European Union

Romania's problem with waste and illegal imports has come under increased public scrutiny after such incidents picked up significantly over the past 18 months - particularly after China, the world's primary importer of waste, implemented a plastics ban.

Together with several other central and eastern European (CEE) countries, we do not support the introduction of a single EU carbon price for all sectors - because this could significantly increase the overhead costs for CEE households.

The ancient story of Babel tells how a shared dream brought people together to build a great new world, with a beautiful city and a monumental tower. Only to find that work was stopped by an inability to communicate.

The European Union has not done enough to capitalise on its €18 billion space programmes, including its Galileo satellite positioning system and Copernicus observation satellites, EU auditors said on Wednesday (21 April).

The French Senate's vote this month to amend the country's so-called "separatism" bill aims to ban the wearing of the hijab in sports competitions, which according to many risks further excluding Muslim girls from participating in sports. EURACTIV France reports.

Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel said Wednesday (21 April) that the European Union needs more power to coordinate the bloc's response to health crises like the coronavirus pandemic, and did not rule out a treaty change to secure them.

Created from advanced biofuels and renewable electro-fuels, sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs) have the potential to significantly cut airline emissions. They can be blended with kerosene and used in current aircraft without changes to the engine, making them a convenient way to decarbonise flights.

The European Commission has confirmed that the upcoming ReFuelEU Aviation initiative will impose a sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) blending mandate, with the EU executive suggesting it will apply to all flights taking off from European airports, regardless of whether their destination is inside the bloc.

Germany’s constitutional court declined on Wednesday (22 April) to block the EU’s COVID-19 recovery fund, removing one of the last major hurdles before the bloc can launch its 750 billion debt-financed fund. Each EU member state must ratify the fund....

The European Commission has presented on Wednesday (21 April) a long-waiting ‘AI package’. The proposal is the first-ever attempt to regulate AI and has been developed as part of a broader ambition to make Europe a global leader in the field by being the first to set clear guidelines.

Europe’s transport decarbonisation has never been an easy task. Transport is responsible for as much as 27% of the total greenhouse gas emissions in the EU and the European Commission admits that by 2030 things will not change dramatically. Several...

The European Commission on Wednesday (21 April) unveiled a first batch of implementing rules under the EU’s sustainable finance taxonomy, spelling out detailed technical criteria that companies need to comply with in order to win a green investment label in Europe.

The EU will set out a comprehensive strategy to combat anti-Semitism this year as part of a €1.5 billion programme to support fundamental rights across the bloc, Commissioner Margaritis Schinas said on Tuesday (20 April).

Russian President Vladimir Putin delivered his annual State of the Union address on Wednesday (21 April), presenting a narrative according to which the West was playing a dangerous and hostile game against his country, which had no other choice but to defend itself.

EU farmers have told EURACTIV they have been left feeling unrepresented by the EU Agricultural Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski after he posted a series of controversial tweets criticising industrial farming. 

EU lawmakers from the Greens/European Free Alliance group have called on the European Commission in an open letter to "ensure that the digital transition promotes and does not hamper the green transition", just before the Commission was due to present part of its green taxonomy proposal.

The European Commission’s plans for a Sustainability Reporting directive announced on Wednesday (21 April) provides “solid ground for discussion” and should allow EU standards to determine international rules, says Pascal Durand, the European Parliament’s rapporteur on the subject, as he...

A real commitment from all stakeholders and policymakers is needed to support a catch-up immunisation campaign and overcome the difficulties routine vaccination programmes have experienced during the pandemic, according to a key vaccine stakeholder.

The European commissioner for energy, Kadri Simson, on Tuesday (20 April) underlined the importance of the 'Renovation Wave' strategy in combating energy poverty in the European Union, saying that sustainable, energy-efficient buildings should be "the new normal".

MEPs will hold debates on the EU Health Union package and on the global dimension of the EU’s response to the pandemic.
Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety

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