I’m back after the summer break and diving into the world of climate and energy. Just a reminder that I freelance around Brussels and beyond, reporting, moderating, speaking, training etc. Drop me a line if you want to work together or grab a coffee!
Today I got off the metro at Schuman and found the right exit to come out by the Commission. Forget any articles I've written, I count this as a major success in my time in Brussels
Good morning EU policy fans! For those following Fit for 55 negotiations, here are the latest trilogue timings:
Confirmed:
- Effort Sharing Regulation - Thursday
- CO2 standards for cars - Monday
- LULUCF - Monday
- MSR, ETS aviation & Corsia - Tuesday
- ReFuelEU - Thursday
❗️Mark your calendars - 14 March will see three major proposals for EU energy and industrial policy:
- Revision of EU’s internal electricity market design reform
- Net Zero industry act
- European critical raw materials act
I'm painfully aware that I rarely interview women for energy & environment articles. So women in climate & energy think tanks, NGOs, EU politics, industry etc here's my email: kira.taylor
@euractiv
.com
Please connect - let's get female voices heard!
#InternationalWomensDay
#IWD
Breaking news: women are people, says a draft of the EU Green Industrial Plan:
"This is why the third pillar of the Green Deal Industrial Plan must focus on skills - green and digital, at all levels and for all people, including women, with inclusiveness at the heart of the Plan"
After 3 years at Euractiv, I’m excited to announce I'm moving to
@FORESIGHTdk
in November. Thanks to everyone who's followed and contributed to my work. I’ll still be freelance, working on this 👇 and more. I’ll also have more time to moderate and write articles - my DMs are open
Introducing The Jolt, a new series from FORESIGHT Climate & Energy that will keep you updated on all the essential energy transition stories.
Tune in on the FORESIGHT app on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays to stay informed.
#energytransition
#thejolt
❗️Early this morning, EU negotiators struck a deal on a new law to ensure products sold on the EU market are not linked to deforestation. Details here 👇
12 years after I was diagnosed with ME, 7 years after I published my first article on it, and 3 years after I fully recovered I still can't believe I get to do my dream job as a journalist and moderator in Brussels
📸Gregory de Leeuw - David Plas Photography
Really excited to announce that I've signed a permanent contract with
@EURACTIV
so will be staying in Brussels, covering energy and environment for the foreseeable future 🎉🎉
Now it's just a matter of making it through all the legislation and negotiations to come ...
As the nature restoration law vote approaches, we're seeing the ground shift slightly. See below the MEPs who have moved away from the EPP position. If you see any others, please let me know 👇
What to watch in EU energy & environment policy in March (brace yourselves):
- 6th: Renewable energy directive trilogue
- 13-16th: Plenary, inc debate on buildings law (EPBD)
- 14th: Critical raw materials act & net zero industry act
- 16th: Electricity market design proposal
Good afternoon, EU policy fans! Here are the latest trilogue dates for Fit for 55 and other environment files:
27/09 Deforestation-free commodities
10/10 ETS + MSR
11/10 Batteries regulation
11/10 Effort sharing regulation
13/10 Social climate fund
27/10 CO2 standards for cars
Good morning EU policy fans! For those following Fit for 55 negotiations, here are the latest trilogue timings:
Confirmed:
- Effort Sharing Regulation - Thursday
- CO2 standards for cars - Monday
- LULUCF - Monday
- MSR, ETS aviation & Corsia - Tuesday
- ReFuelEU - Thursday
❗️New trilogue dates for energy and environment files:
- 8/11: effort sharing regulation
- 9/11: deforestation in products
- 10/11: emissions trading scheme and land use regulation (LULUCF)
- 29/11: social climate fund
LEAK: A draft EU plan to reduce gas demand, seen by
@EURACTIV
, proposes a council regulation on demand reduction in 2 stages
1. A voluntary reduction of X% in all EU countries over the next 8 months at least
2. If situation deteriorates, a binding reduction of X% can be triggered
In a historic move, EU negotiators have agreed to put a price on carbon intensive goods entering the EU. The European Parliament succeeded in expanding the list of products covered but some core aspects are still to be agreed
Today marks a year since I took the risk and moved to Belgium. I'd never visited and didn't speak the language. Now a year into living here and starting my permanent contract
@EURACTIV
. There have been hard times but I never regretted it. Thanks to everyone who's been part of it
❗️THERE'S A DEAL! After hours of discussions, EU environment ministers have agreed on their position on the carbon market (ETS), social climate fund, effort sharing regulation, land use and forestry regulation (LULUCF) and CO2 standards for cars.
