Category: Knowledge Center Europe

Politics to Shape EU Budget and Climate Path: Briefing

Politics to Shape EU Budget and Climate Path: Briefing

September 19, 2025 | , ,

The European Commission’s newly proposed EU budget is about to step into a tense two-year negotiation process. Straddled with great expectations, the proposal is not much bigger than its predecessor and does little to close Europe’s investment gap. Yet, it also puts on the table a major architectural overhaul that delivers agility in exchange for giving EU capitals greater weight in EU spending. Within this restructuring, climate action retains a 35% foothold but faces a new set of challenges and opportunities as the budget and its stated objectives are set to undergo a lengthy debate.

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Electricity Generation Trends in Central Europe: Report

Electricity Generation Trends in Central Europe: Report

September 15, 2025 | , ,

This report examines electricity generation trends in Central European countries (Czechia, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia) from 2019 to 2024, with insights from 2025. The report shows that solar generation in the region grew faster than the EU average, while coal power declined, though progress varied between countries. The report analyses the uptake of battery storage and other flexibility technologies until today, presenting successful examples from the region.

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State of EU Progress to Climate Neutrality: Report

State of EU Progress to Climate Neutrality: Report

September 5, 2025 | , ,

The EU has initiated an economy-wide transition to climate neutrality by 2050. While many important on-the-ground developments have accelerated compared to last year’s assessment, the current pace of the transition is still not fast enough. Investments are lagging, underscoring the need for targeted policy adjustments to provide certainty for businesses and citizens alike. Speeding up the shift to a clean economy is also fundamental to Europe’s long-term competitiveness and security.

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EV Market in Denmark, Sweden and Finland: Paper

EV Market in Denmark, Sweden and Finland: Paper

August 29, 2025 | , , ,

This market spotlight focuses on the electric vehicle (EV) markets in Denmark, Sweden, and Finland, which rank among the leaders in Europe in terms of EV shares of new passenger car registrations. The spotlight highlights key trends in EV adoption and examines policy measures and market characteristics that are likely to shape EV uptake in these countries.

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International Cooperation for Germany’s Green Transition: Brief

International Cooperation for Germany’s Green Transition: Brief

August 21, 2025 | , ,

Germany and the EU cannot shape their own decarbonisation and an effective response to climate change in isolation. Partnerships and international cooperation beyond the EU are essential to safeguard prosperity, competitiveness, and security. This briefing outlines strategic action the German government can take in its foreign relations to strengthen Europe and act effectively on a global scale. 

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Energy Transition in European Arctic Regions: Report

Energy Transition in European Arctic Regions: Report

August 8, 2025 | , ,

To advance the green transition, NSPA regions should further increase investments in renewable energy, promote circular economy  practices, and foster innovation in green technologies. Additionally, cross-border collaboration among  Nordic countries: Finland, Norway, and Sweden can create synergies, scale local solutions, and  facilitate the spread of low-carbon practices across these countries and the European Union. The report concludes that unlocking the full potential of the NSPA requires a comprehensive and integrated approach that harnesses the region’s natural resources and technological innovation.

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SAF Policy Framework in UK and EU: Report

SAF Policy Framework in UK and EU: Report

August 1, 2025 | , ,

In pursuit of aviation decarbonisation, both the European Union (EU) and the United Kingdom (UK) have adopted mandates on the use of so-called ‘sustainable aviation fuels’ (SAF): under ‘ReFuelEU Aviation’ and the ‘UK SAF Mandate’ respectively. These regulations set ambitious targets to be fulfilled by aviation fuel suppliers; but given the expected high cost of SAF and the immature state of the industry, it is far from certain that sufficient fuel production capacity will be developed in time to hit near-term targets. It is anyway likely that there will be political pressure to reduce long-term targets. 

