Frédéric Simon
EurActiv
Belgium
Contact Frédéric
Discover and connect with journalists and influencers around the world, save time on email research, monitor the news, and more.
| Recent: |
|
| Past: |
|
Past articles by Frédéric:
EU too lax on methane venting from coal mines, campaigners say
EXCLUSIVE: Amendments to the EU’s draft methane regulation would allow coal mines to release additional greenhouse gases equivalent to the combined annual CO2 emissions of Belgium and Czechia, according to Ember, a clean energy think-tank. → Read More
Eleven EU countries launch alliance for nuclear power in Europe
Signatories committed on Tuesday (28 February) to “cooperate more closely” across the entire nuclear supply chain, and promote “common industrial projects” in new generation capacity as well as new technologies like small reactors. → Read More
The Green Brief: How to fix an electricity market that isn’t broken
The Green Brief: How to fix an electricity market that isn’t broken – EURACTIV.com → Read More
EU opens up €800bn recovery fund to financing of Russian fossil fuel exit
The European Union completed a reform on Tuesday (21 February) that will see energy independence objectives added to the bloc’s €800 billion recovery fund adopted two years ago in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. → Read More
Biomass fight leaves EU renewable energy talks in a deadlock
The European Commission made an unsuccessful attempt to bridge divisions over forest biomass between the Parliament and EU countries during talks held earlier this week to revise the EU’s renewable energy directive. → Read More
The Green Brief: France’s pro-nuclear crusade has only just begun
France scored an important victory this week when the European Commission tabled long-awaited rules defining what can be considered “renewable” hydrogen in the EU. This is only the start of a major offensive by Paris to crowbar nuclear into every possible piece of EU energy legislation, writes Frédéric Simon. → Read More
Eleven EU countries urge 'great caution' in loosening state aid rules
Eleven European Union countries urged "great caution" in relaxing the bloc's state aid rules in a bid to support Europe's green industry in a global race, saying that risked damaging competition inside the bloc, a document showed. → Read More
The Green Brief: Wanted – German leadership for EU’s green industrial push
As EU leaders meet in Brussels for a two-day summit this week, they will be confronted with a familiar dilemma: whether to endow the European Union with more financial firepower. → Read More
Legal expert: ECT withdrawal 'is the only possible course of action'
Following the decision by several EU member states to leave the controversial Energy Charter Treaty, the European Commission must now put proposals on the table for the EU to withdraw collectively, says Lukas Schaugg. → Read More
Nuclear tops Poland’s wish-list for EU electricity market reform
EU countries should have “an unrestricted right” to subsidise power plants providing dispatchable electricity in case wind and solar are unavailable, according to a non-paper circulated by Warsaw ahead of EU proposals next month to reform the bloc’s electricity market rules. → Read More
EU’s green industrial plan vague on clean tech, finance, critics say
The Commission’s ‘Green Deal Industrial Plan’, unveiled on Wednesday (1 February), promises simplified EU regulation for clean technologies, but critics say it lacks clarity and opens the door to unrestricted subsidies in France and Germany until the end of 2025. → Read More
The Green Brief: Europe's skills gap – can we fix it?
As Europe looks to ramp up the deployment of solar panels, heat pumps, and electric vehicles, it must face the fact that it simply does not have the people to get the job done, writes Kira Taylor. → Read More
Auditors highlight failures in EU bid to integrate electricity markets
Despite high ambitions, the European Union has made “slow progress” in integrating the electricity markets of its 27 member states and has so far failed to ensure access to cheap power for consumers, the European Court of Auditors (ECA) said in a report published on Tuesday (31 January). → Read More
'It’s over, finished': Coal boss gloomy about future EU power market
The EU’s electricity sector is likely to be more heavily regulated in the coming years, with coal, gas and nuclear falling under closer government supervision and only renewable energies remaining part of a competitive EU market, according to the vice-president of Euracoal, a trade association. → Read More
With Russian gas gone, coal makes EU comeback as 'traditional fuel'
Coal demand in Europe went up for the second consecutive year in 2022, led by “strong growth” in electricity generation, where it has partly replaced gas as a backup power source, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). → Read More
The Green Brief: Willkommen to the EU's green subsidy open bar
The European Commission has signalled a temporary relaxation of EU state aid rules as part of a push to bolster the bloc’s clean tech industries. But many are worried that Germany will end up being the sole beneficiary of the upcoming initiative. → Read More
Exposed: How EU countries use firewood to bloat their renewable energy stats
The International Energy Agency (IEA) has acknowledged “weaknesses” in how biomass energy is counted in national statistics after several EU countries reported a sudden increase in residential wood burning to meet their 2020 renewable energy goals. → Read More
Energy expert: 'There is a fundamental issue with biomass counting in energy statistics'
EU member states that have a very high share of renewable heat tend to be the countries that burn a lot of biomass. And if they burn it inefficiently, it’s even better for them because they get more credit under the EU's renewable energy directive, says Jan Rosenow. → Read More
LEAK: EU to slap penalties on companies making false green claims
EU member states will be in charge of imposing “dissuasive” penalties on companies making unsubstantiated environmental claims about their products under a draft new EU law, seen by EURACTIV. → Read More
EU Commission announces 'Green Deal Industrial Plan', but no fresh money
The European Commission has announced looser state aid rules for EU member states like France and Germany to subsidise clean tech manufacturing in Europe but no fresh money for smaller countries lacking the financial capacity to support their home industry. → Read More