Euractiv.com

Members of the European Parliament voted on Wednesday (14 November) to beef up a first attempt to regulate CO2 emissions from heavy vehicles, going beyond what the European Commission originally proposed.

France has promised to phase out glyphosate at a quicker rate than the EU. However, successive “Ecophyto plans” have not produced any results and meanwhile, the use of phytosanitary products continues to grow. EURACTIV France reports.

The European Parliament laid down funding priorities for the next long-term EU budget on Tuesday (13 November) and urged the Council to agree on a common position so that talks be completed before next May. But differences still remain about the level of member states' contributions.

The president of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, has warned of a risk to post-World War II order and proposed that his country host a conference of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in 2020 with the purpose of “updating” the 1975 Helsinki Final Act of the then CSCE.

Swedish lawmakers rejected on Wednesday (14 November) the centre-right Moderate Party leader's attempt to form a minority government with the Christian Democrats, prolonging the political deadlock in place since the election in September. EURACTIV’s partner efe-epa reports.

For the future of Greece and the EU, it’s the right ideas that matter rather than party labels, S&D chief Udo Bullmann told EURACTIV.com, dismissing complaints from Greek socialists about the collaboration between EU socialists and leftist Greek premier Alexis Tsipras.

The European Commission’s Scientific Advice Mechanism (SAM) issued a statement on Tuesday (13 November) saying the directive on genetically modified organisms should be revised in order to adjust to the current knowledge, especially when it comes to gene editing.

The US has repeatedly taken position against Nord Stream 2, a Russia-sponsored pipeline planned to bring gas to Germany under the Baltic Sea. But this time Washington took position against another such pipeline, bringing Russian gas under the Black Sea.

The region of former Yugoslavia and Albania has long ago been swallowed up by the EU. Yet, it is doomed to permanent marginalisation unless the EU does not open its structural and cohesion funds, or provide other source of zero-priced capital, writes Dušan Reljić.  

Czech MEP Jan Zahradil will be the lead candidate of the European Conservatives and Reformists Group (ECR) to run for the presidency of the next European Commission, party chief Syed Kamall announced on Tuesday (13 October).

EU negotiators reached agreement Monday evening (12 November) on a legal framework for “citizen energy communities” in a deal solar PV manufacturers hailed as a victory for small-scale renewable energy production.

The green economy usually brings to mind traditional renewable materials such as wood, biomass, water and earth. Less likely poster children are the big metals that have formed the backbone of the industrial revolution – steel, copper, iron, tin and aluminium.

For the first time, a state – Seychelles – has issued a 'Blue Bond', which will finance the protection of marine ecosystems and the development of sustainable fishing. EURACTIV France’s media partner, the Journal de l’environnement reports.

Macedonia's former prime minister Nikola Gruevski, who has been sentenced to jail for abuse of power, said on Tuesday (13 November) he was in Hungary where he has requested political asylum.

Donald Trump on Tuesday (13 November) unleashed an extraordinary attack on Emmanuel Macron, mocking the French president's approval rating and lashing him over European defence proposals which enjoyed a crucial new boost from Germany.

With growing shares of renewable energies added to the system, the dynamic pricing of electricity becomes even more important in order to provide flexibility on the demand side, says Pierre Tardieu. This is why regulated energy prices can only slow the pace of the energy transition, he argues.

The European Parliament voted on Tuesday (13 November) a set of three clean energy laws for 2030, including binding targets for renewable energies, an indicative objective on energy savings and a separate text on the governance of the Energy Union.

In an eagerly awaited speech on the future of Europe before what she called 'the biggest democratic parliament of the world', German Chancellor Angela Merkel called on Tuesday (13 November) for a "real, true European army" and a common asylum framework.

The UK took a tentative step towards leaving the EU with a Brexit deal announced on Tuesday (13 November), as negotiators appeared to reach a technical agreement on its withdrawal from the bloc more than two years after Britain voted to leave.

The European Council will consider in December the outcomes of the citizen consultations. However, some MEPs are already calling for the EU not to stop at this experiment. EURACTIV France reports.