Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy received a hero’s welcome in Brussels on Thursday (9 February) as he lobbied EU leaders to expedite the delivery of modern weapons to halt Russia’s upcoming spring offensive.
EU leaders backed the European Commission’s green industrial plan in response to the US Inflation Reduction Act at a summit on Thursday (9 February) but left the details to the EU executive, which is expected to table new proposals next month.
Nuclear-reliant France rejoiced on Thursday (9 February) as lawmakers in the European Parliament’s energy committee defined low-carbon hydrogen, agreeing to put it on the same level playing field as renewable hydrogen in the race for decarbonisation.
In a vote on Thursday (9 February), the European Parliament’s industry committee set out its position on future rules governing hydrogen networks in a bid to transition away from fossil gas.
The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) published the much-awaited proposal aimed at restricting 10,000 synthetic substances hazardous to human health, with the evaluation process set to start in March.
Eight EU governments have demanded radical reform of the bloc’s asylum system and tougher curbs on “irregular migration” ahead of this week’s summit in Brussels which will largely focus on migration.
The lawmaker in charge of steering negotiations on the EU’s revised renewable energy directive has cancelled an upcoming round of talks, laying the blame on the European Commission for failing to present a key piece of related hydrogen legislation.
Ukraine’s leadership on Thursday (2 February) made an unequivocal plea for EU membership as the bloc’s top officials met their government counterparts in Kyiv in a first-of-its-kind gathering.
The push for stricter transparency rules in EU lobbying is a step in the right direction following the “damaging” Qatargate scandal, but policymakers should also keep a close eye on NGOs’ funding by foundations or other associations, whose donors are rarely disclosed, Paul Varakas the chief of the EU lobbyists association told EURACTIV.
A report proposing strengthening the rights of the European Works Councils (EWC) to reinforce the voice of employees in large European companies was supported in European Parliament on Thursday (2 February).
