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Blogs

Welcome to the Greenpeace EU Blog, where our veteran policy experts offer insights into the political animal that is Brussels and the maelstrom of European law making. We are right at home with the agriculture, chemical, climate & energy, fisheries, transport and forest policy briefs. We aim for quality rather than quantity, so expect updates when there is something interesting to say rather than on a strict schedule.

  • Four reasons to be optimistic despite modest EU climate goals

    Blogpost by Joris den Blanken - October 30, 2014 at 15:38

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    A wind turbine being assembled in China. Chinese coal consumption is decreasing for the first time in decades, with 11 out of 34 Chinese provinces planning measures to bring down consumption by 2017. The EU is no longer alone in taking action against climate change. In fact, it will now have to work harder to stay in the lead.

    Last week, the EU agreed its 2030 targets for emission cuts, energy savings and clean energy.

    Greenpeace has been clear in its assessment: the level of emission cuts is inadequate, and the deal risks slowing down Europe’s clean energy investme... Read more >

  • Wo ist Angela Merkel?

    Blogpost by Franziska Achterberg - October 22, 2014 at 11:00

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    As Europe’s politicians decide about the bloc’s energy future (some even call it an Energy Union) on Thursday and Friday this week, the German government appears to have left the stage.

    Earlier this month, the European Commission has given the... Read more >

  • Companies call on EU leaders to back ambitious climate and energy policies

    Blogpost by Jorgo Riss - October 14, 2014 at 16:48

    In the past, politicians have often been the ones pushing companies to become more conscious of health and safety issues. American politicians insisted that car companies install seatbelts. European politicians voted for hormone disrupting chemicals... Read more >

  • Should the European Commission wear green goggles more often?

    Blogpost by Daniel Simons - October 6, 2014 at 16:01

    That's the question lawyers were arguing about in Luxembourg last week. It is a case where Greenpeace is challenging the approval of up to €1.6 billion in aid to Spain's coal industry.

    Spain is a poster child for clean energy. It has revolutionised... Read more >

  • Tell politicians deciding our energy future: listen to people not the polluters!

    Blogpost by Virag Kaufer - October 2, 2014 at 15:03

    In three short weeks, on 23 and 24 October, Europe’s political leaders meet in Brussels to agree on a European energy policy that will last for decades to come.

    These politicians are under pressure, especially after the climate summit in NYC. They ... Read more >

  • EU leaders wake up! Make coal history

    Blogpost by Joris den Blanken - August 25, 2014 at 11:17

    Human chain against coal on German-Polish border

    This weekend I joined a unique European protest, not the usual gathering in front of Commission buildings in Brussels. Almost 8,000 people from all over Europe gathered at the Polish-German border to form an eight-kilometre long human chain joining ... Read more >

  • Beware the omniscient scientific adviser

    Blogpost by Dr. Paul Johnston - July 25, 2014 at 22:30
    Are Europe’s polluters demanding more scrutiny of their operations? Well, unsurprisingly, no, but industry lobbyists putting pressure on the European Commission to increase the power of its chief scientific adviser does sound topsy-turvy.

    What ... Read more >

  • Leaked Commission energy security plan keeps EU hooked on energy imports

    Blogpost by Franziska Achterberg - May 21, 2014 at 16:00

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    As tensions escalated between Russia and Ukraine in March, raising fears of disruptions to European gas supplies, EU leaders asked the European Commission to draw up a plan to reduce the EU’s energy dependence. The EU spends over €1bn each d... Read more >

  • Oops! Commission does it again!

    Blogpost by Andrea Carta, Marco Contiero - February 14, 2014 at 12:11

    A la carte approach to EU law on GM crops will come back to bite

    Following a fraught meeting of EU ministers on Tuesday, the European Commission looks set to push through the approval of a new genetically modified (GM) maize. It will do so in the fac... Read more >

  • Rebuttal of the Economist leader article on European climate policy (edition dated 25 January 2014)

    Blogpost by Mark Breddy - January 24, 2014 at 20:24

    The two main conclusions drawn by The Economist article – that binding renewables targets don’t work and that the EU should put all its eggs in the carbon market basket – don’t stand up to scrutiny.

    There’s very strong evidence that the existing bind... Read more >

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