Amsterdam: experience the first-ever walking movie
You can watch it over and over since it will be available for the next six months
The REPowerEU 200 billion-euro plan calls for a gradual reduction of Russian fuel imports
On 18 May, as the European Commission adopted the REPowerEU plan, Luxembourg’s Energy Minister, Claude Turmes, expressed his opinion that it did not go far enough. According to him, one of the major areas that REPowerEU skips is reducing demand for fossil fuels on an overall scale.
In fact, the Commission’s initiative to decouple Europe from Russian fuel imports by 2027 does have some measures, centred around energy efficiency and curbing heat consumption.
Yet, most recommendations featured in the ‘EU Save Energy Communication’ focus on electricity and heat consumption and largely pass the ball to the Member States.
According to a report by the DPA, the German Press Agency, Minister Turmes explained that driving slower and less frequently can punish Putin in the short term. In fact, he pointed out that a greater focus on motor transport is a part of the EU’s green agenda, so instituting certain measures could have a two-birds-with-one-stone effect on emissions and energy independence.
Minister Turmes's proposal focuses primarily on motor vehicles and commutes. His main point centres around banning cars from cities on the weekends and expanding working from home as the new gold standard for the EU.
He also proposed an EU-wide speed limit, while in terms of teleworking, he said that offering employees just two days with no commute can make a massive difference on a continental scale. He estimated that the EU could save 2.5 million barrels of oil every year, cut funding for Russian fuel imports and accelerate the green transition. He then concluded: “I urge the Commission not to miss the opportunity to set Europe on this path.”
Curiously, however, Luxembourg is also currently the country with the most cars per person in the entire European Union, according to Eurostat. Furthermore, the Grand Duchy is fairly reliant on Russian natural gas imports, with a quarter of its supply coming from there. At the same time, the country has storage capacities to last only four days, making it extremely reliant on the unbroken flow of imports.
At the same time, according to data from the OEC (Observatory of Economic Complexity), Luxembourg imports the majority of its refined petroleum from France, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands and China.
Nevertheless, the Grand Duchy is trying to shake off that fuel dependency, slowly and methodically, by introducing low-speed zones and free public transport.
Vasco Alves Cordeiro comes from the Azores archipelago of Portugal, and is thus the first CoR President from that country and from an outermost region
You can watch it over and over since it will be available for the next six months
The FAST-CARE package comes at a time of growing needs and concerns and in the context of the ongoing war in the European neighbourhood
Abandoned fishing gear is one of the most dangerous threats to the marine environment, but also to divers and underwater heritage
The town of Makarska has recently launched a new mobile service, aiming to cut down on paper use and stimulate citizens to go contactless
The invention promises to be revolutionary as it can decouple food production from agriculture and its environmental impacts
It turns out spraying water would be extremely impracticable and wasteful due to fast evaporation
The art initiative was begun by the city's mayor, who wants to expose people that try to save on transportation costs by illegally disposing of old furniture or construction materials
This is one of the ambitious goals from the new agreement details for the “Fit for 55” package
You can watch it over and over since it will be available for the next six months
The FAST-CARE package comes at a time of growing needs and concerns and in the context of the ongoing war in the European neighbourhood
Trenitalia has announced that it wants to reduce the phenomenon of domestic animals being left behind alone while their owners go on holidays
These will be spread across 11 EU countries and will serve to support the EU Missions
The European Commission has accepted to develop the idea
An interview about AYR, one of the 2021 New European Bauhaus Prize winners
A conversation with the Mayor of Matosinhos, Portugal’s first UN Resilience Hub
An interview with Nigel Jollands and Sue Goeransson from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
An interview with the President of the City of Athens Reception & Solidarity Centre