News

The European Commission presented on 10/11/2022 temporary emergency rules to speed up the deployment of renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power, saying that the ongoing energy crisis caused by the war in Ukraine will require a series of emergency measures. A new Commission proposal clarifies the scope of nature protection rules under the EU's Birds and Habitats Directives to remove obstacles in the permitting process for renewable energy projects. As a result, for example, rooftop solar panels and small solar installations with an output of up to 50 kW should be exempted from a special environmental impact assessment. The new temporary emergency regulation will apply for one year until the revised EU Renewable Energy Directive is adopted and enters into force.
More information is available here and here.

On 10/11/2022, the European Parliament approved the EU agreement with Ukraine and Moldova on road transport of goods. The rules, which were tentatively introduced at the end of July 2022, were approved by the plenary of the European Parliament by a large majority (more than 580 MEPs expressed their support). The new rules will now have to be formally approved by the Council. The rules replace existing bilateral transport agreements with individual member states and are intended to facilitate road transport of goods by allowing transporters from Ukraine, Moldova and EU transporters to transit and operate transport between the territories of other states without the need for a permit. This could facilitate the transportation of grain, fuel, food and other relevant goods.

On 03/11/2022, the European Commission launched a call for the submission of large-scale projects within the framework of the EU innovation fund. The call, whose budget has doubled to €3 billion due to higher revenue from auctioning allowances under the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS), will support the deployment of industrial solutions to decarbonise Europe. The initiative should ensure further support towards ending the EU's dependence on Russian fossil fuels. The call is open to projects located in EU Member States, Iceland and Norway until 16 March 2023. It will fund projects related to general decarbonisation, innovative electrification in industry and hydrogen, clean technology manufacturing and medium-sized pilot projects.
More information is available here.

On 31/10/2022, the European Commission updated the technical standards to be used by financial market participants when disclosing sustainability-related information under the Sustainable Finance Disclosures Regulation (SFDR). These changes should ensure full transparency of investments in sectors and sub-sectors of the economy covered by and compliant with the EU taxonomy. This should enable investors to make informed investment decisions in line with their sustainability preferences. The amended rules will also require financial market participants to disclose the extent to which their portfolios are exposed to gas and nuclear activities through a simple chart.
More information is available here.

European fertilizer producers partially resumed ammonia production due to falling gas prices. According to a new analysis by ICIS (Independent Commodity Intelligence Services), about a third of European ammonia production, which was shut down during the summer, was restored in October. However, up to 50% of production is still suspended, especially in Eastern and Central European countries such as Romania, Slovakia and Hungary. The European Commission proposes to call on member states to ensure permanent and uninterrupted access to natural gas for fertilizer producers. Fertilizer prices have fallen in recent weeks largely due to reduced demand from farmers. An increase in ammonia production could lead to further price declines, but global fertilizer prices are still at nearly five times the historical average.
More information is available here and here.