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The document analyzes the 2026 State of the European Union address, emphasizing that while the EU has made progress in clean electricity, it now faces a critical 'delivery' phase. It argues for a diverse energy mix including clean firm power, the acceleration of grid expansion to resolve connection bottlenecks, and the use of the Industrial Decarbonisation Bank to move projects to final investment decisions. Additionally, it stresses the importance of maintaining strong methane regulations and creating lead markets for low-carbon products to ensure industrial competitiveness and energy security.

The author contends that weakening the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) would undermine the transition to an electric economy by removing the financial incentive for companies to shift from fossil fuels to clean electricity. While the Electrification Action Plan provides a target of 46% electrification by 2040, the author asserts that a strong carbon price is required to justify long-term investments in cleaner production and infrastructure. The text highlights a divide within the business community, noting that while some companies lobby for lower carbon costs, others—including SAP, Volvo Cars, and Schneider Electric—advocate for clear rules and faster electrification to reduce exposure to volatile fossil fuel markets.

A coalition of organisations calls on the European Commission's DG AGRI to operationalise the EU Protein Plan through CAP national recommendations. The authors argue that reducing reliance on imported protein feed and fertilisers is essential for geopolitical security and climate resilience. They propose specific measures, including support for legume production, investment in processing infrastructure, and the promotion of agroecological farming systems to improve feed autonomy and circular nutrient management.

A joint letter from European and Irish civil society organisations requests that Ireland, during its EU Presidency, advocate for an EU-wide tax on fossil fuel profits at the September 18-19, 2026, ECOFIN meeting. The authors argue that colossal industry profits, including €82 billion in post-tax profits from EU operations in 2023, should be taxed to fund the energy transition, support households, and provide international climate finance. They propose that the European Commission monitor profit margins, analyze national tax best practices, explore tax designs based on the 2022 Solidarity Contribution and models in Norway and the UK, and implement mechanisms to prevent profit shifting, such as unitary taxation of consolidated global profits.

Global Witness reports that Mondelez has shifted from supporting the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) to actively lobbying for its weakening and delay. The company has engaged with US Ambassador to the EU Andrew Puzder, joined the American Chamber of Commerce to the EU, and targeted conservative MEPs and government officials in France, Germany, Ireland, and Luxembourg. This lobbying occurs despite Mondelez's lack of transparency regarding its deforestation-free cocoa supply and its links to forest destruction in West Africa.

The policy brief examines the 'cross-chain' risks in the carbon capture and storage (CCS) value chain, where delays in transport or storage infrastructure leave industrial emitters facing a 'double burden': the cost of capture equipment and continued EU ETS payments for uncaptured emissions. It contrasts the EU's current funding gaps with the UK's 'CCS business models' and suggests the EU utilize ETS revenues or the proposed Industrial Decarbonisation Bank to provide financial safeguards during infrastructure outages.

The document evaluates the 2013 Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), noting that while the share of stocks exploited at or below Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) rose from 50% in 2014 to 63% in 2022, environmental and socio-economic progress remains uneven. It highlights a disparity in the fishing fleet where small-scale coastal fisheries saw net profits grow by 131.9% between 2013 and 2023, while large-scale and distant water fisheries saw profits fall by 244.5% and 90.6% respectively, despite receiving significantly higher operating subsidies. The authors argue that current failures are due to implementation gaps rather than framework flaws, calling for the prohibition of capacity-enhancing subsidies, the protection of 30% of EU seas via a proposed European Ocean Act, and a shift toward low-impact, decarbonised fishing gear.

The document analyzes the CSDDD's environmental scope, due diligence obligations, and enforcement mechanisms following the Omnibus I Directive amendments. It argues that the current scope is too narrow, particularly regarding downstream activities and climate transition plans, and recommends that Member States use their transposition discretion to strengthen environmental protections, ensure a comprehensive definition of environmental impacts, and establish robust civil liability and administrative enforcement regimes.

The report identifies 'Europe’s Democracy Stack' as a strategic public infrastructure consisting of independent organizations that perform nine critical public-interest functions, including disinformation research, digital rights litigation, and compliance monitoring. Despite its importance to the EU's digital sovereignty, the analysis finds that the stack is overwhelmingly dependent on non-EU funding—specifically US government and philanthropic sources—which is currently contracting. The authors argue that the EU's current short-term grant-based funding is structurally mismatched with the long-term nature of these functions. To close this capability gap, the paper proposes two primary reforms for the 2028–2034 Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF): cost-neutral changes to the AgoraEU program to provide multiyear operating grants and the creation of a €1 billion European Democracy Stack Endowment Fund to provide a permanent funding anchor.

The report argues that the European Central Bank (ECB) fails to account for the biodiversity risks associated with the fossil fuel industry in its monetary and supervisory operations. Despite recognizing nature-related risks, the ECB maintains assets from high-risk fossil fuel companies in its corporate portfolios and allows them as collateral. Furthermore, the report finds that EU banks under ECB supervision provided US$161 billion to companies with fossil fuel projects in critical biodiversity areas between 2021 and 2025. The authors recommend that the ECB adopt a 'double materiality' approach, exclude biodiversity-harming fossil fuel companies from its portfolios and collateral framework, and require banks to implement roadmaps to cease financing such activities.

