European Union

Poland's Supreme Court ruled on Thursday (5 December) that a new judicial council charged with nominating and disciplining judges lacks independence, calling into question the government's court reforms.

VDL Commission takes up its seat, Trump under fire as NATO leaders meet, and Rule of Law in Malta feeling the heat.

Slovakia's president asked the Constitutional Court on Thursday (5 December) to strike down a lengthy ban on publishing opinion polls ahead of elections in February, a restriction seen by most opposition parties as an attempt to sideline political newcomers.

Europe is no exception to the decline in freshwater biodiversity, due to many threats such as agricultural pollution, or the overwhelming development of hydropower, writes Dr Steven Weiss. Dr Steven Weiss is an associate professor at the Institute of Biology,...

MEPs and the Finnish presidency of the EU Council agreed on Thursday (5 December) on the taxonomy to determine what economic activities could be considered ‘green’, paving the way for channeling billions of euros into investments to fight against climate change.

Written by Marcin Grajewski,

© hansleyfr / Shutterstock

Government officials from across the world are currently holding the 2019 United Nations Climate Change Conference, also known as COP25, focussing on how to implement the 2015 Paris Agreement on reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The conference, which will last from 2 to 13 December 2019, was moved at a short notice to Madrid in Spain, away from social unrest in Chile. Meanwhile, the new President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, is preparing a set of new climate and environmental initiatives, as part of the European Green Deal.

This note brings together commentaries, analyses and studies by major international think tanks and research institutes on climate talks and wider issues relating to climate change.

Four pillars to make or break the European Green Deal
Bruegel, November 2019

4 priorities for the COP25 climate conference in Madrid
World Resources Institute, November 2019

How to make the European Green Deal work
Bruegel, November 2019

Amid climate crisis, will governments deliver ambitious climate action in Madrid?
Heinrich Böll Stiftung, November 2019

Forest-based climate mitigation: Lessons from REDD+ implementation
World Resources Institute, November 2019

Using renewables for electric vehicle demand: A review of utility program designs and implementation strategies
World Resources Institute, November 2019

Financing climate change and sustainable growth
LSE, Gratham Institute on Climate Change, November 2019

The role of international carbon markets in a decarbonising world
New Climate Institute, November 2019

Under swollen tides, Venice says more about our future than our past
Bruegel, November 2019

Understanding decisions and disasters: A retrospective analysis of Hurricane Sandy’s ‘focusing power’ on climate change adaptation policy in New York City
World Resources Institute, November 2019

Getting to zero: A U.S. climate agenda
Centre for Climate and Energy Solution, November 2019

Demystifying carbon border adjustment for Europe’s green deal
Bruegel, October 2019

The road to restoration
World Resources Institute, October 2019

Transition towards a decarbonised electricity sector
New Climate Institute, October 2019

Towards a contemporary vision for the global seafloor
Heinrich Böll Stiftung, October 2019

Coming soon: A massive laboratory for ‘Green New Deals’
Bruegel, October 2019

A possible 2050 climate target for the EU
New Climate Institute, September 2019

Key policy issues in the Green Climate Fund: A guide for the perplexed
World Resources Institute, September 2019

Opportunities to advance mitigation ambition in China: Non-CO2 greenhouse gas emissions
World Resources Institute, September 2019

Braver, greener, fairer: Memos to the EU leadership 2019-2024
Bruegel, September 2019

The future of disaster risk pooling for developing countries: Where do we go from here?
World Resources Institute, September 2019

Nature: The forgotten solution to climate change
Friends of Europe, September 2019

Cities, climate change and chronic heat exposure
LSE, Grantham Institute on Climate Change, September 2019

The IPCC special report on land: We have to act now
Heinrich Boell Stiftung, August 2019

The ambition call: European Union
New Climate Institute, August 2019

Emissions trading with rolling horizons
Centre for Climate Change Economics and Policy, August 2019

Planning for 2050: Shifting the focus towards long-term climate objectives
Ecologic Institute, August 2019

Border carbon tariffs: Giving up on trade to save the climate?
Bruegel, August 2019

Carbon utilization: A vital and effective pathway for decarbonization
Center for Climate and Energy Solutions, August 2019

Europe’s clean energy transition: An economic opportunity, an environmental imperative
Friends of Europe, July 2019

Global Energy Outlook comparison methods: 2019 update
Resources for the Future, July 2019

Global trends in climate change litigation: 2019 snapshot
Centre for Climate Change Economics and Policy, July 2019

Jobs and environmental regulation
Resources for the Future, July 2019

Increase climate ambition by making policy more inclusive
Chatham House, June 2019

EU urgently needs to reverse its climate neutrality failure
Bruegel, June 2019

Polluting for profit: The paradox of the EU’s emissions trading system
Instituto Affari Internazionali, June 2019

A brief guide to the Paris agreement and ‘rulebook’
Center for Climate and Energy Solutions, June 2019

The future of the EU: Compromises for expanding ordinary legislative procedure and majority voting in climate and energy policies
Ecologic Institute, June 2019

