The European Union’s focus has pivoted to competitiveness due to concerns about sluggish economic growth, a sharp move away from EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen’s first term that focused on tackling climate change. The Clean Industrial Deal is a big part of that. But what exactly does it entail?
The European Commission has announced investigations into wind farms in several EU member states, fearing unfair competition from Chinese subsidies. Beijing, however, lashed out at the bloc’s “protectionist” behaviour – putting pressure on EU-China relations.
At the first-ever Nuclear Energy Summit in Brussels, a number of countries pushed for nuclear power as a way to achieve carbon neutrality in the bloc by 2050 – but opponents warn of the risks of expanding its production. At the same time, renewable energy also remains key to the EU’s energy and climate debate. How divided is Europe on nuclear power?
The European Parliament gave the green light to start negotiations with the Council of the EU to reform the Union’s electricity market. However, the Council is currently deadlocked due to disagreements, mainly between Germany and France, over the financing of nuclear energy.
EU justice ministers reach an agreement on measures to better protect journalists and human rights activists. The European Commission approves a Slovenian scheme aimed at promoting the use of renewable energy. The Council of Europe welcomes the adoption of changes to the legislation of the Bulgarian justice system.