ECESP 2026: Circularity as the foundation of European security
Brussels – “In times of instability, circular economy is not a choice, it’s a necessity.” With these words, European Commissioner for the Environment Jessika Roswall kic...
From materials to systems: rethinking Europe’s packaging future
Brussels – At the 2026 edition of the Packaging Waste & Sustainability Forum in Brussels, the future of packaging emerged less as a breakthrough material and more as a complex system in de...
EUSEW at 20: a living workshop for Europe’s clean energy future
The European Sustainable Energy Week (EUSEW) is the biggest annual event dedicated to renewables and efficient energy use in Europe, bringing together a diverse community dedicated to building a sec...
Magyar’s victory in Hungary does not dispel Orbán’s shadow
With 98.15% of the votes counted, the results of the 12 April elections in Hungary are now final: the Tisza party, led by Peter Magyar, has secured 138 of the 199 seats and 53.56% of the vote, achie...
Giacomuzzi-Moore: amidst the current crisis, bioeconomy becomes a strategic asset
Brussels – The European bioeconomy already accounts for around 5% of the EU’s GDP, supports over 17 million jobs and plays an increasingly vital role in competitive and sustainable growt...
Strait of Hormuz: from helium to aluminium, the non-oil raw materials crisis
Rotterdam - “If the port is doing well, our economy is also doing well,” said Ursula von der Leyen in September 2022, discussing the port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands. At the time, Eu...
Bottled water: the Italian paradox and the normalisation of the superfluous
This article is part of the thematic channel The Water Observer: subscribe to our newsletter and receive exclusive contents from the world of water Italy is the European country that consumes the m...
PFAS: a turning point in Europe as ECHA opens public consultation
This article is part of the thematic channel The Water Observer: subscribe to our newsletter and receive exclusive contents from the world of water Brussels – On 26 March 2026, the European C...
US-EU tariffs: agreement reached, but the risk of energy dependence remains
From Brussels – On 26 March, the European Parliament endorsed its position on two legislative proposals giving effect to the tariff aspects of the EU-US agreement signed in July 2025. The text...
EU Council: the ETS stands firm, but the way is open for changes
The European Council was adjourned during the night of 19–20 March after a much broader debate than anticipated. What was supposed to be a summit on reviving competitiveness instead turned int...
Water as a target in the Iran war
This article is part of the thematic channel The Water Observer: subscribe to our newsletter and receive exclusive contents from the world of water The recent wave of strikes in the Third Gulf War ...
Europe’s heating and cooling dilemma: can district energy deliver?
From Brussels - Heating and cooling already account for half of Europe’s energy use, and most of that demand is still met by fossil fuels. At the same time, an amount of heat equivalent t...
EVision 2026: electrifying corporate fleets cuts costs and emissions
From Brussels - As Europe revisits parts of its electrification transition for private cars, another segment risks slipping into the background: corporate fleets. Yet this is precisely whe...
Industrial Accelerator Act: the EU Commission launches the “Made in Europe” plan
From Brussels – Today, Wednesday 4 March, the European Commission unveiled the Industrial Accelerator Act (IAA), one of the pillars of the new Clean Industrial Deal, designed to strengthe...
Catastrophic risks in Italy, from awareness to protection
Italy is one of the countries in Europe with the highest seismic and hydrogeological risk. According to the ANIA 2024 report, around 40% of residential properties are located in areas with medium to...
US fossil fuel lobbyists infiltrate the EU Parliament to dismantle the Green Deal
from Bruxelles - An investigation is raising straightforward questions about the democratic stability of the European Union and the role of external influences in its decision-making processes. In t...
Piunti (CONOU): the revision of the POPs Regulation is detrimental to the circular economy
The most recent proposal to revise the European Regulation on Persistent Organic Pollutants (1021/2019 POPs) places a crucial issue for European environmental policies back at the centre of the deba...
Waste Water Directive and EPR: appeals by pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries rejected
The Court of Justice of the European Union has declared inadmissible a set of appeals filed by companies and associations in the pharmaceutical and cosmetics sectors against the extended producer re...
PFAS: inaction will cost the EU €440 billion by 2050
Four hundred and forty billion euros. That is the cost that European society risks incurring by 2050 if the current levels of contamination from PFAS, the so-called “forever chemicals”, ...
Heidelberg Materials in Brenner: How Concrete Supports the European Tunnel
18 September 2025 marked a historic milestone for European engineering: the cross-border breakthrough of the exploratory tunnel in the Brenner Base Tunnel (BBT) for the first time created a continuo...