Towards a sustainability-oriented Energy Union Green Budget Europe, CEE Bankwatch and EEB assessment of the Energy Union Country factsheets Since 2015 the European Commission has been working towards integrated continent-wide low-carbon policies and an energy system that aims to support a fundamental transformation of the EU energy system. The Energy Union Strategy as one of the 10 key priorities for the current European Commission aims to provide “secure, sustainable, competitive […]
2016 marked a turning point in the global policy agenda. The EU’s decision to fast-track the ratification of the Paris Agreement proved that Member States and the EU Commission can work together and show international leadership. The EU and its Member States are committed to keeping temperature rises to “well below” 2°C and to pursue efforts to limit increases to 1.5°C by cutting greenhouse gas emissions to net zero in […]
Commission has made some progress on carbon intensity – but needs to go much further On 30 November, the European Commission published its Winter Package [1] – a set of legislative proposals aimed at boosting renewable energy and security of supply. Part of the legislation seeks to shape Member State law on capacity mechanisms for energy production, and the Commission has acted firmly to prevent market distortion, and allow electricity […]
The aim of this paper is to explain the European Semester, to analyse its governance abilities and to develop and propose messages on how to advocate for the inclusion of low-carbon objectives related to climate and energy policy, as well as the enforcement of the Circular Economy Package. The Semester, theoretically, offers an opportunity for persistent and diligent monitoring to bring the EU on track towards the achievement of its […]
Since the launch of the European Commission’s proposed Energy Union in February 2015, energy policy has disappeared from the main governance tool to monitor the progress of the EU’s Economic and Monetary Union, known as the European Semester. While it may appear sensible on a superficial level to have a separate framework for energy policy, it has created two strategic challenges: Firstly, Energy Union’s target implementation will not be in […]