European Union

In today's edition of the Capitals, find out more about Italy's lockdown due to the coronavirus, Austrian MEPs criticising EU Commission boss Ursula von der Leyen on day 100, EPP group chair Manfred Weber taking jabs at Czech PM Andrej Babiš, and so much more.

Greeks and Turks are waging a proxy war on social media with photos, video and commentary purporting to show the other side behaving badly in a migrant crisis that has seriously strained already tense relations between Athens and Ankara.

Serbia’s alignment with the EU’s foreign policy declarations and measures was quicker in 2019, but the alignment rate was still lower compared to that of its neighbours, according to the International and Security Affairs Centre (ISAC)’s yearly analysis released on...

While Angelika Winzig from the conservative ÖVP, Austrian sister party to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s CDU, praised the Commission chief for having “started with ambitious goals to solve the challenges of our time”, her coalition partners from...

The former UK equality watchdog chief, Trevor Phillips, has had his membership of the opposition Labour Party suspended over allegations of Islamophobia, it was reported on Monday (9 March).  The ex-chairman of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, Trevor Phillips,...

The Belgian King has extended the assignment of Patrick Dewael (Open Vld) and Sabine Laruelle (MR) until 16 March “to quickly form a government,” the royal palace said in a press release. Christian Democrat CD&V repeated on Monday (9 March),...

Written by Marcin Grajewski,

© Waraporn Wattanakul / Shutterstock

The European Green Deal is a key policy plank of the new European Commission led by President Ursula von der Leyen. It is a package of measures that aims to radically cut emissions of greenhouse gases while creating jobs in clean industries. Its main objectives are for the EU to become climate neutral by 2050, radically reduce other types of pollution, help European companies to become world leaders in green products, and offer aid to regions affected by this economic transition.

This note offers links to recent commentaries, studies and reports from international think tanks on the Green Deal and climate issues. More studies on the topics can be found in a previous item from these series, published in early December 2019.

Europe’s Green Deal must reach beyond its borders
Bruegel, February 2020

Digging the trenches: The EU and the Green Deal
European Council on Foreign Relations, February 2020

Five things to look for in the Green New Deal
World Resources Institute, February 2020

The EU Green Deal can go global, but ‘climate diplomacy’ won’t be easy
Friends of Europe, February 2020

The European Green Deal: Winning the climate change
Centre international de formation européenne, February 2020

Berlin will make or break the European Green Deal
Bruegel, February 2020

There is no Green Deal without a just transition
Instituto Affari Internazionali, February 2020

Low carbon energy transition as a driver and solution to energy poverty and injustice
Centre international de formation européenne, February 2020

Are financial markets aligned with climate action? New evidence from the Paris Agreement
LCE, Gratham Instutute on Climate Change, Centre for Climate Change Economics and Policy February 2020

How to implement a WTO-compatible full border carbon adjustment as an important part of the European Green Deal
Österreichische Gesellschaft für Europapolitik, January 2020

European green finance is expanding, a discount on bank capital would discredit it
Bruegel, January 2020

What businesses can do for the European Green Deal
Jacquest Delors Institute, January 2020

The just transition fund: 4 benchmarks for success
E3G, January 2020

Climat: l’Europe a brûlé ses vaisseaux
Terra Nova, January 2020

The colour of money: Green deals, cohesion funds, and the populist challenge
European Council on Foreign Relations, January 2020

Climate laws in Europe
Ecologic Institute, January 2020

A trillion reasons to scrutinise the Green Deal Investment Plan
Bruegel, January 2020

How the European Green Deal will succeed or fail
E3G, December 2019

The Green Deal will make or break Europe
European Council on Foreign Relations, December 2019

Can Europe offer a Green Deal to the world?
Centre for European Policy Studies, December 2019

EU trade policy: Global enforcer for the European Green Deal
European Policy Centre, December 2019

Making the political weather to combat climate change
Centre for European Policy Studies, December 2019

Ein flexibler Kompromiss: Der Europäische Rat trägt den European Green Deal mit
Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, December 2019

The European Green Deal needs a reformed fiscal framework
Bruegel, December 2019

The European Green Deal: A promising start and a long road ahead
European Policy Centre, December 2019

Delivering climate neutrality: Accelerating EU decarbonisation with research and innovation funding
E3G, December 2019

Boosting EU climate finance: Mitigate more without neglecting adaptation in poorer countries
European Centre for Development Policy Management, December 2019

European Green Deal: Bring in the Western Balkans
European Council on Foreign Relations, December 2019

Five pillars for a CO2-free industry in Europe and Italy
Instituto Affairi Internazionali, December 2019

EU climate policy as a challenge for Central Europe
E3G, December 2019

A budget to address the climate emergency
Heinrich Böll Stiftung, December 2019

Raising the game on Paris Alignment: Six memos on the multilateral development banks’ Paris alignment approach
New Climate Institute, December 2019

National laws and policies on climate change Adaptation: A global review
Centre for Climate Change Economics and Policy, December 2019

Social consequences of climate change: Building climate friendly and resilient communities via transition from planned to market economies
Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, December 2019

Read this briefing on ‘The European Green Deal‘ in the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.

During a German-Greek economic forum on Monday (9 March), German Chancellor Angela Merkel aimed to soothe some of her party colleagues, who are fearing a new surge of refugees coming into Germany as the situation at the Turkish-Greek border unfolds. ...

In Romania, two more coronavirus infections were reported on Monday (9 March), bringing Romania’s total to 17 (five of whom have already recovered), and the country has decided to close schools between 11 and 22 March, with the possibility to...

In Poland, authorities decided to undertake stricter measures by introducing sanitary controls on the border with Germany and the Czech Republic now that 17 coronavirus cases have been confirmed. President Andrzej Duda will convene a National Security meeting for 11...

In Spain, coronavirus cases have more than doubled in the Madrid autonomous community (Comunidad de Madrid) in the last 24 hours, and across Spain confirmed cases of contagion also rose to a total of 1,204 and 24 deaths on Monday (9...

In Athens, four new “orphan” cases were reported yesterday. The news raised eyebrows in the government considering that the new cases were not linked to the so far confirmed 84 coronavirus incidents. The government is considering strict measures including the...

In Italy, the government has put the entire country on lockdown in an unprecedented move, extending restrictions already adopted in the north last week to cover the entire country. As of Monday (9 March) evening, the number of COVID-19 cases...

European Commission is “extremely mobilise” to ensure that big companies and SMEs survive the economic impact of coronavirus, commissioner for Industry Thierry Breton said on Monday (9 March).

Amidst Brexit rubble, Scotland is sporting a newfangled cosmopolitan coat up north, writes Antonio Alcazar. Antonio Alcazar is a researcher at the Central European University’s School of Public Policy. In 2016, Scottish voters decided overwhelmingly to remain in the EU....

The International Monetary Fund called on governments worldwide Monday (9 March) to join forces and roll out aggressive financial supports for the coronavirus-infected global economy, including direct payments to workers and businesses.

If done right, the industrial pillar of the Green Deal can make Europe a world leader in climate-neutral and circular technologies, products and services, writes Ursula Woodburn. Ursula Woodburn is the head of EU relations at the European Corporate Leaders...

The UK will table its own free trade pact with the EU in a bid to up the ante on Brussels at next week’s second round of negotiations on post-Brexit relations.

The European states still lack unity in their action, and this is blocking a number of major projects. With this policy of small steps, can we still have any hope in Europe, asks André Loesekrug-Pietr.

St Patrick's day festivities have been cancelled all over the Republic of Ireland, amid rising concerns over the spread of the Coronavirus outbreak, Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar announced on Monday (9 March).