Europe News|Breaking News on European Affairs • Europe.Table

The European Union is outsourcing most of its environmental damage to its eastern neighbors, according to a study. An international research group found that pollution caused by the EU, such as greenhouse gas emissions and material consumption, increased outside the EU, while it decreased within the community of states. That’s according to their study published […] continue reading →

On Thursday, the EU Commission initiated several lawsuits before the European Court of Justice (ECJ) against a number of member states. The issue is the failure to implement EU directives on renewable energies as well as environmental protection measures. The Commission demands that Bulgaria and Slovakia should be fined because neither country has transposed the […] continue reading →

The Commission is apparently putting work on legislation for handling data generated in vehicles on hold. It was originally announced that there would be legislation for the automotive sector to complement the Data Act. The Directorate General Grow draft legislation was supposed to go into the Commission’s internal impact assessment these days and be adopted […] continue reading →

German Economic Affairs Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) wants to lobby the EU to remove CO2 from the atmosphere artificially on a large scale. This emerges from a call for tenders issued by the ministry for a consulting contract. The reason for this is a legislative proposal on the EU climate target for 2040, which the […] continue reading →

The leader of the European People’s Party (EPP), Manfred Weber, has expressed openness to an alliance with the ultra-right party of Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. “As party and group leader, I have the ambition that the EPP does so well in next year’s European elections that we remain the strongest force in order to […] continue reading →

As expected, the Swedish Council Presidency has drafted a fourth compromise paper on the Data Act, which is available to Europe.Table. It contains proposed amendments to key points such as trade secrets, the scope of application (Chapter II), SMEs and compensation (Chapter V), and the interaction between the Data Act and the GDPR. According to […] continue reading →

European metals industry association Eurometaux has written to the EU Commission calling for an effective industrial policy response to the US Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). The EU Green Deal industrial plan and the planned Critical Raw Materials Act must send a stronger investment and competition signal to the entire clean energy technology supply chain, the […] continue reading →

Laboratory monkeys in biomedical research are becoming scarce. Until 2020, monkeys for medical research came mainly from China. But the People’s Republic stopped the export at the very beginning of the Covid pandemic. At that time, it was not certain whether the virus could also be transmitted by the laboratory primates. However, Beijing has not […] continue reading →

Dialogue between employers and workforces is to be intensified. “A lively social dialogue and strong social partners are necessary for Europe to remain competitive and inclusive,” demands Social Commissioner Nicolas Schmit. In its meeting yesterday, the Commission adopted a communication and a Council recommendation on the promotion of social dialogue. Negotiations between the employer and […] continue reading →

After failed attempts to form a government in Bulgaria, new elections will be held. Bulgaria’s President Rumen Radev said Tuesday that April 2 would be set as the date. These will be Bulgaria’s fifth parliamentary elections in two years. Most recently, the Socialists were the third possible party to fail to form a government. In […] continue reading →

According to a new study, importing climate-neutral hydrogen into the EU could become competitive with hydrogen from domestic production by 2030. This is the conclusion of calculations by the consulting firm Aurora Energy Research. According to the study, Spain, Morocco, Australia, and Chile could supply green hydrogen to Germany by 2030 at competitive costs despite […] continue reading →

On Tuesday, five committees voted on their position on due diligence. The respective opinions will complicate the work for rapporteur Lara Wolters (S&D), as they vary significantly. While the Wolters report strongly tightens up the Commission draft, the Committee on Industry, Research, and Energy (ITRE) advocates a more pragmatic approach. For example, the due diligence […] continue reading →

Europe could end its dependence on Chinese lithium-ion batteries by 2027, according to a study. The EU is on track to fully meet domestic demand for EVs and energy storage by then, according to a forecast by Transport & Environment (T&E), an NGO umbrella organization for sustainable transport. The organization analyzed announcements from battery manufacturers […] continue reading →

The European Emergency Ordinance for a faster expansion of power grids and renewable energies is to be implemented into national law by a federal ordinance. The cabinet decision is expected to be made by Feb. 8, after which the Bundestag must still give its approval, announced Economic Affairs Minister Robert Habeck Monday evening at an […] continue reading →

A further €500 million in EU funds are to be made available for the supply of weapons and equipment to the Ukrainian armed forces. The foreign ministers of the 27 EU states reached a political agreement on this in Brussels on Monday, as EU Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Representative Josep Borrell announced in the […] continue reading →

The EU Commission wants to change the rules for broadband expansion. A draft for the Gigabit Infrastructure Act (GIA), which is available to Europe.Table, contains several ideas that pose major challenges for telecommunications companies, home and land owners, and the public sector. According to the draft, the Commission’s central plans are primarily changes in access […] continue reading →

The German Federal Cartel Office is taking aim at the PayPal payment service. The competition watchdogs in Bonn initiated proceedings against the European subsidiary to investigate whether PayPal is exploiting a dominant position in Germany and thus impeding competition. As the Cartel Office announced on Monday, the specific issue is PayPal’s terms of use, according […] continue reading →

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has not yet decided whether she will seek another term in office. “I haven’t decided yet,” the conservative CDU politician said in an interview with Deutschlandfunk radio. “I now have three years of mandate behind me, two years still ahead of me, and I haven’t made a decision […] continue reading →