In brief | 22 July '25

Reuters: Vulcan Energy gets 104 mln euros in German grants for clean lithium production 

Grants to go towards project "designed to assist with building Germany's and Europe's critical raw materials supply chain resilience."

Politico: EU budget plan would deal ‘devastating blow’ to nature

Biodiversity restoration is no longer ring-fenced in the EU budget. Campaigners fear that means green funds will flow to industrial programs.

Le Monde: French nuclear energy splits Germany's ruling coalition

Nuclear energy is expected to top the agenda at the July 23 meeting in Berlin between the German chancellor and the French president.

Bloomberg: Heat wave scorching Italy and Greece tests grids, sparks alerts 

Blistering heat is sweeping across southeast Europe this week, triggering weather alerts and stressing power grids.

Reuters: How Europe’s ambition to lead on corporate human rights ran into the sand

Months of backtracking have left Europe's Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive in tatters.

Bloomberg: ECB said to warn Credit Agricole of possible fine over climate

ECB told France’s second-largest lender that it is among firms that may be fined after failing to meet the supervisor’s expectations for managing climate risks.

Financial Times: Global oil and gas emissions standard put on pause after Shell walks away

Energy group experts quit after draft guidance on global warming plans "did not reflect the industry view".

Financial Times: Fusion energy start-up claims to have cracked alchemy 

San Francisco start-up says modified fusion process could be used to produce gold from mercury.