Ministers exchanged views on the energy situation in the EU in the context of the war in Ukraine. This extraordinary Council was an opportunity for the ministers to recall their solidarity with Ukraine and with the member states affected by the suspension of gas deliveries by Gazprom, which was implemented despite the current contracts. Energy […]
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One hundred smart and climate-neutral cities by 2030
The Commission announced last week the 100 EU cities that will participate in the EU mission “100 smart and climate-neutral cities by 2030”, the so-called mission on cities. The 100 cities come from all 27 Member States, with an additional 12 cities from countries associated or with the potential to be associated with Horizon Europe, […]
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The European Commission and the IEA outline key energy saving actions
The International Energy Agency and the European Commission outlined a range of simple steps that people can take to reduce their energy use and save money, and that would save enough oil to fill 120 super tankers and enough natural gas to heat almost 20 million homes if adopted by all EU citizens. These actions, […]
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How will Arctic coasts be affected by global warming in 2100?
Researchers have provided the first-ever projections of coastal erosion across the entire Arctic until the end of the century. According to their findings, more and more land mass is being lost with each degree of warming. Global warming is thawing permafrost in the Arctic and melting sea ice, leaving the coasts – where most human […]
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EU’s need for natural gas imports reduced to 83% by 2021
In 2021, the EU’s natural gas import dependency rate was 83%. This is 1 percentage point (pp) less than 2020 (84%). This small decrease in import dependency was significantly influenced by the fact that most EU Member States used stocks of natural gas that were imported in previous years. In fact, the drop in natural gas stocks in 2021 was […]
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Galileo positions e-bike sharing programme as a game changer in urban mobility
A new electric bike sharing programme in the Barcelona metropolitan area will use Galileo’s highly accurate positioning and timing information. In Barcelona, bike sharing is set to go electric as the metropolitan area prepares to rollout a fleet of state-of-the-art electric bicycles – making it even easier for the public to travel in a sustainable, […]
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Right to repair: MEPs want more durable and more easily repairable products
A new “right to repair” must cover designing long-lasting products that can be fixed, as well as more informative labelling and extended guarantee rights. Parliament adopted on Thursday its demands for an upcoming European Commission proposal on the right to repair planned for later in 2022, with 509 votes in favour, 3 against and 13 […]
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Green Deal: EP backs updated guidelines for trans-European energy infrastructure
Parliament approved on Tuesday new rules for selecting which energy projects can receive EU funding and aligning the existing regulation with the EU’s Green Deal. The legislation, agreed upon with Council in December 2021, sets criteria and the methodology for choosing energy projects of common interest (PCIs), such as high-voltage transmission lines, pipelines, energy storage facilities and […]
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Commission carries out unannounced inspection of Gazprom sites in Germany
On 29 March 2022, the European Commission carried out unannounced inspections at the premises of several companies in Germany active in the supply, transmission and storage of natural gas. The Commission has concerns that the inspected companies may have violated EU competition rules that prohibit abuse of a dominant position. The Commission officials were accompanied […]
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