There is no coal comeback
Talk of a ‘coal comeback’ in the wake of the blockade of the Persian Gulf are disproven by data showing coal generation is down globally.
Wester van Gaal
Wester van Gaal is our economics editor. He joined EUobserver in September 2021. Previously, he was editor-in-chief of Motherboard, Vice Media’s technology and science website, and worked as a climate economy journalist for The Correspondent. He is based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
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EU businesses warn China’s new supply chain law puts firms on collision course with bloc’s rules
Beijing’s new rules cover any commercial decisions that could be seen as affecting China’s supply security, including decisions to stop supplying Chinese customers or to exit China-related supply chains.
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EU: energy crisis ‘will not be short-lived’ despite Iran-US ceasefire
While Europe is less dependent on oil and gas coming from the gulf than Asia, 40 percent of refined products, such as jet fuel and diesel, pass through the Straight of Hormuz.
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EU fiscal models degrade strong case for clean energy
Every euro spent by national governments is treated by commission as generating just €0.60 of economic activity no matter where it goes. Grid investment, education, tax cuts for the wealthy: all are logged as a net loss.
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EU allows pollution permits to pile up in bid to placate industry
The plan adopted on Wednesday concerns the Market Stability Reserve, a buffer mechanism that can inject or absorb free pollution permits to keep carbon prices from swinging too wildly.
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Europe needs fossil fuel limits now
Danish energy commissioner Dan Jørgensen tried in vain to convince EU ministers not to respond to a looming fuel shortage by subsidising fuel consumption, and instead to focus on getting people to use less of it.
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War and oil shock push Europe’s inflation higher, reigniting rate debate
Oil and gas push Europe’s inflation to steepest monthly rise since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Eurostat announces.
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From Germany to Spain: how Europe’s biggest economies are weathering the oil and gas shock
So far, member states are acting individually with a mixture tax-cuts, price controls, targeted subsidies and market rules. The result is a medley of policies, some of which accelerate decarbonisation and renewables, while others risk driving emissions higher, even as supply shortages loom.
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EU single market for services still riddled with barriers after 20 years, critical report finds
A new report finds Brussels has made little headway in opening up Europe’s services markets since the landmark Services Directive came into force in 2006.
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EU and Australia agree pact to boost trade and security, after eight-year negotiations
The deal grants Australia quota-based access for beef, lamb, and dairy products to the EU, while European exporters gain near-zero tariffs on vehicles, dairy, and other goods.
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EU leaders enraged as summit ends with Orbán vetoing €90bn Ukraine aid
EU leaders failed to convince Hungary to lift its veto on Ukraine support, as president Volodomyr Zelensky lamented the blockage.
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Spain’s Sánchez attacks other EU leaders for exploiting energy prices to gut climate policies
“Unfortunately, some governments are using this crisis and the rise in electricity prices to undermine climate policies,” Spain’s socialist prime minister Pedro Sanchéz said on arrival at an EU leaders summit in Brussels.
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Major emissions trading fight looms at EU summit
A blocking minority of member states is pushing to weaken the bloc’s carbon pricing mechanism — which requires industries to pay for their pollution.
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EU unveils ’28th regime’, creating bloc-wide business code
The so-called ’28th regime’ is intended to create a single European business code applicable across the EU.
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EU leaders push to curb energy price spikes amid Strait of Hormuz crisis
EU leaders want the carbon market reviewed by July at the latest, instead of the currently planned third-quarter timeline, a leaked draft of next week’s European Council conclusions shows.
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Row over EU emissions trading, as industry hits back at chemical lobby
The letter signed by 100 European companies and investors rebuffs the anti-emissions trading push from governments and the chemicals lobby — showing that not all European firms are aligned on weakening carbon pricing.
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Oil-price surge exposes lack of unified energy approach in EU
Europe’s reaction to Monday’s oil-price surge was far from unified, with some officials calling for a faster shift to clean energy, while others said boosting oil and gas supplies offered the quickest path to easing a potential energy shock from the US-Israeli war on Iran.
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What the 2022 energy crisis taught us about inflation — and why it matters now with Iran
The European Central Bank itself has repeatedly said over the years that its policies are ineffective when dealing with energy shocks.
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EU to finally unveil ‘Made in Europe’ industrial plan after repeated delays
After the college of commissioners failed to agree on many of the details of the Industrial Accelerator Act again on Monday, it will now be published in more limited form. Plans to bar non-EU producers from government contracts and funding have been delayed by six months.
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What Israeli-US attacks on Iran mean for EU oil and gas prices
The European gas price was 40 percent higher on Monday after Qatar halted liquid gas production.