The European Commission has published its Renovation Wave Strategy to improve the energy performance of buildings. The Commission aims to at least double renovation rates in the next ten years and make sure renovations lead to higher energy and resource efficiency. This will enhance the quality of life for people living in and using the buildings, reduce […]
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MEPs want to increase emissions reduction target to 60%
All member states must become climate neutral by 2050, says Parliament in a vote on the EU climate law, calling for ambitious 2030 and 2040 emissions reduction targets. The new law aims to transform political promises that the EU will become climate neutral by 2050 into a binding obligation and to give European citizens and […]
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Emissions of most harmful air pollutants dropped in 2018, marking EU progress under UN Convention
The EEA report confirms the overall trend of steady but slow progress by EU Member States (including UK) since 1990 in reducing the emissions of the main air pollutants present in Europe. In all, 26 pollutants are monitored in the report sent by the EU to the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE). Between 2017 […]
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Online tools for SMEs and public sector to better adopt renewable energy sources
An EU-funded initiative has introduced a search engine and a repository to gather data, share information, and match the needs of public procurers and SMEs in embracing renewable energy sources (RESs). Green public procurement (GPP) is a system where public sector organisations use their purchasing power to choose environmentally friendly goods, services and works that […]
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Time to accelerate the transition to a low-carbon economy, says European civil society
As Europe slowly emerges from the coronavirus crisis, the climate emergency is starting to regain the place it deserves, coming back to the top of the EU agenda. The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), which brings together civil society organisations from all Member States, developed this Opinion in response to a request by the […]
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EU greenhouse gas emissions kept decreasing in 2018, largest reductions in energy sector
The European Union (EU) cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 23.2 % from 1990 to 2018, according to latest official data, published today by the European Environment Agency (EEA). Over the period, the EU’s contribution to global emissions is estimated to have decreased from 15 % to 8 %. In 2018, the EU’s emissions decreased […]
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Energy security in the EU
How does the EU contribute to assure energy security to its nearly 500 million citizens? And what happens if the security of that energy supply is threatened? A key role is to encourage cross-border cooperation and inter-connections to make energy flow more smoothly across the whole of the EU. When there is no sun or […]
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BSO – Tracking energy in our buildings
The building sector is the single largest energy consumer in the EU, and 75% of the EU’s buildings are not energy efficient. An improved and refurbished building stock, therefore, has the greatest potential for achieving the EU’s energy and climate goals of transitioning to a smarter and decarbonised energy system. The EU Building Stock Observatory (BSO), […]
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GEOTHERMICA, the new European initiative
Europe aims to increase the share of renewable energy for direct heating and cooling, industrial processes, power generation and energy storage. Geothermal energy today is only utilised in a few niche market sectors and a few regions but has the potential to be much more widely utilised. The EU-funded GEOTHERMICA project promises to play a […]
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