Ecology

European security also means renewables, power grids, and wetlands

At February’s Munich Security Conference, Merz, Macron, von der Leyen and Co. testified to Europe's strength and independence. But concrete, independent strategies are often lacking. Europe now has the opportunity to play to its own strengths, including in the area of energy independence and sustainability.

Jan Philipp Albrecht

PRESS RELEASE | Resilience spending must strengthen Europe’s security – not become an accounting exercise

Press release

NATO allies have pledged 1.5% of GDP to resilience – but good intentions aren't enough. A new paper by Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung EU | Global Dialogue and the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) warns that without clear rules, the money risks disappearing into bureaucracy. The authors show how smart investments in energy, mobility, and supply chains can serve security and climate goals at once – and why getting this right is essential for credible European defence.

Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung European Union | Global Dialogue

Böll EU Newsletter 02/2026 - Political spring blossoms? Signs of a more assertive Europe

Newsletter

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.

Roderick Kefferpütz

A “promised land” for modular nuclear reactors? Czech politicians are promoting something that does not exist

Analysis

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.

Matěj Moravanský

Melkøya: Where Norway's climate contradictions collide

Podcast episode

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.

Dickon Bonvik-Stone

All articles on Ecology

Latest Publications

Small modular reactors – smaller regulation?

Böll EU Brief

This Böll EU Brief critically assesses the prospects of small modular reactors (SMRs) in Europe. It finds that most SMR designs remain in early development, lack regulatory approval in the EU, and are unlikely to deliver electricity at scale before 2050. Technical, economic and political challenges – including high costs, unresolved waste management, proliferation risks and heterogeneous designs – undermine claims of rapid deployment and cost reductions. The authors conclude that prioritising renewables, storage and electrification is a more credible pathway for timely decarbonisation.

Alexander Wimmers, Christian von Hirschhausen, Björn Steigerwald

Sustainability for Resilience

E-paper

At the 2025 NATO Summit in The Hague, allies pledged to spend 5% of GDP on defence by 2035 – including 1.5% for resilience and security-related investment. Yet what counts towards this 1.5% remains unclear. As European governments face mounting fiscal pressure, funds must be spent wisely. Strategic investment in infrastructure, rail, clean energy, resilient supply chains and nature restoration could reinforce deterrence, strengthen economic competitiveness and address climate and biodiversity risks in tandem.

Dan Marks, Ed Arnold

Europe Sustainable Development Report 2026

Report

The Europe Sustainable Development Report 2026 (ESDR 2026) provides an independent quantitative assessment of the progress of the European Union, its member states and partner countries on the SDGs. The seventh edition of the ESDR shows that progress on SDGs has stalled in Europe, with declining political prioritization of the SDGs by EU leadership.

Guillaume Lafortune, Grayson Fuller

Climate Action and Green Economy Opportunities in the EU-India Strategic Partnership

Policy brief

This policy brief explores how a focused agenda on clean mobility, renewable energy, circular economy, digital infrastructure, and climate adaptation could move the relationship beyond ambition to real-world action.

Jesse Scott, Shuva Raha, Krishna Vohra

Green euro rising: Positioning the euro as the world’s green currency

Böll EU Brief

The new US shift on monetary and climate policy has created a rare opening for Europe. 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. This Böll EU Brief outlines how ‘green internationalisation’ could boost Europe’s strategic power.

Agnieszka Smoleńska, Jens van ‘t Klooster

All publications on Ecology

Our main focus

Europe’s climate leadership is the key for leveraging political traction with others and securing outcomes at the international climate negotiations. However, Europe has become more divided on climate and energy policy, which undermines its credibility as a global climate frontrunner. The EU should boost its climate diplomacy to strengthen alliances with a wider range of countries and communities. At the same time, it is crucial to build support within the EU and its Member States for a European energy transition. An energy transition based on renewable energy and energy efficiency can not only drastically reduce emissions and other environmental and social burdens; it also reduces energy import dependency and hence increases energy security, strengthens local economies, and creates jobs. The Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung European Union aims to contribute to the development of sustainable and ambitious European climate and energy policies by means of publications, capacity buildings, expert meetings, and lunch debates.

Martin Keim
Head of European Energy Transition Programme
Tel. +32 (0)2 743 41 13
Email: martin.keim[at]eu.boell.org

Lisa Tostado
Head of Climate, Energy & Agriculture Policy Programme
Tel. +32 (0)2 743 41 06
Email: lisa.tostado[at]eu.boell.org