Zum 1. Mai 2004 werden zehn weitere Volkswirtschaften der Europäischen Union beitreten. In den Verträgen ist die künftige Einführung des Euro vorgesehen, wenngleich hier kein genauer Terminplan besteht. Acht der Beitrittsländer liegen in Mittel- und Osteuropa: Estland, Lettland, Litauen,...

Natural gas makes a major contribution to European energy supply. Consequently, the political crisis between Russia and Ukraine increases fears of the consequences of Russia suspending natural gas supplies to Ukraine and the European Union. The last time this occurred was in the winter of 2009,...

In spite of the March 2011 nuclear moratorium, the German electricity system's ability to provide a secure supply has not been jeopardized to date, and there is no prospect of this occurring in the coming decade, either. The system currently has major overcapacities due to construction of...

In its Green Paper, "A 2030 framework for climate and energy policies," the European Commission calls for a framework for the future development of environment and energy policy beyond 2020. However, much like the "Energy Roadmap 2050" adopted by the Commission in December 2011, the Green Paper...

In the second year after the shutdown of seven nuclear power plants in March 2011, the situation of the German high voltage electricity transmission grid remained robust. Even though some expansion projects are behind schedule, the grid reconstruction advances steadily as several essential lines...