cross-posted from: https://lemmings.world/post/27493304

Total energy in the EU, what Eurostat calls gross available energy, fell by 4.1 % in 2023, the equivalent of about 380 million barrels of oil, marking a record low.

Long-running efficiency policies have reduced waste across all sectors, while milder winters have decreased heating demand. The spike in fossil fuel prices caused by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has prompted additional conservation efforts.

Put simply, Europe is managing to do more with less.

cross-posted from: https://lemmings.world/post/27127232

The meat of brown bears, a protected species in the EU, could soon be available to eat in Slovakia after the populist government approved plans for sale.

Last month, the cabinet authorised a plan to shoot about a quarter of the country’s 1,300 brown bears in response to some recent fatal encounters.

Several EU member countries demanded strong EU actions on Hungary after what they see as a rule of law backsliding, but Hungary has said political hysteria surround the meeting.

EU ministers meeting for a General Affairs Council in Brussels have begun a hearing on rule of law in Hungary under the framework of the EU’s Article 7 process, as patience wears thin over recent legal initiatives in Budapest.

cross-posted from: https://lemmings.world/post/27057218

The euro could become a viable alternative to the dollar, earning the 20-nation bloc immense benefits, if governments could only strengthen the bloc’s financial and security architecture, ECB President Christine Lagarde said on Monday.

Unnerved by erratic U.S. economic policy, global investors have been reducing their exposure to dollar assets in recent months but many have opted for gold instead, not seeing a direct alternative.