Set to bid farewell to the European Parliament after three successive terms, French Green MEP and chair of the Transport Committee Karima Delli told Euractiv that the biggest achievement of her time there is bringing transport high on the agenda.
Politicians have been quick to celebrate France's 5.8% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in 2023 from a year earlier, but environmental NGOs questioned whether the progress can be sustained without additional policy measures.
Voters deeply concerned with living costs and climate change are being offered a voice by the European Biodiesel Board, it's calling for a balanced, inclusive, and affordable climate policy in line with the EU’s net zero by 2050 goal.
The election of a new government in Poland has enabled this Central European country to revive its ambitions in terms of energy transition and to meet European targets.
Équilibre des énergies (EdEn), a French think tank, issued its recommendations for the next EU term of office (2024-2029). In exclusivity for Euractiv France, the group stresses the need for a European industrial strategy that is properly geared towards the climate and the economy, rather than a collection of targets.
In a rare show of unity, environmental organisations and oil companies have both warned that the EU’s targets for green jet fuels are in danger of being missed as investment into the production of synthetic fuels is so far not materialising.
Lawmakers in Brussels have agreed on the dates by which heat pumps and electrical equipment must ditch fluorinated gases and switch to more climate-friendly alternatives.
Germany may slash electricity taxes to near-nothing amid flagging heat pump sales, a move backed by liberal and conservative politicians as well as the renewable energy lobby.
E-fuels must be climate-neutral for new vehicles with combustion engines to be sold after 2035, according to a new draft regulation – which resolves an internal dispute within the EU Commission – seen by Euractiv.
The German parliament adopted on Friday (8 September) a controversial ban on new fossil heaters starting from 2028 at the latest, following months of government infighting and an injunction by the country’s top court.
Negotiations on an EU law to crack down on planet-warming fluorinated gases have hit a snag, amid pressure from some EU countries and parts of industry to secure carve-outs for heat pumps.
Austria's heating law, which aimed to ban new fossil-fuel heaters from 2023, has been stuck in parliament for months as the government has yet to obtain the necessary backing from the centre-left SPÖ.
Households in Slovakia postpone replacing their old fossil fuel boilers with greener heat pumps due to a six-month subsidy lag during a crucial period before the heating season, said Petra Čakovská of the Slovak consumer group SOS.
A proposed EU-wide ban on new fossil heating systems as of 2029 is hanging in the balance as a German spat over boilers spilld over into Brussels, presenting European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen with a tough choice.
Consumers looking to switch to heat pumps today face challenges like complicated permits, dubious installers and a tax system that favours gas over electricity.
Heat pumps are slated to transform Europe’s heating sector, a process that has laid bare a skilled workers gap that industry and governments are aiming to fill by boosting female participation in the workforce.
A global race has started to manufacture the millions of heat pumps needed to decarbonise heating, with Asian and East European countries taking a head start.
The German government has adopted a law that would see new fossil heating installations banned from 2024, following a month-long row over the level of state support and pushback from business-friendly FDP lawmakers.
The price surcharge on fossil fuels such as heating gas, petrol and diesel under the EU’s new carbon market as of 2027 could be well above the €45 limit EU institutions aim for, experts say, blaming lawmakers for creating false expectations.
The European Parliament has adopted its position on the phase-out of F-gases, opting for a faster pathway, much to the consternation of business groups who are now turning to EU countries still deliberating their position.
The unprecedented leak of a draft law banning new fossil heaters in Germany from 2024 is causing trouble at the highest level of government, adding to difficulties in pushing through the proposal.
In a bid to further the EU's energy independence, the European Commission has announced an action plan in the coming months to boost the manufacturing and deployment of heat pumps in Europe.
A draft law to ban the installation of new oil and gas heaters from next year has sparked outrage in Germany, adding fuel to continued government infighting in Berlin between the Greens and the Liberals.
The European Parliament's environment committee voted on Wednesday (1 March) for a quick phasedown of F-gas refrigerants, in a move that drew criticism from the heat pump industry.
