One month is more than enough in international diplomacy to flip the world. During the last month of this long 2014 we were cought by surprise by the speed of the evolutions regarding the “EU-Turkey” project. Things were changing so fast every week of this December that even the most experienced analysts remained numb and thus preferred […]Merry Christmas from Erdogan, Putin, Mogherini and the Polish firefighter
December 24, 2014 by Leave a Comment
One month is more than enough in international diplomacy to flip the world. During the last month of this long 2014 we were cought by surprise by the speed of the evolutions regarding the “EU-Turkey” project. Things were changing so fast every week of this December that even the most experienced analysts remained numb and thus preferred […]ECB’s trillion has to be printed and distributed fast before Armageddon comes
December 15, 2014 by 2 Comments
The latest Eurostat data on employment and industrial production for the Eurozone economy point invariably to stagnation, if not recession, while the long-term tendency of household consumption, as a percentage of GDP, appears falling. In short all the key growth indicators of the economy are quite disappointing, to say the least. The economic problems of […]EU leaders agree on 2030 Climate and Energy Package: is “flexible” brave enough?
October 28, 2014 by Leave a Comment
The European Union Heads of State last week reached an agreement on what it was welcomed as “the world’s most ambitious” target yet for cutting carbon emissions. European leaders have defined the headline targets and the architecture for the EU framework on climate and energy for 2030, having signed a pact obliging the EU as […]10 months were not enough for the EU to save the environment but 2 days are
October 21, 2014 by Leave a Comment
The highlight in Brussels this week is certainly the EU Council of tomorrow, Thursday 23 October. The reason is not because it will be the last one presided by Mr Van Rompuy, but because the major topic to be discussed in the agenda is the EU climate targets 2030. It has been 10 months that the […]Can one FTA and 110 lobby meetings make the dirty oil clean in Europe?
October 8, 2014 by Leave a Comment
So it happens again. The EU is compromising its own policies to endorse trade and business. What’s wrong with that? Just an equivalent environmental damage of 6 million cars in the European roads by 2020. It was only yesterday morning that the European Commission issued a controversial proposal that undermines its own 2020 targets to […]Is continuous sanctioning the way to resolve the Ukrainian crisis?
July 18, 2014 by Leave a Comment
The E.U. together with the U.S. decided to impose harsher economic sanctions against Russia last Wednesday. This action was expected since Russia continued to further scale its violent military intervention in eastern Ukraine despite the warnings that were given by the U.S. and E.U. U.S. sanctions focus on financial and energy sectors The U.S. are taking advantage of what is […]A Sting Exclusive, the European Commissioner for Energy Günther Oettinger writes for the Sting on “EU Industry: a major energizer”
May 8, 2014 by Leave a Comment
Written by Günther Oettinger, European Commissioner responsible for Energy In the European Union, energy and industry are two sides of the same coin. A strong industrial base is the precondition for the robustness of our economy, for the excellence of our research and for the number and quality of our jobs. Industry accounts for over […]Ukraine: turning challenges into opportunities
March 26, 2014 by Leave a Comment
Last Friday Ukraine and the EU signed the political part of the Association Agreement. Although deliberately diminished in Europe, the significance of this event is unquestionable for Ukraine and its government ad interim.
