In July 2021, the European Commission presented the FuelEU maritime initiative within its Fit for 55 package measures aiming to address maritime transport emissions by addressing market barriers that hamper their use and uncertainty about which technical options are market-ready. Maritime transport is critical to the European Union’s (EU) economy but the EU estimates that maritime carbon emissions account for almost 4% of total EU emissions (and for 11% of EU transport emissions)Maritime stakeholders expressed concerns that the regulation puts responsibility on shipping companies (not on the fuel producers); that the efficiency standard is not defined at the fleet level; and that they did not want any obligation on the choice of fuel and technology.

As the climate emergency becomes increasingly acute, the European Union aims to become the first carbon-neutral economy by 2050. The ecological transition, however, is not cost-free and comes with several challenges that need to be addressed in order to ensure the social and economic welfare of the Union’s citizens.This article will look at the Social Climate Fund, an initiative proposed by the EU Commission whose main goal is to alleviate the potential costs that the implementation of the new ETS could bring to low-income and vulnerable households [1].

Points of discussion in the CBAM debate include emission scope, LDCs, export rebates and explicit carbon pricing. Iron and steel products dominate the amount of imported goods covered by CBAM. Most affected countries include Russia, Ukraine and Turkey.

To reduce its greenhouse gas emissions, the European Union (‘EU’) enacted a comprehensive package of measures. Among them, of particular relevance is the Renewable Energy Directive (‘RED II’) which lays down the legal framework for the deployment of renewable energy sources or ‘renewable energy’ across all sectors of the EU’s economy [1]. This article provides an overview of the Directive’s main provisions and its recently proposed amendment in the context of the ‘Fit for 55 Package’ proposal.

Companies buy certificates that they have to surrender for their imported emissions for certain goods. Left-over certificates can be resold to the Member States, but not traded, and can only be held onto for a limited time. During a transitional period, companies will only have to report, but not surrender, certificates for their imported emissions CBAM is a complex system and several points of discussion remain

The land use sector encompasses the management of natural environment and built infrastructures The land use regulation forms the legal framework around carbon emission and carbon capture of the land use sector All emissions of the land use sector need to be compensated by carbon removal from natural environments

Out of all international organisations, the EU is considered to have some of the most extensive climate protection laws, and it is regarded as a regional and global leader in environmental protection. Nonetheless, the process of EU decision-making can be notoriously overwhelming for citizens to engage with the process, or to appreciate it. It takes place at multiple levels, and involves several bodies and representatives from twenty-seven countries. In short, the EU is often regarded as complex precisely because of its inclusivity, its long history of evolving bureaucracy and flexibility, as well as its commitment to reach agreement among all stakeholders. To properly understand how policy-making works, it is necessary to first understand the role which is played by each of the EU institutions.