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Finnish elections: Centre Party secures victory and negotiates coalition

Finnish voters have elected their Parliament on Sunday, 19 April. The Centre Party won 24.5% of the votes, followed by the Finns Party and the National Coalition Party. As negotiations for a governing coalition will soon begin, check our grid overview of the main six parties and their climate and energy policies.

The Centre Party will lead negotiations to form a new government

The liberal agrarian Centre Party, led by Juha Sipilä won 49 out of the 200 seats of the […]

By |April 20th, 2015|Climate Change, Energy, EU 2030|0 Comments

The dangers of not cutting mercury emissions

Cutting highly toxic mercury emissions must be the priority of the upcoming revision of European clean air policy.  The EU’s signed up to the Minamata Convention on mercury, a legally-binding treaty to cut mercury emissions, as a first step taken in the right direction, but urgent domestic action is required to protect its citizens, animals and ecosystems.

The health risks posed by mercury and its organic compound methylmercury (MeHg) are significant, especially for women and children. Methylmercury can seriously affect […]

By |March 19th, 2015|Air Quality, Climate Change, Coal, environment|0 Comments

Energy Community countries risk losing € billions unless they modernise their energy systems

Outdated energy infrastructure, increasing fossil-fuel capacity and massive electricity losses through distribution and transmission are some of the key challenges faced by Energy Community countries, according to a Change Partnership analysis released on Tuesday.

Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Serbia and Ukraine have to revise their investment strategies to account for water stress, environmental and climate change impacts which will have a dramatic impact on their future development. A carbon price signal, introduced either through an emissions trading system, […]

Leak of Energy Union Commission proposal

The much anticipated Energy Union communication and annex leaked from the European Commission can be found here. This is the latest version currently going through inter-sevice consultation prior to publication next week.

By |February 20th, 2015|Energy, EU 2030, Leak|0 Comments

Movie Night @ Mundo B: ‘Big Men’

Ever wondered what happens when a group of hungry people discover a massive deposit of oil in some of the poorest places on Earth? Do you want to see a different face of human nature? Do you have an opinion on what corporate governance should be about? If so, join Change Partnership and Frank Bold on Tuesday, February 10, at Mundo B, to watch and debate an extraordinary movie.

‘Big Men’ (2013) tells the story of the first commercial oil […]

By |February 2nd, 2015|Videos|0 Comments

Latest leak of 2030 Council Conclusions

With less than 10 days to go to the European Council governments are edging closer to a deal as this latest leak of the Council conclusions, dated 13 October, indicates. The key points are:
– 40% GHG target is now almost accepted with only a few governments seeking a lower target. The ETS is to deliver 40% reductions by 2030 from 2005 emissions and non-ETS sectors 30% reductions.
– The ETS linear reduction will move from 1.74% to 2.2% .
– Innovation will […]

Leak of 2030 Council Conclusions

Donald Tusk, newly appointed President of the European Council, has managed to get a massive deal for Poland and CEE Countries through a transfer of EU ETS allowances estimated to be worth over €10 billion as the carbon price improves. This leak shows that Governments have also agreed to revenue hypothecation to support industrial innovation.  Further developments to come.

By |September 1st, 2014|Climate Change, EU 2030, EU ETS, Leak|0 Comments

Human chain against lignite exploitation in Germany and Poland

7,500 people from 27 countries joined hands in an 8 kilometre human chain across the German-Polish border. They protested against a project of opencast brown coal mining that could entail communities’ resettlement in both countries and undermine the drive to mitigate climate change.
The chain linked the villages of Kerkwitz in Germany, and Grabice in Poland, over the Neisse river, on Saturday 23 August. The 3,000 residents of the two villages fear relocation as a result of investments by a […]

By |August 28th, 2014|Climate Change|0 Comments

Shattering the myth of carbon leakage

Change Partnership’s response to the European Commission’s consultation on carbon leakage provisions post 2020 can be viewed here. This is the most controversial area of EU climate policy. The myth of ‘carbon leakage’ is the main reason why the wrong climate targets are set and perversely and why companies are subsidised for their pollution rather than having to pay for it.
There are three things to note:
i) there is no evidence of ‘leakage’ having taken place in the period 2005-2012 according […]

By |July 31st, 2014|carbon leakage, Climate Change, EU 2030|0 Comments

European Parliament: What Juncker has to give for approval

Jean Claude Juncker has tried to win the hearts and minds of the parliamentarians last week during several hearings with the political groups, in an attempt to secure a positive nomination vote on Tuesday, 15 July. But what are his top priorities as a future President of the European Commission and how do they match the political groups’ agendas?

Juncker’s top five priorities answer, more or less,  to the largest possible panoply of expectations:

A digital single market for consumers and businesses;
A […]

By |July 14th, 2014|Climate Change, Energy, EU 2030|0 Comments