[World] The US State Department hopes to expand a strategic minerals initiative aimed at ensuring supply chains for metals critical for batteries and wind and solar power as demand for green energy keeps growing despite the coronavirus, a top diplomat said on Tuesday (2 June).

[European Green Deal] Oil and gas companies throughout the supply chain need to do much more to bring down methane emissions immediately. And they can, writes Maarten Wetselaar.

[Green finance] The EU economic recovery plan presented by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on 27 May will also be based on the so-called taxonomy which gives priority to sectors in the field of low-carbon transition. EURACTIV Germany reports.

[Energy & Environment] Hungary will triple the capacity of a natural gas pipeline border interconnector towards Slovakia by 2024, enabling the pipeline to carry more than 5 billion cubic metres of natural gas per year, the foreign minister said on Tuesday (2 June).

[Energy & Environment] The European Green Deal is the best way to make the real changes Europe needs to be able to recover from the COVID-19 crisis, writes a group of 700 elected representatives and citizens from all sectors of civil society.

[Energy & Environment] The United Kingdom has put forward its own new UK-wide Emissions Trading System (ETS) to replace the European Union’s system for trading carbon emissions, which Britain will leave at the end of this year as the Brexit transition period ends.

[Aviation] Leading MEPs have asked the European Commission and Council not to seek changes to the UN's global aviation scheme, which is aimed at making the industry carbon neutral. Airlines have requested more leeway to ride out the coronavirus outbreak slump.

[European Green Deal] The European Parliament's environment committee discussed for the first time on Thursday (28 May) a proposal by Swedish MEP Jytte Guteland to set an EU-wide CO2 reduction target of 65% by 2030. EURACTIV Germany reports.

[Energy & Environment] The European Commission revealed on Thursday (28 May) how individual EU members stand to gain from the newly-fortified €40bn Just Transition Fund. Talks are still ongoing on widening the scope of the fund to more regions that might need green aid.

[Energy & Environment] Dormant "zombie fires" scattered across the Arctic region – remnants of record blazes last year – may be coming to life after an unusually warm and dry Spring, scientists warned Wednesday (27 May).

[Transport] The European Commission’s €750 billion recovery fund could be covered financially by new sources of revenue, which include extending the EU’s carbon market to the aviation and shipping sectors, the bloc’s executive confirmed on Wednesday (27 May).

[Hydrogen] Renewable energy company Ørsted and Copenhagen Airport are amongst the consortium of businesses aiming to develop a hydrogen and sustainable transport fuel facility in the heart of the Danish capital. EURACTIV's media partner edie.net reports.

[Circular economy] The EU recovery fund can be used to unlock an estimated €1.8 trillion opportunity by 2030 by making better use of materials and reducing waste, write Patrick Schröder and David McGinty.

[Economy & Jobs] One day before the EU Commission presents its long-awaited proposal for an EU reconstruction programme, a group of German and French civil society organisations has sent a letter to their respective governments. EURACTIV Germany reports.

[Energy & Environment] By supporting green buildings, the European Commission can simultaneously cut down energy bills and greenhouse gas emissions while improving comfort and health, and supporting Europe’s 18 million construction workers, writes Peter Sweatman.

[Energy & Environment] Russian natural gas transit via the Yamal-Europe pipeline, which traverses Poland, has almost dried up, Interfax cited gas pipeline operators as saying on Monday (25 May), days after a gas transit deal between Moscow and Warsaw expired.

[Hydrogen] Major European electricity groups – including Enel, Iberdrola, Ørsted, and EDP – have issued a joint call urging the European Commission to prioritise renewable hydrogen in its upcoming pandemic recovery plan.

[Economy & Jobs] When the EU re-emerges from this crisis, what will it look like? Will it be stronger and more adept at responding to future crises like climate change? Or will it be weaker, unable to address the concerns of Europeans and in danger of breaking apart? A lot depends on what happens this Wednesday, writes a group of authors from the Jacques Delors Institute.

[Energy & Environment] Europe has taken the lead in the fight against climate change with the European Green Deal. While most of the power system will be electrified by 2050, renewable hydrogen is the missing piece to deliver Europe’s commitment to climate neutrality.

[Transport] Germany's highest court ruled on Monday (25 May) that Volkswagen must pay damages to plaintiffs in the diesel emissions scandal, who can now demand a refund of the purchase price. EURACTIV Germany reports.