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Runaway Cost of UK’s CCS Subsidies: Report

Runaway Cost of UK’s CCS Subsidies: Report

July 25, 2025 | , ,

Despite reduced carbon capture and storage (CCS) targets in the UK’s most recent Carbon Budget, the reliance on this unproven and expensive technology remains a high-risk strategy. Some £408 billion will be required by 2050 to install and operate CCS infrastructure in the UK. More than £50 billion of subsidies has been earmarked to support projects that together only account for 8% of the UK’s 2050 CCS target. About 75% of CCS subsidies will be paid by consumers through environmental levies. Low UK carbon prices mean there is little incentive for polluters to install CCS projects.

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EU’s Power Generation Update: Report

EU’s Power Generation Update: Report

July 18, 2025 | , ,

Solar power generated 22.1% of EU electricity (45.4 TWh) in June 2025, more than any other power source. This is an increase of 22% from June 2024. In second place was nuclear with 21.8% (44.7 TWh), followed by wind with 15.8% (32.4 TWh). Wind farms generated 16.6% (33.7 TWh) and 15.8% (32.4 TWh) of EU electricity in May and June respectively, the highest amounts ever in these months. As a result of high renewable generation, coal generated the lowest ever share of EU electricity in June 2025.

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Renewables, electrification and flexibility in EU: Report

Renewables, electrification and flexibility in EU: Report

July 10, 2025 | , ,

The European Union is on a pathway to achieve climate neutrality by 2050. This report explores the historic and necessary efforts to align Europe′s electricity, heating and transport systems with transformative EU benchmarks for 2030 to meet that longer-term goal. CO2 emissions have declined significantly in the EU electricity subsystem over the past few decades. This presents an important opportunity to decarbonise rapidly in the near future and to roll out electrification to other sectors, while strengthening energy independence, security and competitiveness for all EU countries.

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Transforming EU’s Energy System by 2030: Report

Transforming EU’s Energy System by 2030: Report

July 4, 2025 | , ,

The European Union is on a pathway to achieve climate neutrality by 2050. This report explores the historic and necessary efforts to align Europe′s electricity, heating and transport systems with transformative EU benchmarks for 2030 to meet that longer-term goal. CO2 emissions have declined significantly in the EU electricity subsystem over the past few decades. This presents an important opportunity to decarbonise rapidly in the near future and to roll out electrification to other sectors, while strengthening energy independence, security and competitiveness for all EU countries.

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UK Energy Trends: Paper

UK Energy Trends: Paper

July 2, 2025 | , ,

Renewable electricity generation dropped 4.9 percentage points to 46.3 per cent of total generation in the first quarter of 2025. Wind generation provided 28.5 per cent of the total generation, short of the 38.1 per cent provided by gas. Renewable generation capacity increased by 6 per cent on the same period last year, slightly below the average growth rate of the last three years. UK energy production fell 2 per cent last year, mainly due to a fall in gas output stemming from the maturity of the basin, and low wind output from lower wind speeds.

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European EV Market Monitor: Paper

European EV Market Monitor: Paper

May 30, 2025 | , , ,

This market spotlight by the International Council on Clean Transportation highlights that the average share of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) among total new registrations in Europe increased 1 percentage point to 17% in April 2025, up from 16% in March. While several manufacturer pools had decreases in BEV shares of 1 or 2 percentage points in April compared with the previous month, including the BMW, Mercedes-Volvo-Polestar, Hyundai, TeslaStellantis-Toyota, and Renault pools, other pools increased their shares. The 19% BEV share of the Volkswagen pool was a notable jump of 7 percentage points over its 2024 average. 

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Northwest European Hydrogen Monitor 2025: IEA Report

Northwest European Hydrogen Monitor 2025: IEA Report

May 22, 2025 | , , ,

Northwest Europe is at the forefront of low-emissions hydrogen1 development. This region accounts for around 40% of Europe’s total hydrogen demand, and it has vast and untapped renewable energy and carbon storage potential in the North Sea. It also has a well developed, interconnected gas network that could be partially repurposed to facilitate the transmission and distribution of low emissions hydrogen from production sites to demand centres. The development of the low-emissions hydrogen market in Northwest Europe could gradually scale up in the short- to medium-term. Northwest European countries now have ambition to develop up to 30 to 35 GW of electrolyser capacity by 2030.