The European Parliament and climate change: Past, present and future
EUROPEUM, June 2019

EU climate diplomacy vis-à-vis Australia, Brazil and Mexico: Engaging difficult partners to enhance global ambition
College of Europe, June 2019

Good governance for long-term low-emissions development strategies
World Resources Institute, June 2019

Addressing the urgency of more stringent climate change policy
Resources for the Future, May 2019

A 100 percent renewable energy system in Europe is technically possible and economically rational
Deutsches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, May 2019

Human migration in the era of climate change
Resources for the Future, May 2019

The global consumer incidence of carbon pricing: Evidence from trade
Centre for Climate Change Economics and Policy, April 2019

Making climate neutrality the galvanising heart of a new economic agenda for Europe
European Policy Centre, April 2019

Institutions, climate change and the foundations of long-term policymaking
LSE, Grantham Institute on Climate Change, April 2019

Hard or soft governance? The EU’s climate and energy policy framework for 2030

Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Institute for European Studies, April 2019

What is climate resilience and why does it matter?
Center for Climate and Energy Solutions, April 2019

Carbon pricing options for international maritime emissions
New Climate Institute, March 2019

Legislating for a low carbon and climate resilient transition: Learning from international experiences
Real Instituto Elcano, Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, March 2019

Defining green bonds. The danger of neglecting the issuer side
Institut der Deutschen Wirtschaft Köln, February 2019

How does climate change affect optimal allocation of variable renewable energy?
Energiewirtschaftliches Institut an der Universität zu Köln, February 2019

Fighting climate change with disclosure? The real effects of mandatory greenhouse gas emission disclosure
Deutsches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, February 2019

Realizing the promise of Paris: roadmap to a safer climate
New Climate Institute for Climate Policy and Global Sustainability, Natural Resources Defense Council, January 2019

Sinking to zero: the role of carbon capture and negative emissions in EU climate policy
Centre for European Policy Studies, January 2019

Read this briefing on ‘Climate change‘ in the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.

The EU executive responds that its public opinion survey is not a statistic, but a snapshot, after concerns were raised over the method that could result in pro-EU bias.

Let’s face it: the choice facing British voters next Thursday is not an appealing one. Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn are locked in an unpopularity contest – both are deeply divisive, on Brexit and a swathe of domestic policies – and the winner will be the person deemed least unpalatable.

The EU has proven to be successful in legislating in the digital age but it needs to keep up the work to avoid being left behind, because "the digital revolution has been moving faster than legislation", MEP Angelika Niebler (EPP, Germany) told EURACTIV in a written interview.

Last year (2018) the number of beer breweries in Europe passed 10,000, double the amount of five years ago, according to the Brewers of Europe. The increase is almost entirely due to an explosion of microbreweries, mostly in the UK and France. Despite an overall decrease in alcohol consumption, beer consumption in Europe increased, partly due to the growing popularity of non- and low-alcohol beers.

The EU council said on Thursday that "stablecoins" (a type of cryptocurrency designed to minimise the volatility of the price) "should not come into operation until all of these risks and concerns are properly addressed". The lack of adequate information about the operability and risks of stablecoins makes it difficult to reach definitive conclusions on whether and how the existing EU regulatory framework applies, the institution concluded.

After the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruling that organisms obtained by new plant breeding techniques (NBTs) should, in principle, fall under the GMO Directive, the Council of the EU has requested a study from the Commission to clarify the situation. But what this means in practice remains unclear.

The Green Deal commissioner, Frans Timmermans, said the costs of inaction in climate policy are "tremendously high". However, it is still unclear if member states will unanimously agree on the EU's 2050 climate-neutrality goal at next week's summit.

EU finance ministers failed to reach an agreement on Wednesday (4 December) on the reform of the EU's bailout fund and move to political discussions on the European Deposit Insurance Scheme ahead of the Euro summit next week.

The Brexit party, formed by veteran Eurosceptic Nigel Farage, is in danger of imploding after suffering a series of high-profile defections and expulsions a week before the UK's general election on 12 December.

Welcome to EURACTIV’s Digital Brief, your weekly update on all things digital in the EU. You can subscribe to the newsletter here.    “We don’t want to be dependent on imports of crucial technologies.”  – Lucilla Sioli, Director of Artificial Intelligence and...

Greenhouse gas emissions from international aviation have more than doubled over the past two decades, while those from shipping have also increased. Check out our infographics.

Source : © European Union, 2019 - EP

Greenhouse gas emissions from international aviation have more than doubled over the past two decades, while those from shipping have also increased. Check out our infographics.

Source : © European Union, 2019 - EP

Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš has threatened to veto Europe’s goal of becoming the first climate neutral continent in the world by 2050, adding his voice to a growing chorus of discontent as EU leaders prepare for heated climate discussions at a summit in Brussels next week.

Recent research published found that new-borns in intensive care units are in contact with a variety of medical products that contain endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) such as bisphenol A (BPA) and parabens.