Ecology

Scotland has been a pioneer in renewables, says Kirsten Jenkins. But the easy wins are over and the task of decarbonising Scotland’s economy is becoming steadily more difficult, as the row over net zero targets showed. Nonetheless, the potential to build on its record is clear and the obstacles are not insurmountable.

After the European elections, the democratic and pro-European forces in the European Parliament (EP) have been weakened. They must make cooperation much more binding in order to ensure reliable majorities for an effective EU.

Europe has voted! The new European Parliament will shape the future trajectory of the European Union. The election results will not only influence the constellation of the next European Commission. They will also affect future EU policies such as democracy, climate, economy and social affairs. In this context, we discussed what are the main takeaways from the EP election results, what political groups will be formed, what majorities are possible, and what potential political alliances can be foreseen, and what does this mean for key issues such as the green transformation as well as the EU’s reform and enlargement agenda. With Jan Philipp Albrecht, Prof. Simon Hix, Joanna Maria Stolarek, Dietrich Herrmann, Marc Berthold, Michalis Goudis, Nóra Köves, Armida van Rij, Mar Garcia Sanz, and Roderick Kefferpütz.

With the European Parliament tilting towards the right after the EP 2024 elections, there is a significant risk that the EU may shift towards a stance less favourable to assertive climate action.

Today, citizens will start heading to the polls to vote for the next European Parliament. The outcome will in part determine the political correlation of forces in Europe over the next five years. If current projections hold true, we will not only witness a rightward shift within the EP but also more fragmentation. Instead of seven political groups, key officials in the parliament administration expect there to be nine. These tendencies will affect political majorities.

When the EU accelerates its shift to a clean and efficient energy system, how can citizens benefit better from this transition? Local authorities play a key role in facilitating citizens’ access to renewables and energy savings measures. Jörg Mühlenhoff asked three questions to Claire Roumet who is part of the Overall Coordination Team of Energy Cities, the network of several hundred European municipalities gathering frontrunners and energy transition beginners, city officials and technical experts.

Europe’s switch to renewable energy supply and efficient energy consumption is gaining momentum, not only as a result of the European Green Deal but also in reaction to the fossil fuel price crisis. EU legislation already creates some opportunities for citizens to access affordable renewable energy more directly, as well as to facilitate energy savings through, for example, building renovation. In a new Knowledge Community, Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung European Union and the Green European Foundation (GEF) gather a broad range of experts from EU institutions, local governments, industry, consumer organisations and think tanks to look into these opportunities. The aim is to explore concrete tools and identify their current potential, as well as the remaining gaps that need addressing.

It is high time for an out-of-silos approach to boost the added value from solar photovoltaic (PV) rooftop installations. This analysis suggests a new solidarity model allowing citizens, local retailers and farmers to tap into the benefits of solar electricity.