The European Commission presented its proposal for a “Digital Green Certificate”, which will attest to whether the holder has been vaccinated against Covid-19 or tested negative, or recovered from the virus, to facilitate free movement within the EU. The Green Certificate will need to be adopted by the European Parliament and the Council in order…
Vodafone Group has become a founding member of the European Green Digital Coalition, committing to significantly reducing its carbon footprint by 2030, and becoming climate neutral by 2040. The Coalition will be focused on investing in the development of more energy and material efficient digital technologies and co-creating deployment guidelines of green digital solutions, together with…
The mineral wool industry continues to face opposition in France, with leading player Rockwool seeming unlikely to receive the needed permits. Arnaud Svrcek, the Mayor of Courmelles, told L’Union newspaper shortly before the start of the public inquiry to authorize the operation of a mineral wool plant in the Soissons region of France and to…
The Austrian Vice-Chancellor, Werner Kogler, insists to reject the EU-ercosur Agreement in a letter to Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa. The Austrian government calls to reject the EU Mercosur Agreement because it is in contradiction with the objectives of the Green Deal and the Paris Agreement. The Portuguese EU Presidency had announced that it would…
Climate ambition is going in the right direction, says Confederation of Finnish Industries’ Director General Jyri Häkämies. On Friday, Hakamies told this site, “Last year was a turning point: for the first time, all the major economic powers; the EU, the US and China committed to the goals of carbon neutrality by the middle of the…
The parliament’s Environment Committee this week adopted a strong report on the implementation of EU air quality legislation. A progressive majority of Socialists, Liberals, Greens and the Left (43 votes in favour, 33 against, 3 abstentions) adopted ambitious demands for clean air. The result was negotiated by the Socialist rapporteur Javi López from Spain with…
Global CO2 emissions declined sharply in 2020, but with a rebound expected in 2021 efforts must be intensified if the world is to reach the targets of the Paris Climate Agreement and keep global warming well below 2°C, a new study shows. The study, which has been conducted as part of the Global Carbon Project, was published in the scientific journal Nature Climate Change today, on 3 March 2021. It…
At a time when the European Union is prioritising cancer prevention, the Danish government is implementing a new decree on demolition and installation works involving materials containing synthetic mineral fibres, also known as mineral wool. Earlier this month, the European Commission presented Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan, which has been long awaited as a new EU approach to…
The European Parliament has voiced serious concerns over the safety of the Ostrovets nuclear plant in Belarus and demand that its commercial launch be suspended. In a resolution adopted today, the Parliament criticised the hasty commissioning of the Ostrovets nuclear plant and the continued lack of transparency and official communication regarding the frequent emergency shutdowns…
The European Parliament will vote this week on the Parliament’s position on the European Commissions’ New Circular Economy Action Plan, a main pillar of the Green Deal. The Action Plan consists of 35 measures, including: Legislative proposals for a new sustainable product policy framework, sustainable production and better waste management of batteries, and a proposal…
