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On Tuesday, the benchmark EU Allowance (EUA) price for carbon hit EUR 50.05 /ton for the first time since it was introduced back in 2005. Analysts argue this is a sign that carbon prices will be at the price levels needed to trigger investments in innovative clean technologies. The
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The European Commission has now received 13 national plans for how EU countries plan on spending pandemic recovery funds from the EU, which has allotted EUR 672.5 – roughly half grants, half loans – to help economies recover and foster zero-carbon public investment projects. While such plans have been received from
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Croatia’s prime minister says a soon-to-be constructed bridge ensures his country’s borders. Set for completion in October, the Pelješac Bridge, which is being built by the China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC), will allow travelers to go to the southern part of Croatia without having to cross a
Czech Republic
While Czechia has shown signs of interest in growing trade and cooperation with China, at the same time Prague is the loudest critic of Huawei in the region and is likely to continue to follow Brussels’ lead related to any further US-China trade disputes. 5G: A voice critical of Huawei
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A global trade war between the US and China may turn Central & Eastern Europe (CEE) into a battleground. The region, which has become a springboard for Chinese expansion, is now torn between its political and security allegiances to the US and its hunger for fresh capital. In the last
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According to an audit by the European Commission, the Agrofert business empire of Czech prime minister, Andrej Babis, has broken conflict of interest rules through his control of company trust funds and could be forced to pay back EU subsidies it had received after 2017. A report by EU auditors
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The Hungarian government has published a 432-page program with details on 68 investments to be implemented from the EU’s HUF 5.9 trillion recovery program. Interestingly, the government plans to devote 51% of the total sum to environmental protection goals, compared to the mandatory minimum of 37%. It will
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After 14 hours of negotiations concluded Wednesday in the early hours, representatives of the member states agreed to cut emissions 55% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels. Europe aims to become climate neutral by 2050, and by reaching an agreement they found a legally binding way to enshrine that objective
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651,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines will be donated from the European Union’s joint procurement to vaccinate healthcare workers in six countries in the western Balkans. The announcement comes weeks after China and Russia distributed millions of doses of their domestic jabs in the region. “With this initiative, we
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Despite 150,000 Russian troops having grouped along Ukraine’s border, the largest deployment ever seen there, EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell said this week that the European Union is not preparing any new sanctions against Moscow, even though Kyiv is calling for a new round of economic sanctions.
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Despite its historical dominance in Eastern Europe and geopolitical proximity to the EU, Russia remains a low-key trading partner for Europe, except when it comes to energy. Relations between Moscow and most EU member countries are best characterized as pragmatic, with both sides looking for mutual benefits and avoiding major
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As a clean-burning fuel, hydrogen is considered a key element in the EU strategy for decarbonizing Europe’s economy. At a conference last week dedicated to the topic, European energy ministers said that to draw investment for things like hydrogen production and distribution, the industry needs predictability, meaning that a