91tv

*** Get a bird's-eye view of the EU鈥檚 climate-friendly transition in the 91tv Guide 鈥� How the European Union is trying to legislate a path to net-zero ***

听

Stories to watch in the weeks ahead

• Simplification drive:听Following thel in February, the European Commission is expected to turn its red tape scissors towards agricultural and potentially more green legislation. On 14 May, the European Commission is due to propose its planned 鈥渙mnibus鈥� to simplify the Common Agricultural Policy. This aims to lessen any excessive administrative burden for farmers and national administrations in managing, monitoring and reporting, according to a European Commission spokesperson. The move could affect significant and will likely be easy. On 21 May, the European Commission will follow this with simplification for small mid-caps companies that to impact the Energy Efficiency Directive, the Renewable Energy Directive, and the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive. Whether these are still part of it is yet to be seen. However, there are fears that reopening these leaves space for other parts of the laws to be weakened. At their March meeting, EU leaders on EU policymakers to work as quickly as possible to agree on the changes to EU sustainability rules proposed in February.

• 2040 target:听The European Commission is expected to propose the legal text to add the EU鈥檚听2040 emission reduction goal听to its climate law. While it is widely expected to be, as the European Commission suggested in 2024, this cannot be made official until it is formally proposed by the Commission and agreed by the European Parliament and member states. EU countries, like听, have backed the target, while others are听about the potential impact on Europe鈥檚 industries, a worry echoed by, a fellow member of new German chancellor Friedrich Merz鈥檚 conservative CDU party. Germany has also raised the question of whether听听could be used to achieve the goal. There is no fixed date for when it will be proposed, but there is speculation that it will not come out until after the Polish elections, which finish on 1 June.

• Money talks:听Conversations are taking place in Brussels ahead of the next seven-year budget, the MFF, which will run from 2028 to 2035. The European Commission will hold an orientation debate on the 鈥淢FF鈥� on 14 May. With EU governments鈥� budgets already strained, the need to increase security and defence and continue investments in the energy transition will likely lead to difficult conversations. However, some experts suggest these aims could听. Meanwhile, NGOs will be听what happens to the, which supports nature and biodiversity projects and has funded some of their work. This has come听from right-wing groups as part of a听. The European Commission is expected to propose the听听unveiled in the听Clean Industrial Deal听in February on 25 June.

• Oceans ahoy:听Ahead of the听, co-hosted by France and Costa Rica from 9-13 June, the European Commission is expected to present its听听on 4 June. This should set a holistic approach for ocean-related EU policy, help support resilient, healthy oceans, and听. Several EU countries, including France, Spain and Germany, have also backed a听, citing concerns about the potentially negative impacts. This directly opposes the听, which is looking to kickstart the controversial method of critical mineral recovery.

The latest in EU policymaking 鈥� last month in recap

• Plans to ditch Russian energy:听On 6 May, the European Commission tabled its听听Russian oil, gas and nuclear energy from the EU energy system by 2027. Since the invasion of Ukraine and the ensuing energy crisis, the EU has tried to break away from Russian energy supplies. Russia went from providing 45 percent of EU gas imports in 2021 to听. However, gas imports began to increase again last year. The complete phase out requires EU member states to prepare national plans by the end of the year to move away from Russian energy. The Commission also intends to ban new contracts for Russian gas and existing spot contracts by the end of 2025 at the latest, which it says will cut dependencies by a听. It then wants to end existing long-term gas supply contracts by no later than the end of 2027.. The roadmap follows the听听proposed in May 2022 that looked at reducing energy consumption, speeding up the transition to clean energy, and diversifying supplies. The new plan will be accompanied by continued efforts to ensure alternative supplies and the EU's clean transition objectives,听Environmental听and听have called on Europe not to replace Russian supplies with other fossil imports, citing particular concerns about US LNG. Meanwhile, the think tank Strategic Perspectives鈥櫶�听tool found that the EU does听

• Climate warnings:听2024 was the warmest year on record and Europe is the fastest-warming continent on Earth, according to the annual听from the EU鈥檚 Copernicus Climate Change Service and the World Meteorological Organisation. The report warns that heatwaves are becoming more frequent and severe, and that southern Europe is seeing widespread drought. Europe鈥檚 glaciers continue to melt, and precipitation changes are also impacting the continent. Drought concerns have been听听throughout much of Europe already this year.

• Energy security:听The United Kingdom and the International Energy Agency hosted a听听on 24 and 25 April, 2025. The meeting, attended by UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol, focused on the traditional and emerging risks for energy security as geopolitical tensions, technological revolutions, and climate change create more uncertainty. Key听include that energy security is part of national security, the role of the energy transition -听- and the importance of critical minerals.

• Flexibility on car emissions and deforestation:听The European Commission gave car manufacturers听听to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from their new car fleets. While the 2025 target remains the same, manufacturers can meet it over a longer period, allowing them to take an average over several years. This will enable them to overshoot and make up for it later.听The EU also loosened听, following a move to delay its implementation by a year.

• Circularity drive. The European Commission has a list of the products it thinks should be prioritised for ecodesign requirements and energy labelling. The priority products include steel, aluminium, textiles, furniture, tyres and mattresses. The new requirements will cover product performance, like minimum durability and resource-efficiency standards, and product information, including carbon and environmental footprint. The EU executive also intends to publish requirements on repairability for consumer electronics and small household appliances, including a repairability score and recycling requirements.

Kira鈥檚 picks: top events

• UK / EU summit:听London will host a meeting between the European Union and the United Kingdom on 19 May. While the headline topic is听, energy is also expected to be on the table. Industry groups are asking the UK to consider听

• :听The annual EU Sustainable Energy Week will take place from 10-12 June in Brussels and include speakers such as energy commissioner Dan Jorgensen and climate commissioner Wopke Hoekstra. Panels will examine competitiveness, energy efficiency and affordability, renewables, and more.

Kira鈥檚 picks: top reads

• 听by Robert Hodgson with Euronews.

• 听by Kate Abnett with Reuters.