The UN Environment Emissions Gap Report 2020 published yesterday (Wednesday 9th December) shows that all countries must urgently increase their 2030 climate targets and sharply accelerate emission cuts, as with current policies we are heading towards catastrophic climate change. The report finds that, despite a brief decline in carbon dioxide emissions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic,…
The early measures taken by the EU and its Member States to counter the economic impact of COVID-19 have helped save jobs and businesses, according to the European Court of Auditors (ECA). However, the auditors also see the risk that the pandemic’s uneven impact on Member States and their differing capacities to support their economies…
Ahead of the European Council summit on 10-11 December, mayors warn that the EU 2030 emissions reduction target should be revised upwards to at least 60% by 2030. “Five years after the Paris agreement, the pandemic has shown sustainability to be a crucial issue on which we cannot fail,” says Dario Nardella, President of Eurocities and Mayor…
The European Parliament has adopted a resolution on the new Industrial Strategy. It calls for the new industrial strategy – planned for publication in March next year – to be in line with the goal of climate neutrality by 2050 and to create the conditions for an innovative, inclusive, resilient, digitalised society. In the context…
New research in Europe and the United States shows that large portions of the public still do not accept the urgency of the climate crisis, and only a minority believe it will impact them and their families severely over the next fifteen years. The survey, which was commissioned by the Open Society and the European Policy Institute, forms…
Athena, the UK’s new national team in space, formed by Serco, Inmarsat, CGI UK and Lockheed Martin UK, has today published a report with support from Bryce Space and Technology that showcases the opportunities available to the UK through growth in its space sector and how to seize the moment to do so. Ahead of…
In a report adopted on Monday, Foreign Affairs Committee MEPs have praised Ukraine’s progress on important reforms that bring the country further towards political association and economic integration with the EU. Ukraine has progressed in its commitments made in the Association Agreement (AA/DCFTA) with the European Union; particularly in the fields of agriculture, energy, banking, decentralisation, digital…
The Counter Extremism Project (CEP) and the European Policy Centre (EPC) have launched a joint report, titled ‘Marching home? Why repatriating foreign terrorist fighters is a pan-European priority.’ The report is co-authored by Prof. Ian Acheson, Senior Advisor to CEP and Amanda Paul, Senior Policy Analyst at EPC. The report examines why Europe needs to…
The European Securities Markets Authority (ESMA) has presented its long-awaited report on the role of the German financial supervisor BaFin and the German Financial Reporting Enforcement Panel (FREP) in the Wirecard accounting scandal. In Germany, BaFin and FREP are jointly responsible for the enforcement of financial reporting. ESMA publishes guidelines aimed at harmonising enforcement throughout…
Trump’s top lawyer has spent millions on fighting women’s and LGBT rights across Europe with $270 million of ‘dark money’. This is revealed in a new report published today by the global news website openDemocracy. The report discusses how US Christian right wing groups linked to Donald Trump’s administration and peddlers of COVID-19 misinformation have spent…
