Jonathan Packroff News Today

Alternative economic models that want to ditch the current growth imperative are becoming more prominent for a reason. It is important to engage with them productively.

Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo on Monday (22 May) criticised the idea of not growing the economy for environmental reasons, joining calls to stop environmental and health-related regulation to prevent overburdening companies.

In an interview with EURACTIV, Jim Snabe, the chairman of German industry giant Siemens, argued that the current societal challenges required a more active state involvement and worried about the deterioration of relations with China.

EU environmental reporting rules cause an administrative burden for companies and should be measured against the burden they would cause each time they are adopted, a plan to curb costs and bureaucracy for companies presented by German conservatives reads.

The agreement reached between Germany and the European Commission that would leave space for e-fuels in the EU’s plans to phase out combustion engines from 2035 is a significant success, according to Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala (ODS, ECR).

A number of EU countries spoke out against reviving the EU-Mercosur trade deal during a meeting of agriculture ministers in Brussels on Monday (20 March). But with an agreement already hammered out, room for change is limited.

Committee MEPs call on the European Commission to intervene on Member State delays to sustainable sea basin management plans, but their report falls short on how energy and nature protection overlap.