The European Green Deal is a major focus in the European Parliament this year and it involves a ‘Renovation Wave’ to ensure that buildings within the European Union are sustainable and energy efficient. Back in March, the Commission outlined in its new Circular Economy Action Plan that the Renovation Wave would lead to significant improvements in energy…
In the European Union, with the Green Deal aiming to make the continent ‘climate neutral’ by 2050, low-carbon technology in transport will be key to reducing emissions. A Belarusian electric bus manufacturer has caught the attention of transport authorities in the UK, Poland and Spain with its innovative electrical system. BKM Holding is a tram,…
Interview with Gary Cartwright by Nikolas Wilson, Correspondent
The European Commission has approved an investment of €83 million from the cohesion fund to improve the metro network in Lisbon, Portugal. The project will improve the connection, efficiency and safety of the metro lines. It will better link Lisbon’s busy Yellow line, which serves the area with the highest employment density, with the Green line,…
More than 50 scientists have signed a statement calling for action by the European Commission, European Parliament and EU member states to end overfishing “as an urgent and necessary response to biodiversity and climate crises”. The scientists are urging the EU to set fishing limits within scientific advice, and recognise that “ecosystem-based fisheries management is critical to…
Poland’s largest oil refiner, PKN Orlen, declared its preliminary readiness for direct financial involvement in the construction of the 1GW Ostroleka-C coal power project only if it is converted into a gas unit. The announcement by PKN Orlen, which only last month acquired EnergaSa – one of the companies behind the Ostroleka C project, means…
Denmark’s Minister of Employment, Peter Hummelgaard The Danish government has announced that a way forward has been found on regulating the demolition and installation of Man-Made Vitreous Fibres (MMVF), more commonly known as mineral wool. The material is a building insulation material that has been the subject of longstanding health concerns, including fears over a possible increased…
To prevent water shortages in the EU, the European Parliament has approved a Water Reuse Regulation. The new law defines minimum requirements at European level for the first time for reclaimed water (i.e. urban wastewater that has been treated in a reclamation plant) to be used for agricultural purposes in a safe way, protecting people…
George Soros has called for countries including Germany and the Netherlands to “think again” and consider his proposal that the EU should issue perpetual bonds to fund the two trillion Euros needed to tackle COVID-19 and climate change. The financier and philanthropist says these threats are the “crisis of my lifetime” that “endangers the survival…
Nine NGOs sent an open letter to Werner Hoyer, the President of the European Investment Bank (EIB), calling for its new role in the European economic recovery to be consistent with its climate commitments and play a key role in financing the European Green Deal. The EIB plans to spend €40 billion to support especially small and…
