Air pollution killed 238,000 Europeans prematurely in 2020

Fine particle air pollution led to 238,000 premature deaths in the European Union in 2020, the bloc’s environmental watchdog said Thursday, a slight rise from the previous year.

EU mobilizes firefighting planes to Portugal. In Spain temperatures rose to 43 degrees Celsius

 

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1. The European Union has mobilized its firefighting fleet to Portugal where officials have declared a state of contingency as an ongoing heatwave threatens to exacerbate wildfires burning in the center of the country.

Britain to ramp up gas transit to Europe – reports — RT

The UK could become a “transit” country for natural gas supplies to Europe this summer, the Daily Telegraph reported Friday, citing data by British energy giant National Grid. Europe, which relies on Russia for about 40% of its natural gas, seeks to cut imports by two-thirds in 2022.

European Chemicals Agency Targets Critical Battery Raw Material – EURACTIV.com

As the EU continues to develop its battery strategy as part of delivering a low carbon future, a range of technologies will form part of Europe’s battery eco-system. These must include advanced lead batteries that are very important in meeting Europe’s Green Deal objectives, supporting automotive and energy storage industries with products that are manufactured and recycled by EU companies.

‘Green’ label for nuclear & gas ‘absolutely wrong,’ German minister says — RT World News

Proposals by the European Commission to label some natural gas and nuclear energy projects as ‘green’ have been heavily criticized in Germany. The country’s environment minister called them “absolutely wrong.”

Climate change: EU to cut CO2 emissions by 55% by 2030 - BBC News

The EU has adopted ambitious new targets to curb climate change, with a pledge to make them legally binding.

Wie schaffen wir die Agrarwende? | Doku | ARTE

 

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No official notice of halt on Turkish Stream project (Russia Energy Minister)

There have not been any official notices of a halt in negotiations between Russia and Turkey on the Turkish Stream pipeline, that's according to Russia's Energy Minister Alexander Novak.

WTO Appellate Body rules against Chinese restrictions on access to rare earths and other raw materials (E.C.)

European Commission, Press release, Brussels, 7 August 2014:

The Appellate Body of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) today ruled in the EU’s favour. It confirmed the findings made by a Panel in March 2014 that China’s export restrictions on rare earth, as well as tungsten and molybdenum, are in breach of WTO rules. Backing the claims of the EU and its co-complainants, the US and Japan, the WTO found that China’s export duties and quotas were not justified for reasons of environmental protection or conservation policy.

China, EU reach deal on solar panel dispute

BRUSSELS, July 27 (Xinhua) -- The China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Machinery and Electronic Products and the European Commission have reached a deal to resolve a dispute involving solar panels.
"After weeks of intensive talks, I can announce today that I am satisfied with the offer of a price undertaking submitted by China's solar panel exporters," EU Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht said in a statement, referring to an agreement for a minimum price for China's imports.
"We found an amicable solution ... that will lead to a new market equilibrium at sustainable prices," De Gucht said.

Failed referendum leaves Bulgaria without nuclear future

A referendum on nuclear energy in Bulgaria failed due to low turnout, and the country's ruling party has confirmed it will not build a new nuclear plant. Critics warn that without nuclear energy, Bulgaria may become a third-world country in 20 years.
The referendum, which was supposed to determine the future course of nuclear energy in Bulgaria, has been officially declared invalid: The final voter turnout was about 20 percent, far less than the required 60 percent.
Nearly 61 percent of voters who participated in Sunday’s referendum approved of building the nuclear plant.
Bulgarian Prime Minister Boiko Borisov confirmed that his ruling center-right GERB party would not resume construction on a nuclear power plant in Belene.

Η έρευνα της ευρωπαϊκής αντιμονοπωλιακής επιτροπής για την Gazprom στοχεύει μόνο στην μείωση των τιμών του ρωσικού αερίου

Η έρευνα της αντιμονοπωλιακής επιτροπής της κομισιόν για τα συμβόλαια της Gazprom προσπαθεί να πετύχει μείωση των συμβαλλόμενων τιμών για το ρωσικό αέριο, δήλωσε  ο Διευθυντής  Οικονομικής Συνεργασίας του ρωσικού Υπουργείου Εξωτερικών Τμήματος, Αλέξανδρος Γκορμπάν.Την θεωρεί σαν μια συνηθισμένη διαδικασία των ευρωπαϊκών οργάνων και μάλλον ασήμαντη.

Τέτοιου είδους ενέργειες από διάφορα ευρωπαϊκά όργανα συμβαίνουν συνεχώς. Για να ενισχύσει την επιχειρηματολογία του ο Ρώσος αξιωματούχος αναφέρθηκε στην περίπτωση της Microsoft που έκλεισε σε πρόστιμα δισεκατομμυρίων.

Gazprom gets a boost from Asia as EU sales decline | EurActiv

Russian gas export monopoly Gazprom reported sales declines in Europe and its home market, showing the importance of its strategy to expand into Asia.

Gazprom's sales of gas to Europe and other countries fell 0.5% to 416 billion roubles (€10.2 billion) in the first six months of the year, while sales to Russia fell 10% to 120 billion roubles (€3 billion), according to the company's second-quarter results on Friday.

Gazprom probed by EU over alleged unfair competition

Russia’s gas major Gazprom faces a probe of the European Union over alleged violations of fair competition in the natural gas markets of Central and Eastern Europe.

­The European Commission said it would investigate if Gazprom was hindering the free flow of gas across the EU countries, preventing supply diversification and limiting customer choice of delivery points. The company is also suspected of imposing unfair prices on its customers by linking the price of gas to oil prices.