Dear Reader,
It’s Roi behind the keyboard today.
Whether you’re reading this from your office desk with a warm cup of coffee or from the comfort of your home, chances are you have a roof over your head. But that security is increasingly out of reach for many Europeans. Millions of people experience homelessness in Europe, while 9.6 million Europeans aged 25–34 still live with their parents amid a growing housing affordability crisis.
In Spain, the crisis took a particularly distressing turn this week when Maricarmen, an 87-year-old woman with a disability, was evicted after being unable to afford a rent increase imposed by her landlord, a real estate fund. Images of police breaking into her home and removing her despite neighbours’ attempts to stop the eviction spread rapidly across a country already grappling with a housing affordability crisis.
Thousands took to the streets, and hundreds remain camped in central Madrid, demanding meaningful action from the Spanish government. There are many other Maricarmens across Europe who have just received an eviction notice, are facing yet another unaffordable rent increase or will sleep on the streets tonight.Sign the European Citizens’ Initiative to demand that housing be treated as the fundamental right that it is.
This week, we look at Germany’s fossil fuel phase-out plans and the political consequences of unaffordable energy, the growing opposition to Europe’s pesticide deregulation push, and why the EEB has walked away from the EU’s Critical Chemicals Alliance. Plus, a bunch of other developments on our radar.
☕ So, grab a hot drink and enjoy the read. If you do, consider buying us a coffee!
☀️ SOLAR PANELS: THE LAST CORDON SANITAIRE?
Right diagnosis, wrong treatment. This week, Germany became the third EU country to unveil a roadmap to phase out fossil fuels by 2045, following France and the Netherlands earlier this year. It’s not just our recent “summer of truth” that demonstrates how urgently we need to do more to protect our climate and nature.
As Germany’s Environment Minister put it: “If the situation in the Strait of Hormuz determines whether people can still afford their daily commute to work, that is not a good state of affairs.”
Achtung! The road to 2045 looks bumpy, though. These long-term commitments alone will do little to reduce Europe’s immediate dependence on expensive and volatile fossil fuel imports. And at least in the short term, Merz’s government is sending mixed signals: rolling back climate policies while continuing to subsidise fossil fuels with billions in taxpayers’ money.
Solar panels: the last cordon sanitaire? A study published this summer found that large increases in household electricity bills during Germany’s 2022–23 energy crisis boosted support for the ultra-far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD). Over time, affected voters also shifted their political attitudes closer to the party’s positions, particularly on climate policy. With the party’s recent regional election results, the relationship between energy affordability and political discontent deserves attention.
Merz’s affordability test. Renewable energy offers a way to address several of these challenges at once: reducing exposure to volatile fossil fuel prices, strengthening energy security and, when combined with the right infrastructure and policies, helping to bring down energy costs for households.
Make it real. New European research shows that people recognise the economic benefits of clean energy but are far less convinced the savings will actually reach them. For Merz and other EU leaders, the political lesson is not just to deliver the transition, but to ensure that it makes energy more affordable in practice.
☣️ PESTICIDES HARM EUROPE’S KIDS
On pesticides, here’s what you need to know. This week, EU Member States agreed on their negotiating position on the “Food and Feed Safety” Omnibus, giving a partial green light to the Commission’s plans to further deregulate pesticide use across Europe. But the deal is far from done, and there is still time to make your voice heard!
Shocker. Europeans are deeply concerned about industrial pollution and its impact on their health and the environment. Yet the proposed changes would weaken existing protections. And it’s not just us sounding the alarm: over 500 European scientists and doctors have called for a pause on loosening rules until an independent assessment of its health and environmental impacts is carried out.
Inheriting a public health crisis. This week, we co-authored an opinion piece in EUobserver with the Child Rights International Network (CRIN) on what the proposed changes could mean for Europe’s children. It follows the courageous efforts of parents whose children have suffered serious harm from pesticide exposure.
An estimated 380,000 children are exposed to these substances, which have been linked to childhood cancer, neurological and developmental disorders, birth defects and other serious health risks. Farmers also face increased risks of neurological diseases from occupational exposure.