The document asserts that climate change is a systemic financial risk that threatens the global economy and the living conditions of beneficiaries, thereby making climate action an integral part of an asset owner's fiduciary duty. It advocates for a 'systemic approach' that prioritizes long-term stability over short-term gains, urging asset owners to halt capital allocation to fossil fuel expansion, engage aggressively with portfolio companies, influence asset managers, and advocate for ambitious public policies. The report highlights that current risk models often underestimate the potential for catastrophic economic losses, which could reach 50% of global GDP by the end of the century.

A coalition of European and international organisations calls on the EU leadership to launch an independent report to end fossil fuel dependence. The proposed report would quantify the economic burden of fossil fuels, chart a competitive phase-out pathway using proven technologies, align financial subsidies with the exit, ensure a just transition for workers and vulnerable households, and prioritise nature-based solutions for climate action.

A coalition of European and international organisations, industry associations, and national NGOs is calling on the European Commission to launch an independent report to end Europe's dependence on fossil fuels. The letter argues that continued reliance on fossil fuels has caused significant economic burdens, including over €50 billion in added energy costs, and has exacerbated the human toll of the climate crisis. The proposed report would focus on five priorities: quantifying the economic burden of dependence, charting a competitive phase-out pathway using proven solutions, aligning EU and national finance with the exit, ensuring a just transition for vulnerable groups, and scaling up nature-based solutions.

Carbon Market Watch asserts that free allowances in the EU ETS have failed to drive decarbonisation, instead allowing heavy industry to generate profits while avoiding pollution costs. The organization criticizes the European Commission's revision proposal for extending free allocations and calls for a full phase-out by 2034 for CBAM sectors and a plan for all other sectors, insisting that any remaining subsidies be tied to proven investments in zero-carbon transformation and social safeguards.

Poland integrates national health as a key component of its national security, managed through the Government Centre for Security (RCB) and the Ministry of Health. While the 2022 National Crisis Management Plan (KPZK) provides detailed response modules for biological incidents, the document argues that Poland lacks a dedicated national biodefense strategy. Current priorities include investing in real-time disease forecasting, diagnostic facilities, and securing pharmaceutical supply chains within the EU.

The document warns that a record-breaking El Niño event is being leveraged by disinformation campaigns to attribute extreme weather to natural cycles rather than fossil fuel emissions. It highlights the resulting food insecurity risks in Central America, Southern Africa, and South Asia, while arguing that the most effective defense against climate denial is not fact-checking, but the support of community-led information networks in places like Colombia, Nepal, and Nigeria.

Reclaim Finance criticizes the Council of the European Union for proposing that "transition" funds under the SFDR be available to oil and gas companies, provided they meet a 20% EU Taxonomy capex threshold and set Scope 1 and 2 targets. The author contends this position, influenced by lobbying from entities like TotalEnergies and the French government, ignores Scope 3 emissions and allows continued fossil fuel expansion. The document calls on the European Parliament to exclude companies developing new oil and gas projects from such funds to ensure the credibility of sustainable finance.

Reclaim Finance criticizes the EU Council's June 2026 position on the SFDR, which would allow fossil fuel developers to access "transition" funds based on a 20% capex alignment with the EU taxonomy and scope 1 and 2 decarbonization targets. The author contends this approach, influenced by oil and gas lobbying—specifically TotalEnergies and the French government—ignores scope 3 emissions and risks legitimizing greenwashing. The document calls on the European Parliament to exclude companies developing new oil and gas projects from such funds during its September 2026 deliberations.

The F-List 2026 identifies 1,321 contracts between 802 agencies and 386 fossil fuel clients across 73 countries. The report argues that creative agencies facilitate a 'creative cover-up' by positioning fossil fuels as essential for energy security and economic stability, while often ignoring the 'advertised emissions' generated by these campaigns in their own sustainability reporting. Key findings highlight that Omnicom holds the highest number of fossil fuel contracts ever recorded (118), while Edelman is identified as having the highest financial dependency on fossil fuel income among holding companies at an estimated 5.64% of revenue. The report also notes a trend of using natural gas as a 'driver of progress' in recent campaigns in Japan and Colombia.

The report finds that while Poland has significant geological storage potential (estimated at 15 Gt) and industrial demand in hard-to-abate sectors like cement, the CCS sector remains pre-commercial due to regulatory uncertainty and a lack of revenue support. It identifies regulatory certainty and revenue adequacy as the most critical barriers to final investment decisions (FID). To address these, the report proposes a three-phase roadmap: establishing regulatory and financing foundations by 2027, initiating pre-commercial value chains by 2030, and expanding infrastructure for market scale-up thereafter. Key recommendations include adopting a national CCS strategy, implementing Carbon Contracts for Difference (CCfDs), and creating a digital 'one-stop shop' for permitting to align with Net Zero Industry Act (NZIA) requirements.