In 2023, the EU imported €19.7 billion worth of solar panels, €3.9 billion of liquid biofuels, and €0.3 billion worth of wind turbines from extra-EU countries.
In the first quarter of 2024, the EU economy's greenhouse gas emissions were estimated at 894 million tonnes of CO2-equivalents.
In 2022, hard coal for the first time was overtaken by solar energy in electricity generation in the EU.
In 2023, 1.5 million new battery-only electric passenger cars were registered in the EU, raising the total to 4.5 million.
In 2023, renewable energy emerged as the leading source of electricity in the EU, accounting for 44.7% of total electricity production.
Sweden led the way when it came to renewables in heating and cooling, with a 69.3% share, followed by Estonia (65.4%).
Wind and hydropower collectively accounted for over two-thirds of the total renewable electricity generated (37.5% and 29.9% respectively).
In 2022, Romanians were in last place in the European Union in terms of municipal waste production and recycling, according to data published by Eurostat.
In 2022, the share of renewables in transport reached 9.6% at the EU level.
Romania was among the EU states with a high share of renewable energy sources in 2022.
Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions generated by the economic activities of resident units in the European Union last year stood at 3.6 billion tons of CO2 equivalent.
From parcels for online purchases to coffee-to-go cups, packaging is almost everywhere.
In 2021, around 131 kilograms (kg) of food per inhabitant have been wasted in the EU, according to Eurostat.
In the first quarter of 2023, greenhouse gas emissions generated by the economy of the European Union totaled 941 million tons of CO2 equivalent, a decrease of 2.9% compared to the same period in 2022 (969 million tons of CO2 equivalent), shows data published by the European Statistical Office (Eurostat).
In 2021, the source that contributed the most to the EU's primary energy production was renewable energy, respectively 41% of the total energy production in the European Union. In the case of Romania, the main sources of energy in 2021 were natural gas (32.3%), renewable energy (26.7%), solid fuels (14.5%), crude oil (14.1%), and nuclear energy (12.5%).
In absolute terms, the production of electricity from renewable energy sources increased by almost 5% from 2020 to 2021.
A significant portion of EU grants is allocated to support sustainable initiatives, further driving the rise in these types of loans.
Polish energy group Orlen announced that its subsidiary, Energa Operator, has secured a €1.8bn loan to modernize the power grid, preparing it for the integration of renewable energy sources.
OMV Petrom announced the commencement of construction for a production unit dedicated to sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and renewable diesel (HVO) at the Petrobrazi refinery.
The European Investment Bank (EIB) is providing a €240 million loan to Slovakia for co-funding of EU-supported green and digital projects across the country.
In line with its 2030 ambition to decarbonize the hydrogen used in its European refineries, TotalEnergies has signed agreements with Air Liquide to develop two projects in the Netherlands.