[Batteries] Europe's climate plans have electrification at their core but in order to unlock its potential, batteries have to be managed and regulated in the right way, explain the Cross-Industry Initiative for better regulation in chemicals management (CII).

[European Green Deal] A draft statement from the Czech government calls on the EU economic recovery plan and long-term budget to fall in line with the European Green Deal, marking a U-turn from Prague's earlier positions.

[European Green Deal] A European tax on financial transactions and corporate profits could bring an annual €120 billion to the EU budget and finance a green recovery from the COVID-19 crisis, without asking a penny more from national governments, says Pierre Larrouturou.

[Future of mobility] The European Commission has been urged by to set up a multi-billion euro grant scheme for zero-emission buses and to help cities build new cycle paths, as part of the EU’s coronavirus recovery package.

[Green finance] EU policymakers are promoting a green recovery. A public-private agency rating companies’ climate performance would help keep it on track, argue Steven Tebbe and Laurent Babikian.

[Central Asia] Kazakhstan‘s new leadership, faced with concurrent challenges of volatile oil prices and the coronavirus pandemic, has approved nineteen new renewable energy projects worth $1.1 billion in the country’s latest effort to go green and diversify its energy supply. To date,...

[European Green Deal] A group of eight EU countries from the Balkans and the east have joined forces to defend the “role of natural gas in a climate-neutral Europe”.

[Energy & Environment] Uniper is threatening to sue the Dutch government over a plan to phase out coal power by 2030, in a case experts warn could have a chilling effect on climate ambition internationally. EURACTIV's media partner, Climate Home News, reports.

[Renewable energies] Denmark plans to build two “energy islands” totalling 4GW of offshore wind capacity, under plans to reduce emissions by 70% from 1990s levels by 2030 and become a green energy exporter. EURACTIV's media partner, Climate Home News, reports.

[European Green Deal] As Europe starts to get a better grip on the COVID-19 emergency, we need to undertake the immense task of rebuilding our economies and repairing the staggering damage to our communities, workers and businesses, write Frans Timmermans and Fatih Birol.

[Energy & Environment] Electrification is key to decarbonising the residential heating sector, but it needs to be done smartly, by using heat pumps flexibly in houses that are efficient enough to act as “thermal batteries,” experts argue.

[Energy & Environment] Germany's cabinet agreed on Wednesday (20 May) on changes to the climate package launched last September, and it is now certain that from January 2021, a price of €25 per tonne of CO2 will apply to the heat and transport sectors in Germany. EURACTIV Germany reports.

[Biomass] The European Commission is getting tough on biodiversity with a new set of “nature restoration targets” announced for publication next year, which the EU executive says will be strictly enforced.

[Biomass] The Commission's new Biodiversity Strategy shows how forests are crucial for building resilience in a post COVID-19 world, writes Giulia Bondi.

[Future of jobs] France, the Netherlands and Austria want to put environmentally friendly conditions on aid for corporations. In Germany, companies themselves are calling for a climate stimulus package, yet Economy Minister Peter Altmaier is hesitating. EURACTIV Germany reports.

[Energy & Environment] The European Commission’s promised green recovery plan will focus on building renovation, renewables and hydrogen as well as clean mobility and the circular economy, according to a leaked working document obtained by EURACTIV.

[Energy & Environment] The European Commission’s approach to state aid is contradicting green recovery ambitions. While the EU recovery programme is focused on the Green Deal, national subsidy schemes are pouring money all across the economy without clear ecological focus, writes Claude Turmes.

[European Green Deal] A growing number of businesses have recognised the economic benefits of the transition to a carbon neutral economy. It is now critically important that Europe commits to strengthening the Green Deal with a 55% greenhouse gas reduction target for 2030, write Eliot Whittington and María Mendiluce.

[Energy & Environment] One day before the European Commission unveils its new biodiversity strategy, Germany presented its national nature report, which stressed that while some populations are recovering, insects are now in very bad shape. EURACTIV Germany reports.

[Renewable energies] Germany's grand coalition of Christian Democrats (CDU/CSU) and Social Democrats (SPD) on Monday (18 May) agreed on the abolition of the solar cap and an "opt-out solution" for a standard distance for wind turbines. This is a decisive milestone for the expansion of renewable energy in Germany, EURACTIV Germany reports.

[European Green Deal] The European Commission’s "Clean Hydrogen Alliance," expected to be launched in the summer, should focus primarily on ensuring that renewables-based hydrogen becomes cheaper than fossil alternatives, campaigners argue.

