Rhein on Energy and Climate

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The Lisbon Treaty contains an important provision for a leaner Executive. According to Article 17 the number of Commissioners will be reduced to two thirds of the number of Member States, as of 1st November 2014, i.e. to 18 instead of 28, unless the European Council unanimously decides otherwise. That is what the European Council… » read more

Posted by Eberhard Rhein

One would have thought that with its decade-long emphasis on clean energy, illustrated by the EU 2020 objective of generating 20 percent of its energy and 30 per cent of its electricity from renewable sources, the EU would also have a competitive renewable industry. But after a hopeful start this has turned out to be… » read more

Posted by Eberhard Rhein

During the most recent conference of the Group of Non-Aligned countries in Tehran the Iranian President Ayatollah Khamenei and the -first freely elected- Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi have called for a radical renovation of the United Nations. This goes in particular for the Security Council which is no longer representative of the global population and… » read more

Posted by Eberhard Rhein

The French government has decided to lower gasoline prices by six cents, about 4 per cent of present pump prices, to deliver on a campaign pledge by President Hollande to preserve the purchasing power of French households. Oil companies and the French Treasury will share the € 600 million revenue loss of what is meant… » read more

Posted by Eberhard Rhein

Satellites tracking the extent of sea ice in the Arctic have discovered that it will most probably reach a record low in 2012 since the the start of the surveillance programme 40 years ago. Scientists now think that before the end of the decade the Arctic Sea might be ice free in the summer months.… » read more

Posted by Eberhard Rhein

23 years after the bloody destitution of President Ceaucesco from power and five years after joining the EU, Romania`s credentials as a fully democratic country respecting the rule of law continue to fall short of EU constitutional standards as laid down in the Lisbon Treaty. This has become visible in the most recent power fight… » read more

Posted by Eberhard Rhein