TAG: Society and culture
Russian bombs failed to destroy Ukraine’s energy grid. Corruption could break its own
When Vladimir Putin landed in Khabarovsk on his tour of Russia’s Far East last week, he was given a...
8 months ago
Labour will back ‘boiler tax,’ says Miliband
LONDON — The Labour Party will introduce a controversial “boiler tax” if it gets into power at the next election, the shadow energy secretary said on Tuesday.Ed Miliband, speaking at an event in London, said that Labour would “support the Clean Heat Marke...
6 months ago
Europe must quicken green efforts after election, EU climate chief says
STRASBOURG — The next crop of European Union officials must accelerate the push to slash planet-warming pollution and prepare for an extreme weather surge. That’s EU climate chief Wopke Hoekstra's message after scientists’ latest warning that the Continen...
6 months ago
ECB tells staff: If you’re not green, you’re not wanted
FRANKFURT ― A top European Central Bank official stunned employees by saying people who don’t buy into the institution’s green objectives aren’t welcome to work there.Frank Elderson, one of six members of the ECB’s executive board, told an internal meetin...
6 months ago
Anne Hidalgo’s vision of a greener Paris faces political reckoning
PARIS — Nearly 10 years ago, newly minted Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo made “a genuine energy and environmental transition” a cornerstone of her plans for the city.The Socialist politician stayed true to that platform — in the process becoming one of the most...
6 months ago
The MEPs who actually matter
This article is part of the Brussels Survival Guide.There’s plenty to pay attention to in the new cohort entering the European Parliament — including, of course, the people. See below our guide on key figures across the policy palette.Céline Imart AGRICUL...
2 months ago
The EU says it wants food security. It really wants exports.
BRUSSELS — Food security: It’s the new slogan dominating European farming. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has pinned it at the top of her agricultural agenda, promising European lawmakers that she would ensure it in her second term. Th...
2 months ago
Sauna festivals and dance marathons: Estonia knows how to spend EU money
Estonia will allocate part of the EU money received through the Just Transition Fund to finance activities such as a sauna festival, an axe-throwing center and a dance marathon.The Just Transition Fund, one of the European Union’s key tools to support reg...
2 months ago
Europe’s southerners want Brussels to save them from climate change
ATHENS — They make an odd couple: a Harvard-educated Greek conservative and a Spanish eco-socialist.But Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Teresa Ribera are united by a concern which is driving a wedge between Europe’s climate-hit south and the less-affected north.T...
2 months ago
Why your coffee got so damn expensive
Life used to be so simple. And cheap.Remember the good old days when you could pop into your local café for an espresso for just €1? Italians do. In Rome or Milan or Naples, the morning ritual would see workers hurry into their neighborhood bar and gulp d...
2 months ago
Tusk names ally Piotr Serafin as Poland’s next EU commissioner pick
BRUSSELS — Piotr Serafin, a senior Polish diplomat and close confidant to Prime Minister Donald Tusk, will be Warsaw's nominee for its next European commissioner.Polish public service broadcaster TVP suggested that Serafin is eyeing a budget portfolio. Se...
2 months ago
France needs to be wary of China’s influence in New Caledonia, report says
New Caledonia’s push for independence from France risks cementing China’s strategic influence in the South Pacific region, according to a new paper from an Australian think tank. The French territory was embroiled in months-long unrest earlier this year a...
1 month ago
EU condemns Azerbaijan crackdown after peace activist charged with ‘treason’
The EU has called on Azerbaijan to respect the rights of a prominent scholar jailed after publicly criticizing the government, amid a wave of arrests that has seen journalists and academics put behind bars. Speaking to POLITICO, Peter Stano, the EU's fore...
1 month ago
Denmark nominates Dan Jørgensen as EU commissioner
Denmark has put forward Dan Jørgensen to be part of Ursula von der Leyen’s second team of EU commissioners, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen confirmed Wednesday, just two days before the deadline for making nominations.The widely expected nominatio...
1 month ago