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.
The European Union pumped out 8% less carbon dioxide from the fossil fuels it burned in 2023 than it did in 2022, pushing these emissions down to their lowest level in 60 years. The fall is the steepest yearly drop on record behind 2020, when governments shuttered factories and grounded flights to stop the spread of Covid-19, according to analysis from the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air.
“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.”
In order to meet these goals, member nations must restore a minimum of 30% of the types of habitat covered by the Nature Restoration Law that are in “poor condition” to a “good condition” by the end of the decade, with an increase to 60% by the end of the following decade and 90% by 2050.
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.
Nissan’s Ambition 2030 aims to globally introduce 27 electrified vehicles, with 19 being EVs, by 2030. Additionally, Nissan plans to implement cobalt-free technology to reduce the cost of EV batteries by 65% by fiscal year 2028.
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.
The country’s parliament has elected Edgars Rinkēvičs to be its next president. Rinkēvičs publicly came out as gay in November 2014.
