US lawmakers urge von der Leyen not to give in to oil and gas lobbyists and defend EU methane rules
The EU methane regulation “has become a defining test of Europe’s ability to maintain ambitious climate and energy policies” the US lawmakers wrote.
Energy
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There’s a lot of panicking about EU methane rules, but do gas supply scares add up?
Nearly half of EU member states, oil and gas companies and the US administration claim the EU’s methane regulation is unfinished, causes legal risks, and could disrupt Europe’s gas supplies. But does it?
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Listen: As heatwaves sweep across Europe, is the EU investing enough to adapt buildings to extreme heat?
While heatwaves force school closures, very little EU money is earmarked for adaptation projects to cool the buildings people depend on every day.
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Ahead of a sticky summit on next trillion euro EU budget, these are the major stumbling blocks
EU leaders will hold their first formal discussion on Friday, after the Cypriot presidency tabled the first so-called “negobox”, a draft document setting out possible spending compromises.
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Watering down EU carbon market will backfire with higher costs, councils warn
The Dutch Scientific Climate Council led the appeal, after member states including Italy and Poland began pushing for concessions in the ongoing emissions trading system revision.
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EU watchdog pours cold water on commission plans to loosen rules on energy spending
The board’s annual assessment lands just days after the commission announced plans to loosen budget rules for energy investments.
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Fuel subsidies, green bets, and fiscal strain: How Europe’s biggest economies are responding to the energy crisis
The commission has warned governments against stoking demand with broad subsidies at a time of acute supply shortage. So how are Europe’s biggest economies responding three months in?
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Listen: The uncomfortable truth about green aviation
The aviation industry will probably miss its goal of reaching net-zero emissions by 2050. What are the main reasons behind this shortfall, and what could it mean for consumers in terms of airfares, travel options, and environmental impact?
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Despite official EU ban, imports of Russian Arctic LNG still surging
Despite a short-term contract ban which came into effect in March, almost 97 percent of the ships that left Russia’s Arctic Yamal site arrived at an EU port.
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THIS WEEK: ECB set to hike rates, as capital markets union and climate top the EU agendaThis week, the European Central Bank is expected to raise interest rates amid inflation and energy-price pressures. EU finance ministers will discuss capital markets integration and energy investment rules. The EU Commission will present the 2027 EU budget, while climate talks, transport and telecom meetings, and an EU–South Korea summit also take place.
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Fossil fuel industry is using crisis politics to gut EU methane law
EU methane regulation might be the next casualty of a dangerous dynamic in Brussels: If industry suffers for whatever reason, policymakers reflexively blame climate legislation.
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With Hormuz shut, Norway urges EU to rethink Arctic oil ban — despite analysts and environmentalists’ doubts
Norway is pushing Brussels to rethink its long-standing opposition to oil and gas development in the European Arctic, pushing the EU into reviewing its strategy. But would it meaningfully increase Europe’s energy security? And at what environmental cost?
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Hormuz crisis shows Europe more exposed to gas price shocks than before Ukraine war, study finds
If the Strait of Hormuz remains shut and the US were to restrict gas exports to Europe, prices would jump above the 2022 peak, researchers warn.
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Listen: Can Meloni win a special EU deficit exception for Italy’s soaring energy costs?
Why should defence spending benefit from budget flexibility, but not energy crisis spending?
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EU rush to fix energy crisis risks stripping citizens and nature of legal protections
A renewed push to ditch fossil fuels is long overdue, but thanks to the influence of industry lobby groups, permitting exemptions intended for renewables are being used for new dirty energy projects, such as CO2 pipelines and fossil hydrogen.
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Europe’s running out of airplane fuel; what will happen to our holidays?
The question is: how much is left in Europe, and how bad can it get? One of the problems with answering that question is that unlike gas and electricity, oil markets are opaque. There is no standardised European process for collecting and sharing real-time data on stocks and flows oil and fuel.
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EU keeping Russia’s Arctic LNG project ‘alive’, despite year-end import ban
The EU agreed a self-imposed ban on Russian gas imports effective from the end of 2026. But it continues to be the exclusive buyer of LNG from Russia’s project in Siberia.
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Shell profits surge on Iran war price-shock as windfall tax calls grow
The London-based oil major reported adjusted earnings of €6.1bn, beating market expectations and doubling last quarter’s results. The chief executive defended the results as showing Shell’s “relentless focus on operational performance.”
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EU ministers split over crisis spending as Iran shock hits energy markets
The EU Commission and the rotating EU presidency invited the IMF to press ministers to rein in untargeted measures shielding households and businesses from the energy shock from the Iran war.
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EU to clarify airport refuelling rules as jet-fuel shortages loom
The guidance later this week will clarify if aeroplanes can carry more fuel on board and whether imports of US “Jet A” fuel could be permitted to ease supply pressures.
