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The report argues that European security of supply planning and clean procurement policies have been uncoordinated, often resulting in capacity mechanisms that favor fossil fuels and contracts that distort short-term market signals. It proposes a shift toward 'market-aligned' contracting—such as index REC structures—and co-optimized multi-product markets that separately value energy, capacity, and clean attributes to attract clean investment without sacrificing operational efficiency.

The document highlights the use of methane drainage and utilization systems at the Pniówek Coal Mine in Poland to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. By capturing methane from coal seams and using it for on-site power or heat, the mine converts high-global warming potential methane into CO2. This specific project is estimated to reduce emissions by over 110,000 tonnes of CO2e per year, with a broader global potential for such solutions estimated at 833 MtCO2e.

The document outlines a series of 'must-have' and 'nice-to-have' recommendations for the Polish state and the European Union to unlock SMR deployment. For Poland, priorities include durable political support, flexible financing models like adjustable Contracts for Difference (CfDs), national coordination for technology down-selection, and a dedicated workforce development framework. It also emphasizes the need to streamline permitting for SMRs on industrial sites, potentially leveraging the EU's Net-Zero Industrial Act (NZIA). At the EU level, the document calls for increased funding from existing and future funds (MFF 2028-34), a more relaxed State Aid process, and the formal recognition of nuclear technology's contribution to decarbonisation goals. Additionally, it suggests that Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries pursue joint procurement and a coordinated approach to reproduce successful pilot projects to achieve economies of scale.

In 2025, Türkiye became Europe's fourth-largest market for new battery electric vehicles (BEVs), with sales reaching approximately 190,000 units. This growth saw the BEV share of new car sales rise to 17%, matching the European Union average for the first time. Despite this momentum, BEVs represent only 2.1% of all registered cars in Türkiye, and gasoline consumption increased by 16% in the first 11 months of 2025. The report highlights that while domestic production and tax-compatible models drove growth, high overall tax burdens and exchange rate fluctuations remain challenges to further reducing energy imports.

In 2025, EU wholesale electricity prices rose in 21 countries, driven by spikes during peak gas-use hours. Grid-scale battery capacity in the EU exceeded 10 GW in 2025, more than double the 4 GW recorded in 2023. A pipeline of projects in Germany, Poland, and Italy could push capacity beyond 40 GW, potentially displacing costly gas generation and reducing the waste of curtailed wind and solar power.

In 2025, the EU power sector reached a tipping point as wind and solar generated 30.1% of electricity, surpassing all fossil fuel sources at 29.0%. Solar generation hit a record 369 TWh, growing by 20.1% over 2024, while coal fell to a historic low of 9.2% of the mix. Despite a slight increase in gas power generation and associated import costs, renewables provided nearly half of the EU's electricity (47.7%), with solar output helping to offset low wind and hydro production caused by unusual weather in early 2025.

The report finds that while over 75% of NATO countries include climate change and nearly 70% include food security in their security strategies, these issues remain siloed. Most concrete actions focus on military emissions mitigation and direct adaptation rather than the indirect security implications of food and water insecurity. The author argues that climate-driven disasters create vulnerabilities that adversaries like Russia and China exploit through disinformation, weaponized migration, and food weaponization. The report recommends updating NATO's baseline resilience requirements and targeting investments toward "stability multipliers" that address the nexus of climate, food, and security both domestically and in the developing world.

Danfoss is implementing a decarbonization strategy at its Grodzisk, Poland facility by combining the construction of near-zero emission halls with the retrofitting of older facilities. Key measures include replacing natural gas with electric heat pumps and boilers, implementing a 'Shutting Off Initiative' for idle machinery, and installing waste heat recovery systems. These actions have resulted in significant energy savings, including 4,600 kWh per day from powering down machines and €420,000 in annual savings from air handling unit retrofits.

The report finds widespread concern about climate impacts across the political spectrum, with a strong public demand for government-led adaptation efforts. Respondents primarily link climate change to economic risks, such as the cost of living and job security, and view adaptation as a necessary complement to, rather than a replacement for, emissions reductions.

In 2025, the EU reached a milestone where wind and solar generated more electricity (30.1%) than all fossil fuel sources (29.0%) for the first time on record. Solar generation grew by 20.1% to reach a record 369 TWh, while coal fell to a historic low of 9.2% of the mix. Despite this, gas generation rose by 8% due to low hydro output, increasing the EU power sector's gas import bill by 16% to €32 billion. The report highlights the role of a growing battery pipeline—exceeding 10 GW of large batteries in 2025—in reducing reliance on expensive gas and mitigating the curtailment of clean power, particularly in Germany.