Political association is taken in Kiev as a sign of European acknowledgment and recognition at a time of continuing threats from Russia. The economic part […]Tools of asset development: Renewable Energy Projects case
March 5, 2014 by Leave a Comment
Energy Forecast Pan European 2014 Outlook organized by Premier Cercle in Brussels has become a platform for networking between the EU officials, key market players and financial institution representatives. In February delegates had a unique opportunity at the center of Brussels to discuss long-term trends, perspectives, and challenges in energy sector in Europe and worldwide. Political, […]Commission sets moderate greenhouse gas reduction targets for 2030
January 23, 2014 by Leave a Comment
Yesterday, the European Commission took the middle, not ambitious path, on the burning issue of climate protection. It chose to propose rather conservative targets for reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and energy production from renewable resources, easy to achieve and not demanding extra efforts in the investments front. To this effect, early yesterday, José Manuel […]Why Renewable Energy is an attractive investment
December 17, 2013 by Leave a Comment
The European Generation Strategy Summit & Power Project Financing and New Technologies Forum took place in Vienna on 27-29 November 2013, attracting high-end players from the European energy market and politics. The European Sting, a keen follower of Energy Affairs at the Old Continent, was there to contribute to the dialogue and report on the event. […]European Business Summit 2014 Launch Event: “Energising Industrial Growth”
November 13, 2013 by 1 Comment
As we are writing the epilogue of 2013, collecting and assessing the bits and pieces of a rather important year in the EU Affairs, some people in Brussels are already pointing towards 2014, a milestone year for the EU for many. There is no doubt that one of the biggest 2014 challenges will be for […]New European frontiers for renewable energy development
October 25, 2013 by Leave a Comment
On 15-16 October 2013 Kyiv hosted the Fifth International Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Forum. Organized by the IBCentre and Association of Alternative Fuel and Energy Market Participants of Ukraine, this annual event has become a discussion platform for the key alternative energy stakeholders and regional experts in wind, solar, hydro and biomass energy matters, […]EU plans to exploit the Mediterranean Sea and the wealth beneath it
July 15, 2013 by Leave a Comment
At a time when the Mediterranean Sea is not at its most peaceful times the European Commission presented a study which finds that the “establishment of maritime zones, including Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs), in the Mediterranean would benefit the EU’s Blue Growth and wider sustainability agendas”. The study is entitled “Costs and benefits arising from […]EU secures more and cheaper energy supplies
July 1, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Last Friday 28 June the Commission welcomed the selection of route for the Azeri natural gas flow to Europe that the Caspian country’s producers made on that same day. Of course it is the ‘Southern Corridor’ through Greece and Albania and under the Adriatic Sea to Italy, then to many EU countries. It’s the Trans […]Azerbaijan chooses Greek corridor for its natural gas flow to EU
June 26, 2013 by 1 Comment
Azeri officials are visiting Athens today to announce their choice of the ‘Greek corridor’ for the flow of their natural gas towards the central European Union countries, to reach them after crossing also the Adriatic Sea in a deep water pipeline to Italy. Let’s folow the facts. Very early last Monday morning the European Sting […]Azeri natural gas will keep the EU warm soon
June 24, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Ilham Aliyev, the President of Azerbaijan was in Brussels on Friday 21 June for a good reason. The giant state oil and gas company of his country, Socar, has reportedly agreed with the Greek authorities to acquire the National Natural Gas System Operator (DESFA) S.A. of Greece, owner and operator of the country’s natural gas […]EU leaders slammed on anti-tax evasion inaction and expensive energy
May 29, 2013 by 1 Comment
Only days after the 27 EU leaders gathered in Brussels on 22 May and decided that, “The supply of affordable and sustainable energy to our economies is crucial”, Eurostat, the EU’s statistical service, announced that, “in the second half of 2012 household electricity prices in the EU27 rose by 6.6% and gas prices by 10.3%”. […]€5 billion of EU energy efficiency project money spent on “comfort”
January 15, 2013 by Leave a Comment
The European Commission does not spare big words and photographic opportunities for Commissioners, whenever launching a new initiative or securing political agreement for a regulation. And they are doing this all the time. It seems like they spent all their energy and resources in conceiving new rules on everything. And of course they always need […]Utmost hypocrisy emitted by EU’s energy regulation
November 30, 2012 by Leave a Comment
The major breakthroughs in the hot sector of energy all over the Old Continent materialised on national level, and on many occasions despite the Brussels directives. For example the North Gas Corridor, supplying Germany with huge quantities of Russian gas and increasing the overall dependency of the European Union on Russian energy resources, was not […]
