EU leaders hold today a special European Council meeting where they will discuss and maybe agree on the size and structure of the EU budget for the period 2021-2027. Regardless of the size, current proposals for the EU budget of the next decade fall short of ambitious climate action.

Yesterday evening the Polish utility companies Energa SA (Energa) and Enea S.A. (Enea) behind the project to build what has been called Poland’s “last (new) coal-fired power plant”, the 1GW Ostroleka C, decided to suspend financing of the project in recognition of changes that have all but evaporated its feasibility through the shedding of coal and coal finance from European Union’s future of climate neutrality and renewable energy (1). 

Greta Thunberg and activists from Fridays for Future are joining the climate strike organised by the indigenous Saami youth who are taking the EU to court over its weak 2030 climate target.

In stark contrast with EU’s climate commitments, the European Parliament greenlighted the fourth list of Projects of Common Interest, which includes 55 fossil gas infrastructure projects. Pipelines in Southeast and Eastern Europe and LNG terminals in Ireland and Croatia will have priority access to environmental impact assessments, permitting procedures and financing.

Eurostat published today the latest trends on renewable energy sources. Despite continued progress in the share of renewables in the EU’s energy consumption, the pace of growth is slowing down. Therefore, EU countries can and must do more to achieve ambitious energy and climate targets for 2030.

  1. Good timing of the EU 2030 climate target revision needed for the bloc to raise climate ambition worldwide
  2. A Just Transition Mechanism to bolster EU’s climate ambition
  3. COP25 : a profound disconnect between people and politicians on the climate emergency
  4. EU aims for net zero emissions by 2050, now it needs to work on raising the 2030 target

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