Policy News
Analysis and opinion pieces on EU and national policies that matter for the energy transition.
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Higher efficiency + more renewables = lower emissions
Consultations on the European Commission’s Renewable and Efficiency Directives show the complexity behind a simple formula
The Renewable Energy Directive (RED) and the Energy Efficiency Directive (EED) need to become more ambitious if the EU is to achieve its objective to […]
Energy Cities joins broad coalition calling on EU not to rely on hydrogen to decarbonise buildings
33 businesses, industry associations, NGOs, and think tanks joined forces to urge the European Commission to prioritise available efficient and sustainable solutions to decarbonise Europe’s […]
The EU’s Smart and Sustainable Mobility Strategy
Ambitious goals centered on cities
The EU has released its ‘Smart and Sustainable Mobility Strategy’ which sets out a number of goals for how people and goods will move around […]
5 years after the Paris Agreement: Mission (im)possible?
Learn about the latest developments in EU policy in Energy Cities' What's EUp? - December 2020
On the 12th of December 2015, the adoption of the Paris Agreement was hailed as a historic milestone in tackling the climate crisis. At the time, some world leaders even spoke of “having saved the world” from the catastrophic impacts of climate change. Now, 5 years later, where do we stand in achieving the aims of the Paris Agreement? Is there cause for optimism on the success of this mission, or are we dangerously falling short in delivering the action needed? In this last What’s EUp of a turbulent 2020 engulfed by the COVID-19 pandemic, Energy Cities draws a state of play on the occasion of the first major “anniversary” of the Paris Agreement.
Drinking from a firehose
The success of the EU’s Green Deal and national recovery plans hinge on cities – but they are not at the table
Look out your window and make a mental note of what you see: a road, footpath, parked cars, maybe a park, trees, a rubbish bin, […]
Renovation Wave will have a big impact on cities
Mandatory renovations for city-owned buildings and numerous lobbying wins makes for ambitious proposal
The Renovation Wave proposal from the European Commission landed on Oct. 14th and cities, for better or worse, will be most impacted. There are some […]
Do the final National Energy and Climate Plans finally acknowledge cities’ key role?
New Energy Cities report reveals persistent lack of recognition towards local action by many EU countries
With all EU Member States having submitted their final national energy and climate plans (NECPs), Energy Cities has explored whether EU countries have improved in acknowledging the key role of local authorities, compared to their draft NECPs.
The European Climate Law: is it enough to get to climate neutrality?
Learn about the latest developments in EU policy in Energy Cities' What's EUp? - October 2020
It is the legal backbone of the EU’s bid to become climate-neutral by 2050. The European Climate Law is supposed to enshrine and mainstream the 2050 climate neutrality objective into European legislation. For the Commission, the success of the Climate Law will make or break the ambitions of the Green Deal put forward by President Ursula von der Leyen. As the EU institutions are about to hash out the final details of the Climate Law, Energy Cities analyzes whether this first-of-a-kind European legislation is sufficient to get the EU to climate neutrality by mid-century.
Europe’s new 2030 target
What it means for cities and how we get there
The European Commission has formally proposed a target of 55% fewer GHG emissions by 2030, a substantial increase from the previous target of 40%. It […]
How to Access EU and Member State Recovery Funds
Cities need concrete projects to access the more than €1 trillion available
Between the EU’s recovery package and the recent stimulus packages announced by Germany, France, Portugal, Austria and Denmark there is more than €1 trillion to […]
