20 June, Slovenia requested assistance to tackle unprecedented forest fires in the Karst of Gorica region of the Miren Kostanjevica municipality. Various firefighting assets have been already deployed or are on their way to help the local responders. The EU Civil Protection Mechanism is providing Slovenia with 3 firefighting helicopters, (one from Austria, one from […]
Read MoreSpain’s assessment of the European Commission’s ‘Save gas for a safe winter’ package
Teresa Ribera, Vice-President of the Government and Minister for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, has called for a debate on the ‘Save gas for a Safe winter’ package presented yesterday by the European Commission aimed to reduce the impact of a possible total cut-off of Russian gas supplies to the EU: “we understand that […]
Read MoreCommission proposes gas demand reduction plan to prepare EU for supply cuts
The European Union faces the risk of further gas supply cuts from Russia, due to the Kremlin’s weaponisation of gas exports, with almost half of our Member States already affected by reduced deliveries. Taking action now can reduce both the risk and the costs for Europe in case of further or full disruption, strengthening European […]
Read MoreSpain: 285 million euros to contribute to rail freight development
The European Commission has approved, under EU state aid rules, a EUR 285 million program submitted by Spain to promote the transition from road to rail freight transport. The program will be financed through the Recovery and Resilience Mechanism (RRM), following the Commission’s positive assessment of Spain’s Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan and its adoption […]
Read MoreDroughts in Europe in July 2022: almost half of the EU +UK territory at risk
The European Commission’s Joint Research Centre has published the “Drought in Europe – July 2022” report, an assessment of Europe’s drought situation based on the European Drought Observatory. The analysis of the evolution and impact of the prolonged drought in the EU shows that a staggering portion of Europe is currently exposed to warning (44% of […]
Read MoreEU and Azerbaijan enhance bilateral relations, including energy cooperation
On 18 July in Baku, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson met with President Ilham Aliyev and Azeri Energy Minister Parviz Shahbazov to strengthen the existing cooperation between the EU and Azerbaijan. The two Presidents signed a new Memorandum of Understanding on a Strategic Partnership in the Field of Energy. Currently, the EU […]
Read MoreNew EU industrial strategy: the challenges to tackle
MEPs want the EU’s updated industrial strategy to enable European companies to be competitive, clean and resilient, and to also help the shift to a more digital and environmental economy. European enterprises have been hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic, as many have had to shut or reduce their workforce while finding new ways to work […]
Read MoreCommission proposes more flexible exceptions regime and targeted relief to airlines
The Commission adopted a proposal to allow the airline slot regime to respond more flexibly to unexpected developments in the near future. While the current rapid ascent in demand, as well as projections for future demand, point to an ongoing recovery of air traffic, recent experience has shown that the current slot rules are not sufficiently […]
Read MoreMEPs back boost for renewables use and energy savings
Share of renewable energy to be raised to 45% by 2030 Energy savings targets raised to 40% in final energy consumption, and 42.5% in primary energy consumption Revision of two laws to tackle climate change and boost energy security The Industry, Research and Energy Committee wants to accelerate substantially the deployment of renewable energy, and […]
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