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”, ...
Leasys and EIB back €600 milion push for Europe’s zero-emission fleets
Europe’s transition toward low-carbon mobility is gaining momentum with a new €600 million financing agreement between Leasys and the European Investment Bank. The two partners will contr...
The secret weapon of timber construction
This article is part of the thematic channel The Carbon Observer. Subscribe to the newsletter or update your preferences. The construction sector is one of the most polluting in Europe. Accord...
Terna pioneers Europe’s first perpetual hybrid Green Bond
Terna S.p.A. has successfully completed a landmark operation in the European sustainable finance market with the launch of a perpetual, subordinated, hybrid, non-convertible, fixed-rate European Gre...
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...
Why the Citizens Energy Package is the key to Europe’s energy autonomy
Europe currently stands at a crossroads. It must address several imperatives: ensuring energy independence, security, and access to affordable, clean renewable energy. Europe’s last energy cri...
2026 will be a turning point for climate litigation
In 2026, the courts will be the new battleground for the climate crisis. This is not a metaphor: Ukraine is preparing to file the first claim for climate reparations in history against Russia, ...
Critical Raw Materials, the complex European challenge
Strategic critical raw materials are the Achilles heel of European industrial recovery. Commonly known by the acronym CRM, they are essential for the EU's competitiveness, as well as for clean energ...
Shared power, shared security: Nordic lessons for Europe’s energy resilience
Renewables are transforming Europe’s energy landscape, but the rapid green transition is testing grid stability. The Iberian blackout exposed the risks of ambition outpacing the system’s...
Cory Doctorow: “The creeping digitisation of society brings forth the enshittification of it”
He was the European Director of the Electronic Frontier Foundation for many years; he’s on the front lines for digital rights; an essayist, science fiction writer, and one of the most influent...
Trump's aims for Greenland divide Europe and put NATO at risk
The United States has set its sights on Greenland, and the matter can no longer be dismissed as a far-fetched provocation, especially by the European Union. As White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavi...
SMEs at the Core of EU Energy Efficiency with New EUSEW 2026 Award
The European Sustainable Energy Week (EUSEW) is expanding its focus on small and medium-sized enterprises with the launch of the brand-new “SMEs Driving Energy Efficiency Award”, on...
Amidst agreements and blockades: the 2025 review for the ocean
The ocean, which supplies humankind with fundamental ecosystem services, from fishing to climate regulation, is increasingly central to international debates. The year 2025 has witnessed mixed resul...
Offshore wind power, an industrial opportunity to be unlocked now
If onshore wind projects are slowing down in areas such as Sardinia, it is the MASE (Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security) that is blocking the development of several GW at sea: for month...
Sèamus Boland: “Poverty is among the factors of political instability in the EU”
The European Union is increasingly under attack. To the east, a new Iron Curtain takes a hybrid and permeable form, with drones, moats and mined areas prepared to stop Russian tanks. To the west, on...
EU Delays Mercosur Deal as Farmers’ Protests Shake Brussels
The European Union has decided to delay the ratification of the long-negotiated free trade agreement with Mercosur until January, following mounting political opposition and large-scale protests by ...
Omnibus I, EU backtracks on sustainability
On Tuesday, 16 December, the European Parliament definitively approved the Omnibus I package with 428 votes in favour, 218 against and 17 abstentions, thus confirming the agreement reached on 9 Dece...
EU’s 2035 Engine Phase-Out Under Review as Member States Push Back
Following months of delays and persistent political uncertainty, the European Commission is expected to present its proposal to revise the EU CO₂ standards for cars and vans on 16 December. The re...
RESourceEU, 3 billions for Made in Europe critical minerals
Three billion euros towards diversifying the supply of critical materials such as rare earths, cobalt and lithium: this is what the European Commission will be putting on the table over the next 12 ...
From offshore to onshore: Europe expands carbon storage with nature-inspired tech
For the first time, Europe will bury its carbon not beneath the sea, but under its own soil, heralding a new chapter in the continent’s fight against climate change. On 30 April 2025, the EU i...