Archive
Opinions
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The challenges for the EU’s Green Industrial Policy
May 10, 2023
In the past three years since the inception of the EU Green Deal, the road to decarbonisation has become increasingly complex. The Russian invasion of Ukraine, the energy crisis as well as the cost-of-living crisis, have made ambitious climate regulation more challenging for national industries. In response, the European Commission drafted its Green Deal Industrial Plan meant to support the industrial transition. However, three challenges might threaten this plan: political, financial, and social fragmentation. Political...
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Setting 2040 climate targets: technical adjustment or transformational agenda?
May 8, 2023
The EU is preparing to define its new 2040 climate goals, in an attempt to bridge the existing Commission’s Green Deal plan under the von der Leyen Presidency with the new leadership to be elected mid-2024. A public consultation for all stakeholders is open here. This 2040 exercise could lead to a couple of contrasting scenarios. Scenario 1 entails a purely technical re-modelling exercise on how to reach a lineal 2040 GHG reduction target –...
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Sound climate policy involves preparing us for life on a hotter planet
April 17, 2023
The EU needs to take adaptation much more seriously in its upcoming climate plans. The EU’s consultations on its 2040 climate target have started. The EU could be aiming for a reduction in CO2 emissions of up to 90%. That would entail a wholesale economic transformation beyond anything we have seen so far. This effort is commendable. If we want to achieve net-zero emissions by mid-century and bridge the gap with the 2030 target, a...
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Buckle up for 2022: the year of connected mobility
February 8, 2022
The EU digital policy took center stage last year with the Data Governance Act, Artificial Intelligence Act and the revision of Network and Information Security Directive on the top of political agenda. This year however, EU policymakers will prepare the ground for true connected mobility. Halfway through its political mandate, the European Commission is set to deliver on its strategies for Data and Sustainable and Smart Mobility presented in 2020. We expect to see major...
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Why renovations are at the centre of the EU Green Deal
December 8, 2021
The buildings sector is one of the most complex to decarbonize because it is right at the intersection of energy and climate policy, environmental policy, and financial policy. This requires an approach which balances each pillar while delivering a cohesive whole, a true test of the EU Green Deal. With the revision of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive around the corner, are all the EU’s horses pulling in the same direction? Before we can discuss solutions, we first need to illustrate the...
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COP26: why it’s not too late to engage online
October 18, 2021
With fewer passes and high demand, it may be too late to book your ticket to Glasgow, but not being at COP26 doesn’t mean you can’t engage. Here’s how to do it… The data speaks for itself: every minute now, COP26 is increasingly on everyone’s mind. Our study, analyzing Google Search data, shows that in August 2021, 2,900 users searched for ‘COP26’, and by September the number of searches already increased by 128% to reach...
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The revision of REACH: How will a post-Lisbon REACH Regulation look like?
June 4, 2021
The revision of the EU's REACH Regulation is becoming a reality. The European Commission intends to reopen REACH with a legislative proposal due at the end of 2022. Besides the many changes outlined in the initial impact assessment to ensure that REACH is fit to meet the ambitions of the Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability, the revision will no doubt raise the question of how to adopt decisions under the REACH as the Regulation is still...
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What are essential use criteria for chemical substances?
May 3, 2021
Everybody is talking about essential uses in Brussels, but how can we actually define which chemicals are essential for our society? Is it essential to use chemical substances that ensure durability for coatings but may be persistent in the environment? Or is it essential to use potentially harmful substances in medical devices if no alternatives are available? Defining the essential use concept will ultimately mean being able to answer these questions, balancing out the trade-offs...
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Why are the French the most skeptical about COVID-19 vaccines in the EU?
April 7, 2021
Words by Anaïs Ronchin France became the birthplace of modern immunology when Louis Pasteur created a vaccine for rabies in the 1880s. This vaccine proved to be so effective that people bitten by rabid animals came from all over France and even from abroad to be vaccinated at his research facility in Paris, which would be transformed into a vaccination clinic and teaching center for this new field of science. However, despite this rich scientific history, contemporary France is experiencing the lowest levels of...
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Vaccine hesitancy and conspiracy mentalities in German: a deadly duo?
April 1, 2021
Words by Fabianne Bamberger As we find ourselves at the one-year anniversary of the most severe health emergency of the modern era, we are still confronted with high infection levels and death rates overburdening our healthcare systems and economies. Vaccines offer a glimpse of light at the end of the long tunnel but rising anti-vaccine sentiments in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic give cause for concern. This threat is particularly evident in one of...