Spanish minister’s bike stunt backfires at energy summit
Spain’s ecology minister Teresa Ribera struck what appeared to be an environmentally conscious stance by arriving at a climate summit on a bicycle on July 11.
Economy
Latest reporting and analysis on economy.
WATCH: Farmers take on Greta Thunberg outside European Parliament
Farmers have faced-off against Swedish teenage eco-activist Greta Thunberg outside the European Parliament in Strasbourg over the EU's nature restoration law.
Brussels’ eco-friendly pool shut over poor hygiene
An experimental outdoor swimming pool in Brussels is to remain shut as its eco-friendly filtration system is unable to keep the water clean.
European Food Safety Authority gives green light for controversial herbicide
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has no objections to the re-approval of the weedkiller glyphosate, despite the World Health Organisation’s International Agency for Research on Cancer…
EU strikes deal on more ammunition for Ukraine
The European Council and European Parliament have struck a €500 million deal to ramp-up the production of ammunition for Ukraine and replenish Member States’…
German Government in chaos after court blocks ‘green’ vote
Germany's so-called 'traffic light' coalition government is in turmoil after a decision by the country's top court to block forthcoming votes on a key piece of environmental…
Timmermans takes heat after linking deadly summer storm to climate change
Frans Timmermans, Vice-President of the European Commission and a lead advocate for the European Green Deal, is facing a barrage of criticism after connecting a…
Greta Thunberg to appear in court over oil terminal protest
World-renowned Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg is to appear in court after being charged with a criminal offence, according to media reports on July 5.
Germany approves austerity budget following economic downturn
The German Government’s cabinet approved its new budget on July 5, which will see substantial spending cuts as the European Union's biggest economy slides further…
Environmentalists try to ban Rammstein rock concerts in name of bird protection
Popular German heavy-metal rock band Rammstein is facing some unpleasant feedback in the Netherlands;
EU sanctions ‘could cost Kosovo €500 million’
Kosovo risks losing up to half a billion euros in funding because of European Union sanctions arising amid tensions with Serbia.
EU set to exit from controversial energy charter treaty
The European Union is set to announce this week its withdrawal from the controversial Energy Charter Treaty, after a small group of nations argued that it clashes…
Watered down GMO Bill seen as sop to rogue EPP members
The move was “a very clear political message” to coax Manfred Weber's centre-right European People's Party (EPP) Group back to supporting Ursula von der Leyen's…
Germany now an energy importer after ditching nuclear power
Now that Germany has done away with nuclear power, the consequences of that decision are becoming clearer;
EU-UK relations defrost but trade remains prickly topic
British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has hailed a new "close and friendly" era in post-Brexit European Union-UK relations but admitted issues such as migration,…
Economic expert says Germany needs 1.5 million immigrants a year
Monika Schnitzer, chairwoman of Germany’s Council of Economic Experts, claims her country needs 1.
Two dead after EU-funded hybrid car prototype explodes in Italy
Two researchers died after being severely injured when an EU-funded prototype hybrid electric car exploded in Naples, Italy.
EU considers concessions as Russia threatens Black Sea Grain Deal
The European Union is considering concessions that will allow more money to flow to Russia.
Australia says EU’s offer on free trade isn’t ‘good enough’
The European Union has failed to offer Australia satisfactory terms to seal a free-trade accord, Trade Minister Don Farrell said, as small but important sticking…
Germany sees investors fleeing amid economic downturn
Germany has seen investors fleeing the country at record levels as it enters its worst economic downturn in years.
Horizon science talks ‘crunchy’ as UK and EU seek new deal, says Hunt
Negotiations over the renewal of UK participation in the European Union’s Horizon Europe science programme are ongoing, despite reaching a "crunchy" phase, according…
Strange bedfellows: Dutch farmers party and greens to govern together
The Dutch Farmer–Citizen Movement (BBB), an agrarian party created as a result of widespread protests against ‘green’ legislation, will govern together with…
Renewables growth did not dent fossil fuel dominance in 2022, report says
Global energy demand rose one per cent last year and record renewables growth did nothing to shift the dominance of fossil fuels, which still accounted for 82 per…
Germany: heat-pump plan set to hammer homeowners
German homeowners face further pain over the country’s controversial heat-pump programme.
Ruble hits weakest in 15 months after Wagner challenges Putin
The ruble weakened as much as three per cent against the dollar on Monday, the most this year, after a mutiny by mercenary commander Yevgeny Prigozhin, whose brief…
Green groups put brakes on Germany’s biggest classic-car rally
It looks like the end of the road for Germany's biggest vintage-car rally, which has been cancelled just days before it was due to take place, amid environmental…
Macron calls for ‘public funding surge’ at Paris climate summit
French President, Emmanuel Macron, took a decidedly green turn at the Summit for a New Global Financial Pact in Paris on June 22, stating no country should have…
Brazil’s Lula says EU should ‘give up’ protectionism, be ‘more humble’
Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on June 22 that the European Union should stop adopting a protectionist stance if it wants to reach a long-delayed…
Not so much Zeitenwende as progressive puffery: Germany’s first national security strategy is long on modish clichés and short on military thinking
Not since Willy Brandt’s 1970s Ostpolitik has a German geopolitical term made such waves as Olaf Scholz’s Zeitenwende.
Europe is falling behind. Other than regulation, is it still a world leader at anything?
Who remembers the EU’s Lisbon strategy of 2000? Probably not many, so let’s revisit its ambitious goals.