So who is pushing for weaker pesticide rules? The agrochemical industry is spending an estimated €46 million a year on lobbying in Brussels, 60% more than in 2020, to influence EU policymaking. But our policymakers can resist industry pressure and protect people’s health and our ecosystems.
Just not what people want. Unlimited approval for hazardous pesticides is not what Europeans have been asking for. People want clean water, healthy food, thriving wildlife and better protection for their children. That call for stronger environmental protections grew even louder this week, as the 900,000th person signed the “Hands Off Nature” petition. If you haven’t signed yet, help us get to a million!
🏃 THE BACK DOORS OF CHEMICAL DEREGULATION
We’re out. This week, the EEB and ChemSec announced their withdrawal from the European Commission’s Critical Chemicals Alliance (CCA). Industry heavily dominates the process: of its 293 listed members, only 13 are civil society organisations. Rather than accelerating the transition away from hazardous and fossil fuel-dependent chemicals, the Alliance risks preserving the industry as it stands and becoming a back door to weaken environmental protections. Read our full reaction here.
Context. The CCA was announced in 2025 to address the real challenges facing Europe’s chemical industry: high energy prices, global competition, underinvestment, an innovation gap and ageing infrastructure. Its mandate is to identify chemicals and production capacities considered vital to the EU economy and address concerns about supply and competitiveness.
Not like this. We cannot continue to legitimise a process that puts Big Polluter interests ahead of the clean transition Europe urgently needs. Criticality should help secure what society needs, not become a shield for harmful production or a back door to weaken the policies driving the transition. Europe needs a resilient, competitive and future-proof chemicals sector that invests in climate-neutral and safer industrial capacity. More to come.
📡 ON OUR RADAR
EU cracks down on greenwashing. Good news! New rules under the Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition Directive become applicable this week. Vague claims like “eco” and “green” will be banned unless companies can substantiate them, while “climate neutral” claims based on carbon offsets are also out. Sustainability labels will face stronger oversight, and products with longer guarantees will get more visibility. The goal is a market where consumers can trust green claims and genuinely sustainable businesses aren’t competing with greenwashing. Our full reaction here.
Car captured. An internal Commission briefing reveals that the EU executive ignored its own advice before weakening its 2035 car CO₂ rules, following pressure from the automotive industry and several national governments, including Germany. The changes would allow carmakers to continue selling some new combustion-engine vehicles beyond 2035, weakening a key Green Deal commitment.
The chicken trap. A fresh investigation has found that just 15 companies control almost half of the EU’s €51 billion poultry-processing market. Behind the familiar image of family farms and national brands lies an increasingly concentrated and industrialised system, raising serious concerns about animal welfare, workers’ rights and public health.
Sexy data centres near you. If a major industrial project such as a data centre, mine or airport were planned near you, you’d probably expect its environmental and health impacts to be properly assessed. Yet this week, EU ambassadors approved the Council’s position on rules to speed up environmental assessments for strategic projects. The proposal risks shortening assessments and public consultation, while leaving the underlying causes of permitting delays, including staff shortages, limited funding and poor coordination, largely unaddressed.
By: Roi Gomez, with Ben Snelson and Christian Skrivervik. Editor: Christian Skrivervik
🧠✨ DOPAMINE HIT
As ever, here are a few happy updates to get your weekend off to a perky start:
- Panama is pushing for nature to have legal rights at the UN. Read more
- The EU is creating a climate insurance alliance to help protect people from extreme weather. Read more
- Fat Bear Week returns as Alaska’s biggest bears compete for the crown. Read more
- New Zealanders pick robin brought back from near-extinction as Bird of the Year. Read more
🧚 THE JOB FAIRY
- We are hiring! The European Environmental Bureau is hiring a part-time Office Coordinator and a full-time Policy Assistant.
- ClientEarth is looking for a Lawyer, Fundamental Rights Europe
- Contexte is looking for an Account Manager
- European Endowment for Democracy is looking for a Grants Manager
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