EU rallies behind Cyprus as Turkiye excludes it from COP31 preparations
EU member states and the European Commission have condemned this year’s host of the international climate talks, Turkiye, for inviting only 26 of the 27 countries of the bloc to the COP31 conference and excluding Cyprus from preparatory climate talks.
Read MorePoland calls for further ETS2 delay, builds 12-country alliance on EU carbon market reform
A group of 12 EU climate ministers met separately on Thursday to discuss a joint stance on reforming the bloc’s Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) and on whether to again delay the EU’s second carbon market for heating and transport (ETS2).
Read MoreEU ministers split over weakening CO2 car rules amid boom in EV sales
The EU’s 27 environment ministers remained divided over plans to relax car CO2 rules on Thursday, while Wopke Hoekstra, the EU’s climate chief, said the recent boom in electric car sales is a sign that weakening the cars CO2 target may not have been necessary after all.
Read MoreEU’s rigid renewable hydrogen rules could push up emissions, food prices in Poland -think tank
The EU’s rigid approach to renewable hydrogen rules could increase emissions, drive up costs, and push up food prices, according to analysis by a Polish climate think-tank.
Read MoreFortum to shut Finland’s last coal power plant in early 2027
Energy giant Fortum is closing Finland’s last remaining coal-fired power plant in early 2027, as part of its commitment to reach net zero by 2040, the company announced on Wednesday.Â
Read MoreFour EU countries call for environmental LIFE programme to be kept in long-term budget
Austria, Italy, Luxembourg, and Spain have requested that the bloc’s environment-devoted LIFE programme not be scrapped from the EU’s long-term budget, as they plan to raise the issue during Thursday’s Environment Council.
Read MoreCBAM verification timeline “excessively tight”, Italy’s accreditation body warns
Italy’s national accreditation body has warned that at least an extra year will be needed to enrol companies tasked with checking that carbon prices have been paid in third countries under the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM).
Read More12 EU countries call for expansion of ETS-financed Modernisation Fund
Twelve EU member states have urged the European Commission to allocate more money from the EU ETS-financed Modernisation Fund, in a letter to EU climate chief Wopke Hoekstra.
Read MoreCoal emissions soar above legal limits in Western Balkans, despite EU carbon pressure
The Western Balkans’ ageing coal plants are breaching legal pollution limits and operating beyond closure deadlines, despite pressure from the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), an NGO has warned.
Read MoreFEATURE: Brussels “seriously considering” free EU ETS permits for shipping firms using clean fuels
The European Commission is “seriously considering” granting free CO2 permits to shipping companies that use clean fuels as part of the upcoming reform of the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) due to be presented in July.
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