Photo by Nauris Pūķis on Unsplash Members of the European Parliament have assessed the written answers of Commissioner-designates Wopke Hoekstra (Climate Action) and Maroš Šefčovič (Executive Vice-President in charge of the Green Deal). The EPP Group said it “fully” endorses the nomination of Hoekstra as the new European Commissioner for Climate Action while the Socialists and Democrats have say…
Photo by NEOM on Unsplash The EU has pledged to plush for “unprecedented” protection for the world’s oceans. This comes after EC President Ursula von der Leyen signed, on behalf of the EU, a new “Treaty for the High Seas.” The document is also known as the ‘Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction’ (BBNJ) treaty. The EC calls it a “landmark treaty”…
Photo by Sharon Pittaway on Unsplash Members of the European Parliament have approved the Parliament’s negotiations mandate for the Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA). Some MEPs, notably the Greens/EFA Group, had pushed for a 45 percent recycling target and for mitigating the demand for critical raw materials. The EU Commission’s legislative proposal has several aims: In…
Photo by Delightin Dee on Unsplash Despite the passage of anti-deforestation laws by the EU, the clearing of forests is set to continue apace with coffee companies not prepared to comply with the regulation, reveals the 2023 Coffee Barometer, an in-depth report on the state of sustainability in the coffee sector. Roughly 130.000 hectares of…
Photo by Gian Luca Pilia on Unsplash The return of the wolf to EU regions where it has been absent for a long time is increasingly leading to conflicts with local farming and hunting communities, says the EU Commission. It says this especially so where measures to prevent attacks on livestock are not widely implemented. EC President Ursula von…
Photo by Mollie Sivaram on Unsplash In 2021 the UK hosted the COP26 summit, designed to agree practical steps to implement the Paris Climate accords. Both India and China joined other key players in making significant commitments, and there was general agreement that real progress was being made – and widespread acknowledgment that the UK was providing a…
Photo by Christian Wiediger on Unsplash The European Commission has defended the appointment of Frans Timmermans’ successor to the college. This comes in the wake of criticism from some quarters about the choice of Wopke Hoekstra for the post. In a statement, President of the Commission Ursula von der Leyen said she had interviewed Hoekstra, the candidate put…
Photo by jasper benning on Unsplash Following his decision to be a candidate in the forthcoming general election campaign in the Netherlands, Executive Vice-President Frans Timmermans has submitted his resignation as Member of the European Commission. President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen has expressed her gratitude to Executive Vice-President Timmermans for his many years of successful work for the Commission and the…
Photo by David Kristianto on Unsplash The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, is travelling to Slovenia this week where she will express her solidarity and witness the destruction caused by the floods that hit the country in the past days. She will also discuss the ways in which the EU can support reconstruction and prevention…
Photo by Jack Sloop on Unsplash The EPP Group says it wants to slash industrial emissions, but wants to “do it together with industry, farmers and SMEs, not against them.” This is the line the EPP Group has taken on the so-called Industry Emissions Directive. “We want less pollution, but more innovation. The new Industry Emissions Directive will…
