This archive tracks progress tied to the European Union, the political and economic bloc representing member states across Europe. Stories here cover E.U. policies, agreements, and initiatives that advance health, climate, human rights, and economic well-being.
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.
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.
Albania’s Vjosa River is now Europe’s first wild river national park, locking in permanent protection across 118 miles of one of the continent’s last large free-flowing rivers. The designation blocks 45 proposed hydropower dams that would have fragmented habitat for otters, Egyptian vultures, and the critically endangered Balkan lynx. It’s the result of nearly a decade of organizing by the Save the Blue Heart of Europe campaign, working alongside the Albanian government, the IUCN, and Patagonia, whose non-profit arm contributed $4.6 million. In a Europe crisscrossed by more than a million dams and weirs, the Vjosa offers a glimpse of what rivers once were — and a model other countries can follow as the world works toward protecting 30 percent of the planet by 2030.
