Nuclear power dispute + Anti-Coercion Instrument + Media Freedom Act

Should hydrogen from nuclear power be counted towards the renewables targets? That’s exactly what France and some other countries demanded. But yesterday, the energy ministers rejected this idea and removed the project from the general orientation of the gas market directive. In return, the Commission signaled a concession on another level regarding nuclear power. Read more in the feature by Manuel Berkel.

Passenger cars and light commercial vehicles must be carbon-neutral from 2035. Yesterday, there was actually a decision: Germany abandoned its blockade position in the Council of Ministers in return for a compromise on e-fuels. Lukas Scheid reports on how the Commission intends to ensure that combustion vehicles can only be refueled with e-fuels.

What’s next for the EU’s China policy? Ursula von der Leyen will spell this out tomorrow in a keynote speech. Informed sources say that she wants to rebalance the relationship with Beijing. Not a US-style decoupling but a targeted reduction of dependencies on critical technologies and raw materials. Europe had better not rely on the goodwill of President Xi Jinping. The Commission President is also likely to announce concrete measures. The Commission is working on a proposal to make investments by European companies in security-relevant sectors in third countries subject to approval.

Yesterday, negotiators from the European Parliament and the Council agreed on a different tool: the anti-coercion instrument is intended to protect EU states from coercive economic measures more effectively, especially those taken by Beijing. Amelie Richter analyzes the details.