Articles

Westminster woke up to what the BBC called a "seismic event." In the Gorton and Denton by-election, Green candidate Hannah Spencer didn't just edge ahead. She won decisively with over 40% of the vote, reshaping assumptions about the limits of Green politics in the UK. It marked the first ever Westminster by-election victory for the Greens, adding to their seats from the 2024 general election and bringing their total to five MPs. In a fragmented political landscape where Labour and Reform were expected to dominate the contest, voters chose a different path. What does this victory tell us about shifting political coalitions? Is this a protest vote or something more durable? And can the Greens translate a by-election breakthrough into sustained national momentum? Roderick Kefferpütz asked Natalie Bennett, Green Party peer in the House of Lords, and former leader of the Green Party of England and Wales (2012-2016), for her take.

Signs of a more assertive Europe emerge through flexible coalitions, enhanced cooperation, and renewed political confidence in Brussels. In our Böll EU Newsletter 02/2026 we look at at emerging “coalitions of the willing”, debates on pragmatic federalism, and proposals for a European Security Council, as well as our recent publications and upcoming events.

Geopolitical uncertainties and the recent US shifts on monetary and climate policy have created a rare opening for the euro. With the international monetary order shifting, the euro has the potential to strengthen international role. With strong green finance rules and the European Central Bank integrating climate risks, the EU can position the euro as the world's leading green currency. As ECB President Christine Lagarde put it: this is Europe's "global euro moment." But how can Europe seize this opportunity? And what are the concrete policy steps needed to make the euro the currency of choice for financing the green transition? Speakers: Agnieszka Smoleńska (London School of Economics), Jens van 't Klooster (Universtity of Amsterdam) and Heather Grabbe (Bruegel). Moderator: Katie Martin (Financial Times).

On 28 April 2025, a sudden blackout plunged the Iberian Peninsula into darkness. Within hours, renewables were blamed. Months later, experts found a voltage surge – not green energy – triggered the collapse. This article explores how blackouts fuel anti-climate disinformation and distort Europe’s debate on the energy transition.

In the runup to the recent elections in the Czech Republic, party programs were full of promises about building modular nuclear reactors. That technology basically does not exist, though. The Czech state is subsidizing the stagnating nuclear industry instead of developing clean, modern power production.

The EU and India have signed a historic free trade agreement. What is needed now is an active, long-term, progressive trade strategy. This must put goals such as sustainability, security, and partnerships between equals at the forefront.

This bonus episode of The Black Thread zooms in on a single case that distills the Norwegian paradox perfectly: the planned electrification of the gas processing plant on Melkøya. It’s a key conflict site where Norway’s net zero transformation collides with its fossil fuel industry, Indigenous rights, the youth climate movement, worker safety, and even criticism from the United Nations.

Europe’s growing dependence on air conditioning reflects a broader shift in how heat is managed. Marketed as efficient and climate-friendly, cooling technologies offer short-term relief, but their energy demand, refrigerant emissions, and lifecycle impacts risk locking households into high-emission habits while distracting from systemic solutions.

When a series of power outages hit Europe last year, the finger of blame was quickly – and falsely – pointed to an unlikely source: renewables. Blackouts are being used as a political tool to oppose the energy transition. But they can also become an opportunity for open discussions about energy infrastructure – a topic too often reserved only for technical audiences.