In brief | 31 March '26

Reuters: German institutes cut 2026, 2027 growth forecasts, raise inflation outlook, sources say

Germany's leading economic institutes cut their economic growth forecasts for ‌this year and next and sharply raised their inflation forecasts in response to the Iran conflict, sources told Reuters.

Politico: Brussels says Europeans should consider travelling less to avoid energy shortages

European Commission letter reflects growing fears that the Iran war is sparking an all-out global economic crisis.

E3G: Chokepoints: A systemic threat to energy security for oil and gas importers

The most durable route to resilience for importers is to reduce dependence on oil and LNG through electrification, efficiency, grids, storage and domestic clean energy, think tank E3G said.

Bloomberg: EU carbon is pricing in a less aggressive push to ease costs

The European carbon market is scaling back expectations for how aggressive government intervention will be as Brussels looks to ease energy-cost burdens for the region’s ailing heavy industry.

Reuters: EU resists French request to pause carbon border tax on fertilisers

The European Commission again resisted a request on Monday (30 March) by France and other countries to suspend the EU’s CO2 emissions levy ​on imported fertilisers, which the governments said would help farmers struggling with high ‌prices.

European Council: Council greenlights talks on UK participation in EU power market

The aim of the electricity agreement is to allow the UK’s participation in the EU’s internal electricity market by aligning respective rules, thus significantly contributing to energy security for both parties, especially amid the current geopolitical turmoil.

The Guardian: ‘This feels fragile’: how a satellite-smashing chain reaction could spiral out of control

Today, the space around Earth can no longer be considered empty. More than 30,000 objects are in orbit, and that figure is rising exponentially.