At the end of the price cap saga (for this year at least), let me draw your attention to these energy council sweaters, printed with the words that have haunted me for the last 6 months 😅Think the Czechs should sell these as souvenirs to us energy journos📸European Union
📢Starting a new journey today. I'll be part-time at
@FORESIGHTdk
, reporting on climate & energy news for The Jolt podcast & writing deep dives
I'll also be freelancing on energy, climate & environment in Brussels & beyond. Reach out about moderations, articles, radio, TV etc
❗Tomorrow the European Commission will announce:
- Critical Raw Materials package
- Net-Zero Industry Act
- Roadmap towards a European Hydrogen Bank
- EU long-term competitiveness strategy
- EU Single Market at 30
But no timing yet - this will be sent out tomorrow
The College of the
@EU_Commission
will discuss tomorrow 16 March:
▶️Critical Raw Materials package
▶️Net-Zero Industry Act
▶️Roadmap towards a European Hydrogen Bank
▶️EU long-term term competitiveness strategy
▶️The EU Single Market at 30
❗️EPP lawmaker breaks ranks on nature restoration law on the eve of the vote. “I cannot vote to reject this law,” says
@SeanKellyMEP
, adding that one has to do what one thinks is right and the right thing to do is not to reject the proposal
LEAK:
@EURACTIV
got its hands on a Commission communication about ditching Russian gas, diversifying Europe's gas supply and boosting renewables. It's a recent draft of the communication on the energy crisis but looks quite different to the last one we saw
Some big announcements expected this week, including the net zero industry act, critical raw materials act and electricity market design reform.
To kick off your week, here are our stories on the leaks and what to expect 👇
❗️Confused about the different EU country positions ahead of the electricity market design proposal next month? I attempted to bring them all into one place for this week's Green Brief 👇featuring 🇩🇪🇩🇰🇪🇪🇫🇮🇱🇺🇱🇻🇳🇱🇫🇷🇪🇸🇬🇷🇵🇱🇮🇪🇵🇹
Excited to announce I'm joining the
@FORESIGHTdk
podcast team, working on Watt Matters, Policy Dispatch and Energy Enablers (alongside the current day job)
If you have any episode ideas or work on the energy transition & want to be a guest, get in touch: kira
@foresightdk
.com
❗ Another attempt by EU countries to approve the Energy Charter Treaty reform has failed, leaving the modernisation in the lurch as it must be adopted unanimously by all parties
France was not invited to the 'Friends of Renewables' meeting this morning.
"After their delaying of the renewable energy directive, France was not invited," an EU diplomat told me
Critical raw material proposal is out, including targets for domestic supplies:
- At least 10% of EU annual consumption for extraction
- At least 40% of EU annual consumption for processing
- At least 15% of EU annual consumption for recycling,
Eleven EU countries - 🇦🇹🇧🇪🇩🇰🇩🇪🇪🇪🇮🇪🇱🇺🇱🇻🇳🇱🇪🇸🇸🇪 - call for a ban on funding fossil fuels under the trans-European energy infrastructure regulation (TEN-E regulation)
European Commission presenting the state aid guidelines for climate, environmental protection and energy today. Just sneaking those in before the end of the year 🤦🏼♀️
Good news for EU climate policy fans! The agreements found by EU ministers on Tuesday are now online. You can read the general approach to ETS, social climate fund, LULUCF, effort sharing regulation and CO2 standards for cars here:
It's my final week covering energy and environment policy for
@Euractiv
. So for my final Green Brief, I looked back over my time here - spanning the EU Climate Law, Fit for 55, the energy crisis and more - to see how far the European Green Deal has come 👇
Ukraine will not reconnect its grid back to Russia, so is looking to Europe. It will be technically challenging, but is something tangible that Europe can do, says
@KadriSimson
BREAKING!
Der Bericht zum EU-CO2-Handel wurde NICHT angenommen!
Das Europäische Parlament lehnt den von der fossilen Lobby und Allianz aufgeweichten Emissionshandel ab.
Wir müssen neu verhandeln!
Took a quick trip north today to see Belgium's tulip fields. Having grown up on Dartmoor, I'm still confused by how flat everything is, but it gives the wonderful illusion that the tulips go on forever 🌷
Signing off after a historic year reporting on the energy and climate crises, Russian gas cut offs, emergency energy laws and councils, and new environment and climate laws. Thanks to everyone who helped out with interviews, tips and encouraging messages here. See you in 2023!
EXCLUSIVE:
@DerekThomasUK
tells me he abstained from the Brexit delay vote out of frustration at the Speaker allowing the order paper to be "hijacked".
He added: "It was the wrong decision and in the light of day I should have stuck it out."
@CornishStuff
#Brexit
It stuns me that, even with 2 years experience covering the EU, it can take me at least 5 minutes of googling to find a published proposal on the Commission website
Ukraine's largest nuclear power plant was hit by a projectile overnight and caught fire. The fire was later put out, but the power plant was seized by Russia. Kyiv is now looking to the West to ensure its energy security and nuclear safety
Big day for EU energy policy here in Strasbourg.
