Cyclists ask European Parliament to add bicycle infrastructure, incentives
EU lawmakers and cycling organizations pressed European Parliament President David Sassoli and Secretary-General Klaus Welle to make more room for pedestrians and cyclists and encourage MEPs and employees to avoid using cars for commuting. European capitals and countries are continuing to support bicycle traffic and infrastructure, one of the activities that may also limit the […]
Carbon prices jump in EU, taking industrial pollution costs to 14-year high
Expenses for greenhouse gas emissions at factories and energy producers briefly surged to a level unseen since 2016. As the EU tightens environmental regulations and polluters are suffering from rising carbon costs, green technologies are becoming more profitable. Uncertainty and the lockdown measures throughout the world to curb the spread of the coronavirus devastated the […]
Will the EU’s hydrogen strategy undermine the 2050 climate neutrality goal?
The European Commission has unveiled a strategy to scale up hydrogen production as part of efforts to decarbonize hard-to-abate sectors, but environmental organizations have warned the hydrogen strategy could be a “double-edged sword” that will extend the use of fossil fuels in the European Union (EU) and undermine its 2050 climate neutrality target. The hydrogen […]
EU lawmakers call for massive renovation of buildings including rooftop solar
A draft report called Maximizing Energy Efficiency in Buildings is scheduled to be put for a vote in September in the European Parliament. Its authors from the competent committee urged for measures against energy poverty and backed the idea for an EU-wide rooftop solar support program. The European Parliament Committee on Industry, Research and Energy […]
Advancing Sustainable Urban Mobility in Western Balkan capitals: Tirana, Sarajevo SUMPs moving forward
Increasing individual traffic, bad conditions of transport infrastructure, safety issues, noise, and air pollution – for decades, the capitals of the Western Balkan have been facing a broad range of concerns on their transport situation. Suffering from these conditions, cities all over the Western Balkan have started to rethink their urban mobility approach over the […]
Shaping the role of renewables self-consumers in the Energy Community
Author: Jasmina Trhulj, Head of Electricity Unit, Energy Community Secretariat At the start of the new decade, denial of the energy transition in the Energy Community is fading away and a path to the decarbonization of the energy sector is taking shape. While the days of opted-out thermal power plants are numbered, carbon pricing and […]
About the GIZ Open Regional Fund for South-East Europe – Energy Efficiency (ORF-EE)
Regional project: Open Regional Fund for South-East Europe – Energy Efficiency (ORF-EE) Commissioned by: German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) Implemented by: Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) Partner Countries: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Kosovo*, Macedonia (FYR), Serbia *Croatia (as model country) Area of work: Energy Efficiency and Climate, Sustainable […]
Hungary’s MVM plans acquisitions, deals to boost regional presence ahead of IPO
Hungary’s state-owned electricity producer MVM plans to build a regional presence through a series of acquisitions and deals before its potential initial public offering (IPO), Bloomberg has reported, citing an interview by MVM CEO György Kóbor. Deals in Hungary have included the purchase of units from Germany’s E.ON and an unprofitable coal plant, which MVM […]