The document examines the 'greying' of Europe and the resulting political tensions, the failure of pronatalist policies in Hungary and Poland, the role of digital platforms in youth-led protests in Nepal and Africa, and the structural challenges of the kafala system in the Middle East. It advocates for institutional reforms to ensure intergenerational justice and a shift away from growth-oriented economics toward a model centered on care.

The analysis of 44 media channels across four countries identified 815 cases of climate disinformation, with 85% occurring in private media. France experienced the highest volume of disinformation (665 cases), while Spain had the lowest (20 cases). In Europe, disinformation focuses heavily on renewable energy, often linked to anti-EU sentiment and perceived industrial decline, particularly in Poland. In Brazil, disinformation is tied to pro-agribusiness narratives and climate change denial. Peaks in disinformation correlate with environmental policy debates, international events, extreme weather, and statements by influential figures like Donald Trump.

The analysis of 44 media channels across four countries identified 815 cases of climate disinformation, with 85% occurring in private media. France showed the highest volume of cases, while Spain had the lowest. The report finds a negative correlation between the volume of climate coverage and the prevalence of disinformation, noting that disinformation often aligns with specific national narratives: pro-agribusiness in Brazil, anti-EU sentiment and industrial decline in Poland, and renewable energy skepticism in France.

The policy brief examines the potential of small modular reactors (SMRs) to provide firm, low-carbon energy and industrial heat within the EU. It identifies significant structural barriers to deployment, including fragmented national licensing processes, uncertain state aid timelines, and a lack of standardised financing models. The author argues that to avoid a series of isolated, high-cost projects, the EU must move toward serial production and regulatory alignment, focusing early efforts on a limited number of mature designs to build supply chain and workforce capacity.

In 2025, solar and wind power expanded fast enough to outpace global electricity demand growth for the first time over a sustained period. Solar growth accelerated in Africa and Central Europe, while BRICS nations now generate over half of global solar power. The rise of 'electrotech'—led by China—and falling battery costs are enabling fossil-free baseload power and supporting the energy demands of AI and data centres.

The report argues that high electricity prices, often inflated by policy-related levies, make heat pumps less cost-competitive than gas boilers despite their superior efficiency. It analyzes various policy levers—such as removing levies, reducing VAT, or implementing innovative tariffs—to lower the electricity-to-gas price ratio, which the European Heat Pump Association suggests should be no higher than 2 for competitiveness. The analysis highlights that the Netherlands, with the lowest price ratio (1.4), has significantly higher heat pump sales than countries like Germany, Poland, or Hungary, where ratios exceed 3.

The document outlines the potential for geothermal energy to decarbonize district heating in Central and Eastern Europe, identifying financing and risk as the primary bottlenecks. It highlights national strategies in Hungary, Croatia, Poland, and Slovakia, while advocating for the adoption of next-generation technologies and a unified regional voice to influence EU policy.

The report finds that the EU is not on track to meet its 2030 interconnection targets, with 80% of the power system expected to miss the goal. To reach an optimal grid by 2040, Europe needs to nearly double its interconnection capacity, adding 151 GW. This expansion requires an estimated €150 billion in investment, leaving a €30 billion public funding gap in the proposed 2028-2034 Connecting Europe Facility for Energy (CEF-E) budget.

The report argues that the current EU public procurement framework, specifically Directive 2014/24/EU, fails to drive the green transition because GPP remains voluntary, leading to fragmented implementation and a prevalence of lowest-price awards. It identifies three primary challenges: a fragmented legal landscape, the voluntary nature of GPP, and perceived legal uncertainty regarding the 'link to subject matter' rule. To address these, the authors recommend making GPP the default via a 'comply-or-explain' approach, tying 'Buy European' rules to environmental performance, simplifying rules through harmonized criteria and labels, strengthening data monitoring, and investing in the professionalization of contracting authorities. The report provides detailed operational options for both simplification and strategic procurement to support the EU's 2040 emissions targets.

The report identifies 27 factors across four themes—EU internal dynamics, expected effects of enlargement, attitudes/norms/perceptions, and external factors—that influence EU accession decisions. It argues that while the process is formally merit-based, EU actors exercise significant discretion, with normative factors dominating early candidacy and economic or political interests predominating during later negotiations. The analysis highlights how these factors varied across the 'Big Bang' (2004), 'Coda' (2007), and Croatia (2013) rounds, and provides forecasts for the 'Trio' of Ukraine, Moldova, and Georgia.