Investments in sustainable energy are increasing hugely worldwide and the EU must stimulate that development, European Commission Executive Vice-President Frans Timmermans told an online energy summit held in Bucharest.
And although investment in fossil fuels is still massive, investors are more and more reluctant to put money in sectors that will not make money in the future, Timmermans pointed out.
In that context, the EU should also help those currently active in fossil fuels “to envisage a future for them that is beyond carbon,” the EU climate chief told the ZF Power Summit, organised by Romanian newspaper
Ziarul Financiar.
The Commissioner admitted that things will be difficult for the people currently working in the oil or petrochemical industries, but stressed that one has “to imagine that future, because the future will be without fossil fuels.”
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PRAGUE
The Czech Republic will take Poland to the European Court of Justice for illegal mining activities in the Túrow coal mine, Foreign Minister Tomáš Petříček (S&D) has confirmed. According to the European Environmental Bureau, it will be the first legal case in EU history where one member state sues another for environmental reasons. EURACTIV’s Aneta Zachová reports from Prague.
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EU PRESIDENCY
EU Commission warns of disorderly recovery from 2020 crisis. Not all EU countries will recover from the economic losses of 2020 at the same pace, the European Commission said on Monday (22 February), calling for a “strong joint response” from all 27 EU member states. More.
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WARSAW
The EU’s vaccination procurement policy and problems linked to vaccine delivery, in particular, are partly responsible for the third coronavirus wave in Europe, Polish Health Minister Adam Niedzielski told radio broadcaster
Radio Zet on Saturday. Read more.
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EU PRESIDENCY
Portugal wants EU defence, security partnership with UK. The Portuguese government believes that the EU should create “broad structures of partnership” with the United Kingdom on defence and security policy, defence minister João Gomes Cravinho said on 19 February. Read the full story
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PARIS
Meat-free-menu in Lyon’s school canteens troubles French ministers. After the announcement by Lyon’s Green Mayor, Grégory Doucet, to impose a single, meat-free menu for schools, Agriculture Minister Julien Denormandie tweeted “let’s stop putting ideology on our children’s plates”, while Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said it was an “unacceptable insult to French farme
Romania sees highest quarterly GDP increase in December euractiv.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from euractiv.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
In today’s news from the Capitals:
China lures CEE countries with trade, vaccine promises. In the next five years, China intends to import more than €140 billion of goods from Central and Eastern European countries (CEE) countries, Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Tuesday during the “17+1” summit of China and Eastern European countries.
“We need to deepen agricultural cooperation in a bid to double CEE countries’ agricultural exports to China and raise two-way agricultural trade by 50% over the next five years,” he added. Read more.
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EU PRESIDENCY
China is an economic partner but US is an ally, Portuguese FM insists. Portugal’s foreign minister Augusto Santos Silva said on Tuesday (10 February) that China is no substitute for the United States, emphasising that Beijing is an economic partner while Washington is an ally. Read the full story.