergency restrictions on diesel fuel sales amid an escalating energy supply crisis.
Germany’s biggest oil rig may have to shut following lawsuit by environmentalists
Germany’s biggest oilrig, the Mittelplate station in the North Sea, may be forced to close down permanently.
Middle East crisis forces Brussels back to nuclear energy, VDL letter discloses
Ahead of this week’s European Council meeting, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen sent a letter to EU heads of state highlighting Europe’s energy…
Ifo institute: German government misappropriated 95 per cent of new debt for infrastructure
According to a new analysis by the ifo Institute, one of Germany's most respected economic research organisations, 95 per cent of the €24.
Belgian PM says Europe to normalise relations with Russia after war, spurring criticism
An interview with Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever, in which he said that after the war in Ukraine, Europe and Russia will normalise relations and resume energy…
The Hormuz crisis is about much more than oil
The Western public has been conditioned to think of energy crises in terms of petrol prices and heating bills.
Polish opposition wants to leave EU’s emissions trading system
Poland’s opposition Conservatives (PiS) have submitted a resolution to the country’s parliament calling on the government to start the process of leaving the…
European Energy Commissioner says renewables ‘only way out of energy crisis’, closes door on Russia
European Energy Commissioner Dan Jørgensen has insisted that accelerating renewable energy deployment is the only sustainable path out of the continent's deepening…
Germany and Greece will not help in reopening Strait of Hormuz
Germany and Greece have declined to participate in an international effort to secure the Strait of Hormuz, amid the ongoing war between the US, Israel and Iran.
How the EU policy on ‘stupid’ stability chokes off spending in member states
Italian business and political leaders are calling on EU institutions to take extraordinary measures to address the energy crisis provoked by the war with Iran.
German state broadcaster lies about Fukushima deaths
On the 15th anniversary of the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami in Japan, Germany public broadcasters have been caught misrepresenting the almost 20,000 people…
Belgian PM De Wever attacks past nuclear policy, will leave country paying ‘for a century’
Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever has launched a sharp attack in parliament on past energy policy, warning that decisions to phase out nuclear power could saddle…
Petrol carousel: Germans go to Poland to fill up on cheaper fuel, while Poles go to Slovakia
German drivers are crossing in their droves into western Poland to buy cheaper fuel at petrol stations, giving rise to local shortages and complaints from the Polish…
Switzerland wants to overturn ban on new nuclear power plants
Switzerland's upper house of parliament, the Council of States, has voted in favour of lifting the country's longstanding ban on constructing new nuclear power plants.
‘Russia pockets €6 billion in fossil fuel revenues in almost two weeks of Iran conflict’
Russia has pocketed an estimated €6 billion in fossil fuel revenues since the onset of Israeli and US strikes on Iran on February 28, with daily earnings surging…
Merz says Germany’s nuclear phaseout ‘irreversible’ but experts disagree
Germany’s Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz (Christian Democratic Union, CDU) has called his country’s nuclear phaseout “irreversible”, contradicting both…
Sharp rise in fuel prices forces Germany to release oil reserves
Germany has authorised the partial release of its national oil reserves to mitigate the sharp rise in oil and fuel prices triggered by the ongoing conflict in Iran,…
No more Obama-Biden timidity, it is time for America to assert itself again
It’s commonly said that generals always fight the last war.
Europol-led global criminal raid unearths €10m cash and 127,000 tonnes of waste
A major international police operation has dealt a significant blow to criminal groups profiting from environmental crime, seizing vast quantities of illegal waste…
Amnesia? EC chief von der Leyen now calls nuclear exit ‘strategic mistake’
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has spoken out in favour of nuclear power, calling the nuclear phaseout in Europe a “strategic mistake”.