Photo by Mika Baumeister on Unsplash The Social Climate Fund was proposed by the European Commission in July 2021 and revised by the Council of the European Union in June 2022. The European Court of Auditors (ECA) has been asked by the Council to deliver an opinion on the revised proposal. The Social Climate Fund has the potential…
Electrification has simply substituted dieselisation, without any change in the business model or in the EU regulatory framework, reveals an alarming ETUI report. The ‘Fit for 55’ revision of the CO2 regulation for new cars and vans will not only keep reinforcing the trend towards heavier and more powerful vehicles but it will also drastically…
The EU Commission has set new limits for underwater noise—a growing threat to the health and lives of whales, dolphins and many other marine species. The move is hailed as a significant step to help Member States achieve Good Environmental Status (GES) for the ocean in their jurisdiction. “This is a necessary and long awaited…
The European Commission has received a petition signed by 150,000 people, asking for new standards to protect fish welfare. Over the next few months, the Commission will be reviewing the EU laws for many farmed animals. Compassion in World Farming, a Brussels based campaign group, says it wants to ensure that specific standards for farmed…
A senior Belgian MP has told a conference that the Arctic has, until recently, been a “black hole” for his country. The frank admission was made by Jasper Pillen, a federal deputy in the Belgian House of Representatives, who was addressing a conference on the Arctic. Pillen told the meeting that it was “common to have…
Climate change is “real, rapid and relentless,” an international conference in Brussels on the Arctic was told. The comments were made by Mike Sfraga, who chairs the influential U.S Arctic Research Commission, and who gave an address to the Arctic Futures Symposium. The event was told that the impact of global warming is accelerating four…
The International Polar Foundation has announced the winner of the first ever “Laurence Trân Arctic Futures Award.” The winner is Containing Greens AB, a startup created by young entrepreneurs based in Luleå, Sweden. An initiative of the International Polar Foundation and financed by the Trân family, the award provides €7,500 of financial assistance to a fledgling…
On December 5, sanctions prohibiting maritime exports of Russian oil came into force, but, as noted by international experts, Russia does not intend to lose its “oil” position. In order to circumvent the sanctions to continue selling “black gold” outside the sanctioning countries, Russia had to buy directly or through intermediaries more than a hundred…
King Mohammed VI of Morocco chaired, on Saturday December 03, at the Royal Palace in Rabat, the presentation ceremony of the new green investment program of the OCP Group (2023-2027) and the signing of the relevant protocol agreement between the government and OCP group. The ceremony is part of the proactive orientation promoted by the…
For the first time, the EU and neighbouring countries in the Mediterranean agreed on the establishment of five fully-fledged multiannual management plans (MAPs) based on the principles of the CFP. It is a key step in improving the environmental and economic sustainability of fishing in the Mediterranean. The five new MAPs will cover key Mediterranean sub-regions: Alboran Sea in…
