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.
The EU is already struggling to meet its 2030 climate and energy targets, so it needs to put farmers as well as the social and environmental benefits first in order to project itself forward to 2040, write Zsolt Lengyel and Erica Johnson.
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.
Building renovations, like those encouraged under the draft Energy Performance of Buildings directive, are key to improving people's well-being and reducing emissions, but they must be flexible and rolled out with social safeguards, writes Ciarán Cuffe.
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.
Swiftly banning fluorinated gases (F-gases) will not only significantly curb the EU's climate impact, but also reduce its dependence on critical raw materials, and result in substantial savings for EU households, especially in the transition to decarbonised heating, writes Davide Sabbadin.
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.
Natural refrigerants like propane are the way forward to replace climate-warming fluorinated gases in heat pumps, Green EU lawmaker Bas Eickhout argues in an interview with EURACTIV.
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.
Download PDF
The heat pump industry is entering a transformative decade, with major producers jostling for market share, consumers angling for state support and EU governments aiming to nurture the bloc's nascent industry while meeting climate goals.
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.
EU lawmakers' push to phase down fluorinated gases may score the most significant climate victory of the decade and rid Europe's heat pump market of China’s imports, argues Davide Sabbaddin.
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.