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Energy Transition Plans of Europe’s Grid Operators: Report

Energy Transition Plans of Europe’s Grid Operators: Report

May 16, 2025 | , ,

Despite power grids remaining high on the political agenda, the scale of the challenge is immense. A conservative estimate suggests that as of 2024-2025, there were 1,700 GW of renewable energy and hybrid projects waiting for grid connections across 16 countries. TSOs are in many cases being obliged to use outdated national energy plans to prepare for the future. These do not reflect exponential market growth in renewables, and can therefore hold back the level of anticipatory investment and foresight needed to integrate renewables and storage. This risks creating a self-fulfilling prophecy where gas is ‘needed’ for longer. 

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Community Energy Projects in Ireland: Report

Community Energy Projects in Ireland: Report

May 9, 2025 | , ,

Ireland has an ambitious target to produce 80% of its electricity from renewable energy by 2030. More specifically, small-scale community-owned renewable electricity generators have already been identified as a part of meeting that target, with the Climate Action Plan targeting at least 500 MW of local community-based renewable energy projects. To realize these benefits, it is crucial community leaders and local project developers understand how ownership models of these community energy projects work. To ensure communities benefit from local energy community projects, it is crucial for project supporters and initiators to understand the nuances and opportunities of different ownership models.

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Revising EU’s Public Procurement for Green Transition: Brief

Revising EU’s Public Procurement for Green Transition: Brief

May 2, 2025 | , ,

The brief “How Reforming the European Union’s Public Procurement Directive Can Help Drive a Green Transition” by International Institute for Sustainable Development concludes that the current EU Public Procurement Directives create challenges due to the fragmented legal landscape, the voluntary nature of GPP, and the lack of legal certainty. This hinders progress toward the EU’s climate and competitiveness goals. Given that public procurement represents about 14% of the EU’s GDP and 10% of its GHG emissions, a stronger framework is critical to fully leverage public procurement for strategic objectives. 

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EU’s Green Trade Agenda: Brief

EU’s Green Trade Agenda: Brief

April 25, 2025 | , ,

The global trading system is in a period of unprecedented change, fuelled by rising protectionism and geopolitical instability. This is a critical moment for EU trade policy – all eyes are focused on the reaction to tariffs imposed by the new US administration, but the EU must also strengthen its bilateral trade relationships with the rest of the world. By proactively forging mutually beneficial partnerships, rebuilding trust with third countries, and championing ambitious climate action, the EU can continue to make headway towards its strategic objectives and re-establish the positive role of trade cooperation to deliver solidarity in an increasingly volatile world.

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Energy Policy Review Germany 2025: IEA Report

Energy Policy Review Germany 2025: IEA Report

April 10, 2025 | , , ,

Germany is at an important inflection point in its energy transition. As one era of its energy history draws to a close, another is coming clearly into view – the move away from nuclear, coal and Russian natural gas contrasted by the transition towards renewables, low-emissions hydrogen, heat pumps and electric vehicles (EVs). While the world has been buffeted by geopolitical and geoeconomic challenges in recent years, Germany has worked hard to accelerate its clean energy transition. 

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Ukraine’s Hydrogen Roadmap: IEA Report

Ukraine’s Hydrogen Roadmap: IEA Report

April 3, 2025 | , , ,

This report “Unlocking Ukraine’s Hydrogen Opportunity: A Roadmap” focuses on hydrogen production from renewables, given Ukraine’s large potential and its higher quality when compared to the rest of Europe. Gas production in Ukraine is only just sufficient to satisfy domestic demand, so producing hydrogen from natural gas with carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) would mean that additional gas imports are needed. Ukraine also has vast experience with nuclear, which represents more than half of its electricity generation.

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