Green Budget Europe organised a morning briefing on the future of diesel cars at the European Parliament in Brussels, on February 17, 2016. Diesel accounts for 53% of new car sales in Europe, compared to 1-5% in Japan and the US. We know diesel cars have a negative impact on local air quality and that leading cities plan to restrict their use. But what of their climate impacts? And has their true impact on health really been communicated? Can Europe…

As a member of the EU Alliance for a Democratic, Social and Sustainable European Semester (EU Semester Alliance), Green Budget Europe co-organised a hearing to discuss proposals for the European Semester in 2016. The event took place in the European Parliament, Room ASP 5G1, on 1 March 2016 from 9h30 to 12h30, and was hosted by Sergio Gutiérrez Prieto MEP (S&D) and Marian Harkin MEP (ALDE). The event came at a timely moment to kick-start discussion around the launch of 2016 European Semester,…

As emphasised by Maroš Šefčovič, Vice-President of the Energy Union, 2016 will be the year of delivery for the Energy Union. For this reason, Green Budget Europe is focusing on building and putting forward robust proposals for an effective and efficient governance strategy. In order to facilitate and promote the discussion around governance and the Energy Union, Green Budget Europe hosted a capacity-building workshop bringing together more than 30 representatives of the European Commission (DG Energy and European Semester), GBE national…

On June 30th, Green Budget Europe, in collaboration with University College London’s (UCL) Institute for Sustainable Resources, organised a roundtable event in London to present its new report: “Tackling air pollution from diesel cars through tax: options for the UK“. The event was hosted by Prospect Magazine, and involved a wide range of stakeholders from campaigners and members of civil society to academics and policy makers. Discussions revolved around the main findings outlined in the study, including the potential effectiveness…

Green Budget Europe, in collaboration with six civil society organisations*, held a policy briefing in Dublin discussing the importance of increasing the tax on diesel in Ireland ahead of the annual budget. Ireland buys the most new diesel cars per head of population (70% of all new sales). The European average is 50%, and countries where the sales of new diesel cars were high (e.g. Belgium, France, Spain, Sweden and Portugal) are falling sharply – but not in Ireland. Diesel…

GBE is pleased to announce that it will hold its Annual General Meeting in its offices (Postal address: 4 Rue du Trône. Brussels-1000 | Visitors entrance: 28, Avenue Marnix. Brussels – 1000) on Monday 14 May 2017. If you are interested in joining us, please get in touch at secretariat@green-budget.eu to become a member.

Green Budget Europe and People’s Budget invite you to join a high-level conference on the theme: “Sustainability in Europe”. The event will take place on Tuesday 15 May 2018, at Martin’s Brussels EU Hotel. If you want to register, click this link. The conference seeks to respond major issues regarding green taxation and sustainability, such as how can Europe move towards sustainability and a circular, low-carbon economy or what is the role of the future EU budget in supporting the…