- 12:30 vote on energy performance of buildings driective
- 14:30 announcement of new electricity market design & press conference
Watch this space
Taxonomy update: This evening 107 lawmakers in the largest group in Parliament (the EPP) indicated that they plan to vote in favour of the inclusion of nuclear and gas in the taxonomy tomorrow, with 31 against and 7 abstentions, a source close to the EPP told
@EURACTIV
Taxonomy: economy and environment committee chairs call for a public consultation on the delegated act for nuclear and gas, something the Commission told me wasn't need
The moment nature restoration law negotiators
@JuttaPaulusRL
(Green) and
@cesarluena
(S&D) celebrated the law passing
"We can win. And we have won," said
@cesarluena
in a press conference
As the battle over including fossil gas and nuclear energy as “transitional” investments in the EU sustainable finance taxonomy continues, I spoke to
@Luisamneubauer
and
@DominikaLasota1
about why they think both energy sources should be kept out
Huge week ahead for EU energy and climate policy. Several major negotiations planned👇 + an emergency energy council + a key vote in the European Parliament on renewable energy and, if that isn't enough, energy and environment councils next week
❗️Another big Commission announcement to watch for energy and environment fans. On 6 February, the European Commission will publish:
- 2040 climate target
- Communication on industrial carbon management
Good morning from Brussels. Today is the emergency meeting of energy ministers (2nd in a month!). Ministers are hoping to pass three emergency measures to tackle high energy prices. Full agenda 👇
EU countries follow the European Parliament and approve the gas storage regulation, making it EU law. It mandates a minimum 80% storage level by November 2022 and includes measures to shield reserves from outside interference. Our previous coverage here:
❗️Update on Thursday's emergency energy council: the Czech presidency aims to reach an agreement on both the emergency package to tackle high gas prices and the emergency legislation on renewables permitting
For the last week, I’ve been in Abu Dhabi, attending climate and energy conferences and speaking to
@TimmermansEU
,
@Teresaribera
,
@phh_Henry
,
@flacamera
and more, as the UAE prepares to host COP28 later this year. Here’s a round-up of my reporting so far 1/17
EU energy bubble, we made it to the end of the week 🎉. Some major announcements from the EPBD being agreed to a whole new set of proposals for us to skim through. Enjoy a well deserved rest!
🤝 Parliament & Council reached a provisional deal this morning to further cut F-gas emissions, with a zero HFCs target by 2050
Details in the press release 👇
Thanks to
@LionHirth
for helping out all of us trying to understand the energy crisis and putting this lecture on the electricity market online. Would recommend watching it!
Another day, another leak. Just got the draft electricity market design proposal. Expect an article delving into the details by the end of the week and, if you have any comments on it, let me know! 🧐
Working through the leak of the Commission's non-paper on emergency electricity market interventions this morning. Luckily I bought this in Sarajevo which should help me through! Any analysis (of the paper, not the coffee) please send my way!
LEAK: The European Commission is planning 2030 targets for the domestic production of clean technology as well as further support for projects, according to a leaked draft seen by
@EURACTIV
❗According to a document seen by
@EURACTIV
, EU countries want to lower the 45% 2030 renewables target and water down measures that would help renewables replace Russian fossil fuels
Hearing that pro renewables countries will meet ahead of the energy council today to coordinate on the gas package and renewable energy directive. Countries involved: 🇦🇹🇧🇪🇪🇪🇪🇸🇩🇪🇩🇰🇮🇪🇱🇺🇵🇹🇳🇱🇱🇹🇱🇻
Start Trek: Fumbling in the Dark
“We have our differences, but may we together become greater than the sum of both of us.”
(Christine Chapel didn't change one bit)
Just had potentially the most Brussels bubble conversation with
@NatashaFoote
, proving the perils of energy and agri journalists texting each other:
Me: There's a second press conference on the cap.
Her: It's not CAP.
Me: Gas price cap. Different cap.
🤦♀️
There will be an extraordinary meeting of EU energy ministers (Energy Council) on Monday afternoon next week. The agenda should be available on Monday morning, but it isn't hard to guess what it will be on it.
❗It's confirmed - electricity market design will be proposed tomorrow.
The critical raw materials act and net zero industry act will not be proposed tomorrow
2 college meetings this week & many important policy initiatives, starting tomorrow with
🔹Migration: European integrated border management & returns
🔹 Electricity Market Design
Programme of press events will follow
For the last few weeks, I've been diving into the role of carbon removals in tackling climate change and looking at how the EU plans to regulate these. Here's my first article
In Strasbourg this evening covering
@TimmermansEU
exchange with lawmakers on the impact of the war in Ukraine on EU climate policy and the EU Green Deal
❗️Europe's new net-zero industry act wants the EU to domestically produce 40% of the technology needed for the transition to a sustainable economy by 2030
Six European countries - Denmark, France, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Norway - have called on the European Commission to introduce ambitious measures to prevent microplastics pollution further clogging up the environment
❗️Energy news to watch out for next week: the European Commission may publish a further communication on the energy crisis - possibly on Wednesday, two days ahead of the emergency energy council, according to sources
Good afternoon! HUGE week in EU energy and environment policy
- Green mobility package
- Gas package
- Environmental protection through criminal law proposal
- TEN-E trilogue - maybe the last?
- European Council discussing energy prices
- MEPs debating
@SeanKellyMEP
's EPBD report
Update on the emergency measures to tackle the energy crisis: we're not expecting the Commission to propose them today. It seems they're delayed until tomorrow
Well, that was one of the most confusing councils I've ever attended. Basically ended up with ministers agreeing on and simultaneously not adopting the proposed emergency measures🥴