EU ministers have agreed against any binding EU-wide minimum energy performance standards (MEPS) for buildings, necessary for a true Renovation Wave to happen. ECOS calls on ministers to backtrack and on the European Parliament to show ambition when discussing the new EPBD directive in the upcoming months.
Rules in development to compare fashion products may give a limited picture of real environmental impact making them unfit to back up green claims, NGOs warn.
The European Union's environment ministers have approved today the final agreement ruling USB Type-C as the only charging port for small devices allowed in the European Union. By the end of 2024, it will apply to dozens of small devices such as smartphones, tablets, earbuds, and e-readers.
The European Commission will explore introducing common indicators on the environmental footprint of 'electronic communications services', which could include video streaming, online gaming and social media.
BEUC, Birdlife, ECOS, T&E and WWF leave the EU Platform on Sustainable Finance. NGOs claim the European Commission has interfered politically in the group, and acted against evidence despite its legal obligation to follow science-based advice.
Today, the European Commission has published draft proposals for ecodesign and energy labelling regulations on smartphones and tablets. If agreed, they will establish a repair index and the first-ever EU-wide energy label for these devices.
For the first time, the European Commission proposes a voluntary short-term target for the reduction of gas consumption. It could become binding in case of emergency. However, the plan opens the door to temporarily switching to dirty energy sources in case of disruption. This should only be done in truly exceptional circumstances though, and kept to a minimum, ECOS notes.
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