We cover the big issues for Europe’s move to climate neutrality, with a focus on Germany. Our news, agenda-setting dossiers, factsheets and country guides provide in-depth information, key background and figures on the energy transition's most important stories.
We cover what matters for Europe’s move to climate neutrality, with a focus on Germany. Concise, but with context.
Our dispatches keep you in the loop about energy and climate policy trends in key European countries and the EU itself. For a deeper understanding, the respective CLEW Guides offer concise background, an outline of major transition stories, and evaluate the progress of major economic sectors.
Our research tours and web events offer journalists direct access to the most important stories on the energy transition.
The CLEW Journalism Network brings together international reporters covering the energy transition. Our grants frequently support cross-border reporting on key climate and energy topics.
Our Dispatches keep you in the loop about energy and climate policy trends in key European countries and the EU itself. With a tight selection of the most relevant recent and upcoming developments, they provide a regular snapshot of what matters for the shift to climate neutrality in policy, diplomacy, society, and industry, and help readers look beyond national borders.
For a deeper understanding of where those key countries and the EU stand in the transition, the respective CLEW Guides offer concise background, an outline of major transition stories, as well as a progress assessment of major economic sectors. Written by local journalists with extensive experience.
| Explore our Guides and Dispatches | |
|---|---|
| European Union | Germany |
| France | Italy |
| Poland | Croatia |
The European Union positioned itself as a potential early climate champion in 2018 by pledging to reach climate-neutrality by 2050. Since, it has enshrined that goal into law, alongside an interim target to cut net emissions by 55 percent by 2030, and agreed a broad range of new and revised legislation to shift to a more sustainable economy. However, the rise of security, competitiveness and cost-of-living concerns has taken some of the focus away from the transition, and green policies have seen a backlash from companies, member states and politicians.
Germany is nearly on track to meet its 2030 emissions reduction target, with rapid progress in the expansion of renewables making up for the lagging transport and heating sectors. The country's electricity system has never been so clean, partly due to a weak economy resulting in drops in manufacturing. Amidst stiff international competition, Germany must find ways to support its industry in the transition to climate neutrality.
France aims to become climate neutral by 2050, yet emission reductions lag behind targets. The country faces budget troubles and dramatic twists and turns stemming from the political crisis that began in July 2024. Renewables expansion has slowed, and state-owned electricity utility EDF faces uncertain long-term financing capacity. After years of delays, France published a plan defining its energy strategy up to 2035, which drew criticism for slashing renewables targets in favour of nuclear power.
Italy has taken significant steps in its green transition over the past decade, but the current government under prime minister Giorgia Meloni is also determined to make the country a "gas hub" in the Mediterranean Sea, illustrating ongoing deep ties to fossil fuels. Researchers and NGOs have criticised the country's draft plan to reach EU 2030 climate targets for being vague about key topics such as phasing out oil, coal and gas, and expanding alternative energy sources like wind or solar power.
Poland, one of the major economies of the European Union, is also the only country in the bloc that still produces over half of its electricity from coal. The fuel's share in the energy mix has dropped significantly in recent years, but the transition is happening without up-to-date strategies, creating social and economic risks. Topics like the Green Deal and coal mining have become heavily politicised and, with exceptions, lack consensus among the ruling class.
The coalition of the centre-right HDZ and the right-wing Homeland Movement (Domovinski pokret), which formed the government after the early election in 2024, continues with plans to expand gas infrastructure related to the LNG terminal that receives gas from the US on the island of Krk. New nuclear ideas have also emerged, with a working group on nuclear energy established whose main goal will be to enable the construction of small modular reactors (SMRs). Gas and nuclear are much more the topic of conversation within the ministry of economy than the development of the renewable sources of energy.
Are you researching an energy or climate topic in Germany or Europe? We help fellow journalists and other professionals by sharing our expertise. Just get in touch to get concise answers to specific questions, suggestions on which experts to talk to, or even a fully-fledged research plan.
We have directly supported the research of hundreds of journalists from across the world and from a wide variety of publications, from specialist magazines to international media. Academics from some of the world’s leading universities and business analysts have also drawn on our expertise.
Please provide as much information about your project as possible, and let us know if you have a deadline. For any pressing request, give us a call under +49 30 62858 497.
All requests are handled confidentially.
Receive our Daily Briefing for a digest of the past 24 hours of energy and climate media coverage and the latest on CLEW, or our Weekly Briefing for a round-up from the past seven days and news from the CLEW Journalism Network.
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Our daily news digest is the one-stop shop for anyone looking to stay on top of the most relevant topics and developments in Germany’s move to climate neutrality.
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The Daily Briefing keeps you at the forefront of Germany’s move to climate neutrality – from policy to industry and society.
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Our Weekly digest offers a highly focused overview of Germany and the EU's path to climate neutrality, as well as alerts to CLEW's latest offers.
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"I'm aware of no other group consistently producing comparable work in English. I have and will continue to recommend CLEW to colleagues interested in this area."
Tom Nuttall, Chief Germany correspondent at The Economist
"I'm always on the hunt for the next interesting story or analysis of energy transition issues. CLEW has been a great source of inspiration for that."
Jan Rosenow, Professor of Energy and Climate Policy at Oxford University
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Rowan Emslie, Chief Communications Officer at the Centre for Future Generations (CFG)
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Tina Lee, Editor-in-Chief of Unbias the News
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Our online masterclasses equip journalists through peer-to-peer knowledge sharing from our own work, facilitating cutting-edge reporting on the move to climate neutrality.
Drawing on over a decade of experience, we regularly take reporters to the heart of key energy transition stories in our carefully curated research tours. Journalists get direct access to decision-makers, analysts, NGOs, researchers, local businesses during on-site visits to exemplary locations.
The CLEW Blog offers a space for CLEW Journalism Network members to share experiences, tips and lessons on energy transition journalism as well as reports from journalism events.
We organise tours, meetings and web events to help you with reporting on the energy transition.
Researching a story? Drop CLEW a line for background material and contacts.
Journalism for the energy transition
