The EU Committee on Industry, Research, and Energy agrees on increasing the overall share of renewable energy in European energy production. By 2030, 45% of energy demand is to be supplied from renewable sources. In addition, energy consumption is to be reduced by 40%. This is intended to contribute to greater climate neutrality
Christoph Bluth, University of Bradford Russian president Vladimir Putin’s increasingly explicit imperial ambitions to reconstitute a Russian empire from the ashes of the Soviet Union has raised considerable fears among former members. The only former USSR state that has fully endorsed and supported the Russian campaign against Ukraine is Belarus, where President Alexander
The EU Parliament agrees on the new directive for an adequate minimum wage. In the future, the cost of living, purchasing power, general economic growth and the wage structure of an EU member state will be used as benchmarks for the national minimum wage. The new directive obliges EU member states to ensure
China bans cryptocurrencies. The Central African Republic is making Bitcoins a legal tender. Meanwhile, the EU failed to require the crypto industry to be more sustainable: Conservatives and the Right prevent the paragraph demanded by the Social Democrats. The world is divided on how to deal with cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. Proponents point to
Insects have been identified as an alternative in the development of food systems and as a response to the growing demand for protein in the world. Edible insects have been recognized as an important innovation in the food sector. In the past, insects have been consumed in many cultures, and they are presently
Alexander Mihailov, University of Reading Russian energy giant Gazprom has completely cut off gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria. Both countries are apparently being punished for refusing Russia’s demand that they pay for their gas in roubles. Other EU countries have also refused to pay in Russian currency (doing so would provide a
The European Commission has settled ambitious objectives in order to reach climate neutrality by 2050. This will imply the shift from fossil fuel to low carbon energy supply and an adaptation of the energy system according to it. Electrification and production of green hydrogen are seen as structural pillars. The objective of the
The European Trade-Union Institute (ETUI) publishes a report on inequality in Europe: The Benchmarking Working Europe 2021 study suggests that inequality in Europe continues to rise. The EU Commission proposes a directive on adequate minimum wages and collective bargaining. This is supposed to counteract inequality. 25 million people would benefit directly. 25 million
Stefan Wolff, University of Birmingham With the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Vladimir Putin has overstepped an important line. The west sat by and did little when Russia invaded Georgia in 2008 and annexed Crimea in 2014. But the full-scale invasion of Ukraine that is currently underway is impossible to ignore. Putin’s actions and
Digital platforms profit from the self-exploitation and bogus self-employment of their “employees”. The EU Commission is now proposing guidelines for European countries to prevent this. The aim is to control working conditions with the aim of employing suppliers and other bogus self-employed workers. What is the problem? – Bogus self-employment and self-exploitationPrecarious working