Guillermo del Toro parts with rare horror memorabilia after wildfires
Robert Hodgson
Commission insists no plans to delay anti-deforestation law
Amid a growing backlash from trading partners and conservative lawmakers, the European Commission maintains it is working to implement new legislation that will ban from January the import of products linked to deforestation overseas.
Green groups breathe a sigh of relief on von der Leyen’s climate picks
Climate activists and the renewable energy lobby have broadly interpreted Ursula von der Leyen’s commissioner picks – the Netherlands’ Wopke Hoekstra, Denmark’s Dan Jørgensen and Spain’s Teresa Ribera – as signalling continuity with the Green Deal that marked her first mandate.
EU bungled plastic waste tax, auditors say
A new levy intended to discourage the landfill and incineration of plastic waste is plagued by dodgy data, and may have led to an uptick in crime, auditors warn
Von der Leyen moots market-based system to avert ecosystem collapse
The European Commission is considering a market-based system to encourage farmers and industry to conserve nature and restore lost biodiversity by putting a price on ecosystems.
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Global charity calls for end to EU incentives for crop-based biofuels
Oxfam argues that despite caps introduced in recent years the EU continues to drive demand for food crops and land to be diverted into fuel production, but the biofuel industry continues to insist it is part of the solution to climate change.
EU Parliament set for showdown between Orbán and opposition leader
Buoyed by a bombshell opinion poll result showing his six-month old party has almost closed the gap on Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz, which has ruled Hungary since 2010, the insurgent opposition leader Péter Magyar plans to put the nationalist premier on the spot in the European Parliament next week.
EU still hesitant to sanction Russian gas as imports continue
The annual State of the EU Energy Union report shows Europe still relies on Russia for nearly a fifth of its gas imports, while the EU executive is concerned at the slow pace of the transition away from fossil fuels.
Suppliers spooked by Draghi’s calls to reform EU electricity market
Mario Draghi’s EU competitiveness report, launched with much fanfare in Brussels yesterday, included a proposal for an electricity market reform that the European Commission shied away from during the energy crisis of 2022.
Hungary slammed for 'absurd' proposal to delay aviation fuel levy
While the diesel, petrol and electricity used for rail and road transport is heavily taxed, airlines and maritime transport – from fishing boats to cruise ships – continue to enjoy a free ride – a situation that may encourage environmentally harmful travel choices.
Czechia floats plan to replace Russian gas supplies to eastern EU
Czechia's trade minister and the likely next EU energy commissioner has urged the incumbent Kadri SImson and Berlin, Budapest, Bratislava and Vienna to intensify efforts to wean the bloc off Russian gas
Commission nominee says energy transition boosts European integration
Spanish minister tipped for key role in the next EU executive says power grid expansion should be a core European project for the second von der Leyen Commission.
Agriculture report could signal dramatic change in EU farm subsidies
Seven months of intense debate behind closed doors appears to have produced what election campaign tubthumping and rowdy street protests failed to deliver: the outline of way forward for Europe's unsustainable food production model.
Food retailers demand labelling of new-generation GMOs
Without labelling requirements for food made from a new class of 'GMO-lite' crops, consumers will be deprived of choice and the organic sector could face an existential threat, retailers have warned.
Airlines must monitor vapour trails under new EU climate rules
The controversial new green plans, opposed by the industry, were agreed by officials on Friday
UK seeks closer EU cooperation on energy security, net-zero
New Prime Minister Keir Starmer has pledged to "reset" EU relations after saying the Brexit deal was "botched"
Green activists seek to force revision of EU’s climate targets
Backers of EU court challenge are emboldened by a recent legal finding that suggests failing to effectively tackle climate change violates human rights
EU executive to contact Budapest over eviction of Ukrainian refugees
The European Commission has said is 'looking into' a new Hungarian law that cancels state-funded accommodation for refugees from parts of Ukraine that Budapest says are not directly affected by military action.
Ukrainian refugees face eviction after Hungarian asylum rule change
Thousands of Ukrainian refugees face eviction from Hungarian state-funded accommodation in a move by Budapest that human rights activists say could contravene EU law.
EU remains 'fully committed' to lithium deal despite unrest in Serbia
The EU Commission remains committed to strategic partnership on raw materials with Serbia despite recent protests, while Emmanuel Macron and Ursula von der Leyen are rumoured to be set to visit Belgrade.
Why is Europe desperate for lithium, and why are Serbians up in arms?
With green groups set to mass for a protest on the streets of Belgrade this weekend over the planned opening of a Lithium mine, what is it about this controversial mineral that has Europeans keen to acquire supplies?
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