This archive collects solutions-journalism stories and milestones connected to the European Union — from policy advances and clean-energy progress to social initiatives and scientific achievements. It tracks meaningful developments across member states and E.U.-wide institutions.
Under draft rules that follow the “polluter pays principle”, companies that sell medicines and cosmetics will have to cover at least 80% of the extra costs needed to get rid of tiny pollutants that are dirtying urban wastewater. Governments will pay the rest, members of the bloc said, in an effort to prevent vital products from becoming too expensive or scarce.
“The EU will finally assume responsibility for its plastic waste by banning its export to non-OECD countries,” said Pernille Weiss, a Danish member of the European parliament. “Once again, we follow our vision that waste is a resource when it is properly managed, but should not in any case be causing harm to the environment or human health.”
The interinstitutional agreement to phase out fluorinated gases (or F-gases) paves the way for Europe to become the world’s first HFC-free continent by 2050, setting an unprecedented environmental and climate standard on a global scale.
The European Union has launched the initial phase of the world’s first system to impose CO2 emissions tariffs on carbon-intensive imports like iron and steel, as it tries to stop more polluting foreign products from undermining its green transition.
Fossil fuels generated just 33% of the European Union’s electricity in the first half of 2023, the lowest share ever recorded. Coal had an especially striking moment: in May, it covered only 10% of EU power, and the Netherlands ran 17 straight days without burning any at all. Seventeen member states set new records for renewable generation, with Portugal and Denmark both crossing 75%. Solar kept climbing, and wind and solar together outproduced fossil fuels across the bloc in May for the first time. It’s a real glimpse of what a cleaner grid looks like — and a reminder that the next push is building enough renewables, storage, and grid capacity to power everything we’ll ask of electricity next.
For “portable batteries” used in devices such as smartphones, tablets, and cameras, consumers must be able to “easily remove and replace them,” reducing costs for consumers and reducing e-waste.
The amendment follows similar rulings in Denmark and Spain, where the law was recently changed to define rape as sexual assault without explicit consent.
By 2025, 2% of fuel offered at EU airports must be sustainable aviation fuels (SAF). This must rise to 6% by 2030, 20% by 2035, and 70% of by 2050.
At the core of the broader EU package is a so-called “Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism” (CBAM), which seeks to incentivize non-EU nations to increase their climate ambitions.
A new law, passed with an overwhelming majority by the European Parliament, requires companies to demonstrate their products aren’t sourced to deforested land or land with forest degradation, or else risk heavy fines.
