After a year marked by unprecedented public mobilisation for increased climate action, the UN Climate Summit COP25 coinciding with the December European Council and the start of the new European Commission’s mandate, offer a key opportunity to step up EU action on the climate crisis.
Yesterday the Secretariat of the Energy Community, the international treaty integrating the energy markets of the EU and its neighbours, published its Annual Implementation Report. The report shows that none of the Energy Community member states which have coal in their energy mix are in compliance with the emission ceilings established under their National Emission Reduction Plans (NERPs) for at least one of the three pollutants (nitrogen oxides, sulphur dioxide and dust) of the Large Combustion Plants Directive (LCPD).
In 2018 the EU provided EUR 21.7 billion in climate finance to developing countries, according to EU Council conclusions adopted today ahead of the UN Climate Summit COP25.
Today the EU Member States, who are the owners of the European Investment Bank, voted in favour of a new energy lending policy which would considerably limit loans to fossil fuel projects.
Latest climate and energy preliminary data published today by the European Environment Agency show that greenhouse gas emissions have decreased in the EU from 2017 to 2018, but that progress in renewable energy share and energy efficiency is clearly too slow.