[Oil and Industry] The coronavirus pandemic has disrupted maintenance at oil and gas projects and refineries from Russia’s Far East to the coast of Canada, storing up problems for an industry already reeling from slumping prices, analysts say.

[Biomass] The European Commission intends to push a “transformative approach” to all forms of bioenergy – including biofuels and woody biomass – as part of a biodiversity strategy due to be unveiled on Wednesday (20 May).

[Energy & Environment] More than 150 business giants, including Carlsberg, H&M and Pernod Ricard, with a combined market capitalisation of more than $2.4trn, have signed a joint statement calling on all governments to align coronavirus economic responses to climate science. EURACTIV's media partner edie.net reports.

[Economy & Jobs] German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron announced their joint proposal for a €500 billion European recovery programme following a virtual conference on Monday (18 May). The initiative seeks to bring Europe out of the crisis “united and in solidarity,” and prepare the EU for future challenges. EURACTIV Germany reports.

[Energy & Environment] Ahead of a summer that promises to be particularly dry and hot in Europe, France's ecological transition ministry is mobilising water stakeholders to anticipate shortages and avoid supply disruptions. EURACTIV's partner le Journal de l'environnement reports.

[Circular economy] Portugal, which usually attracts huge mounds of rubbish from other European states because of its low waste management fees, has suspended imports of trash until the end of 2020 to protect domestic landfill capacity, the government said on Saturday (16 May).

[Energy & Environment] The global coal industry will “never recover” from the COVID-19 pandemic, industry observers predict, because the crisis has proved renewable energy is cheaper for consumers and a safer bet for investors. EURACTIV's media partner, The Guardian, reports.

[European Green Deal] Hydrogen has become a central element of EU plans to reach net-zero emissions by mid-century. The key question now is how to accelerate the transition and upgrade the gas infrastructure, policymakers say. “We need to accelerate” the gas industry’s conversion...

[Energy & Environment] While there is strong claimed support for a 'green' recovery from the European Commission, the European Parliament and key member states like Germany, the devil is in the detail, write Doreen Fedrigo and Camille Maury.

[Energy & Environment] Germany’s energy regulator on Friday (15 May) declined to grant a waiver of European Union gas directives to the operators of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, dealing a fresh blow to the project to carry gas from Russia to Germany under the Baltic Sea.

[Energy & Environment] The Green Deal is Europe’s growth strategy. Making it the backbone of the recovery plan is not only necessary in a climate perspective, but also from an economic point of view – in order to create growth and work opportunities that are sustainable in the long run, argue Nordic energy CEOs and top executives.

[European Green Deal] The German Advisory Council on the Environment (SRU) presented on Thursday (14 May) its report on the state of the country's environmental policy. With Germany's carbon budget now almost exhausted, researchers urge stronger climate action in all areas. EURACTIV Germany reports.

[Energy & Environment] Governments in Europe and beyond should pay “utmost attention” to avoid a “jobs versus climate” confrontation in the recovery phase from the COVID-19 crisis, said Fatih Birol, the executive director of the International Energy Agency (IEA).

[Energy & Environment] An association of ten major European environmental organisations today (14 May) launched an appeal to the European Union to come up with a green and fair reconstruction plan. Today, the EU Parliament will vote on its position on this issue. EURACTIV Germany reports.

[European Green Deal] In a position paper, Germany's conservative CDU/CSU parliamentary group opposed increasing the EU's climate target to 55% by 2030. While this has been the cause for much criticism from other parties, Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats do not believe this contradicts her words. EURACTIV Germany reports.

[Development Policy] Governments have a choice: stimulate fossil fuel industries or invest in a more resilient recovery, powered by renewable energy. This is a once in a generation chance, write Achim Steiner and Francesco La Camera.

[Energy & Environment] The EU LNG import terminals currently import LNG that consists of methane of fossil origin. LNG produces lower CO2 emissions than most fossil fuels and has a low level of methane leakages in the long term. However, they need to...

[Green finance] With a public consultation in progress for the Non-Financial Reporting (NFR) Directive, the EU Commission has an opportunity to lead the world in refocussing corporate efforts in a post-COVID-19 world, writes Carol Adams.

[Electric vehicles] Registrations of electric cars in Europe jumped 57.4% in the first quarter of 2020, but still only accounted for 4.3% of total registrations, auto industry data showed on Tuesday, as carmakers struggle to meet tough new anti-pollution rules.