A collection of 105 posts
Toward its goal of becoming the first climate-neutral continent by 2050, the European Commission today unveiled a comprehensive set of proposals to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 55% by 2030 (compared to 1990 levels) in the European Union. The proposals would affect EU policy on climate, energy, land use,
A second Bulgarian parliamentary election held on Sunday lead again to inconclusive results. The center-right GERB party of former prime minister Boyko Borissov and the new anti-establishment party “There Is Such a People” both gained 23% in the election on Sunday, 11 July. A second election was called after coalition
With populations of only 2.79m (Lithuania), 1.92m (Latvia) and 1.32m (Estonia), the Baltic countries are not huge contributors to global emissions. Despite that, they have set out their plans to meet the EU’s “Fit for 55” ambition of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 55% until
As of 3 July, the European Union has banned the 10 most-found in waterways single-use plastic products (SUPs). The 10 most commonly found single-use plastic items on European beaches, alongside fishing gear, represent 70% of all marine litter. Therefore the EU member states have agreed to ban the most-used SUPs
Things are mostly going according to plan for the EU’s Digital Covid Certificate, which made its official debut on 1 July. But some questions remain regarding how smoothly things will go for the travelers in Europe who use it, given that some countries can still exercise their own discretion
Since Viktor Orbán became the prime minister of Hungary, cooperation among the “Visegrád 4” (V4) countries – Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Poland – has become a key ingredient of the Hungarian government’s rhetoric. Now, with Hungary taking over the presidency of the Visegrad Group, the country is keen to
Today, 1 July, Portugal is handing over the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union to Slovenia, which will hold the position for 6 months. Covid-19 economic recovery coordination, an asylum and migration reform package, and accession for the Western Balkan countries are leading topics on Slovenia’s
The October elections in the Czech Republic could change the Czech government’s approach towards the EU’s climate objectives, which is currently very cautious. Similar to most countries in Central & Eastern Europe (CEE), the country is an underachiever in renewables, but it is gradually phasing out coal-fuelled power
The European Environmental Agency makes annual comparative reports on air quality in all of the main European cities. The good part is, they make it publicly available through an interactive map, which we’ve embedded below. Check your hometown, holiday destination, or any other place that comes to mind. The
Meeting the EU’s 2030 climate targets poses a huge challenge for Central European countries, especially for coal-dependent Poland. But it is also helping the country with a population of 40 million to modernize. Thwarted by the highest electricity prices in Europe, and pressured by EU environmental regulations, Poland has
Minimum wages are a make-or-break issue against in-work poverty and an important element of a single labor market. But instead of setting a mandatory pan-European minimum wage, the EU is striving for strengthening collective bargaining across member states against the will of multinational corporations in whose interests it is to
Few would call Europe a continent of extremes – yet wage differences are sometimes severe: in South-Eastern-Europe, in countries outside of the European Union, there are still some places where hourly wages are under EUR 2. Meanwhile, EU member states like Croatia and Slovenia offer much better pay, the latter being
Shortly following the monumental changes to their governmental systems and economies, countries in Central & Eastern Europe did see their wages grow steadily – but over 30 years later it is apparent that average employee pay in the region can still be even half of that seen in the West of
Europe looks to return to normal as the first major international sport event, the UEFA 2020 football championship, is about to kick off this Friday, 11 June. While the continent’s ailing tourism sector is expecting some kind of boost, one wonders whether it is not too early to open
As in most countries in Central & Eastern Europe (CEE), the competitiveness of the Hungarian economy heavily depends on car production. In recent years, however, the sector has had to face challenges like the potentially growing market of electric cars, as well as the COVID-19 pandemic. New European climate and