In brief

Associated Press: Von der Leyen, Costa and Kallas endorsed for the EU’s top jobs

European Union leaders have agreed on the officials who will lead the EU’s powerful executive branch. News agency AP explains who they are and what they do.

European Commission: The Strategic Agenda for 2024-2029

EU agrees new strategy based on strengthening democracy, security, and competitiveness. 

E3G: EU leaders signal stability in the green transition with new top jobs and agenda

All three “top jobs” nominees are experienced in seeking compromises, promoting European solutions to challenges, and driving the green transition, says think tank.

Euractiv: Far-right win in France would pose unprecedented challenge to EU’s Franco-German engine

Rassemblement National seeks to reassure nothing will change in Franco-German relationship if a far-right prime minister takes over in France, following fears that the EU’s engine could grind to a halt.

International Energy Agency: More than 1 in 5 cars sold worldwide in 2024 set to be electric

Global electric car sales are on track to reach about 17 million units this year, transforming the auto industry and the energy sector, IEA says.

Eurostat: EU's natural gas supply decreased more than 7 percent in 2023

Brown coal supply down by 24.2% to 222 840m tonnes and hard coal supply down by 20.4% to 130 437m tonnes, while renewables grow more than 12% across the bloc, preliminary data shows.

E.ON: Electrolysers can relieve pressure on the electricity grid

Devices installed in proximity to renewables reduce need for curtailing in Germany, trials by energy company have shown.

World Ressources Institute: Canada's 2023 Wildfires released 4x more carbon than global aviation

Roughly 7.8 million hectares of forests burned in Canada in 2023 — more than 6 times the annual average since 2001. This amount of tree cover loss produced roughly 3 billion tons of carbon dioxide, according to an analysis.

Rock Tech: Canadian company to receive up to €100 mln in direct grants for its German Lithium refinery

Funding to be provided by the state of Brandenburg and the German railway authority to build and operate "Europe’s first lithium converter with a capacity of 24,000 tonnes of lithium-hydroxide-monohydrate per year," the company says.

Le Monde: France's first small nuclear reactor project

Small-scale model by start-up Jimmy Energy designed specifically to supply low-carbon heat as part of a local network, reports Le Monde.