The end of a busy year – a time for pause

As we come to the close of a busy year, it’s worthwhile to take time to pause and reflect on everything that we’ve achieved this year. For UNICA it has indeed been an interesting and eventful year, full of activity on two key dossiers that are of critical importance...

COP 23 – We are here!

– Visit UNICA’s booth at COP23 in Bonn, Germany – Attend our discussion on how biofuels can fight climate change and promote sustainable development at the Brazilian Pavilion on 15 November at 14:00 CET with speakers from ApexBrasil, SE4ALL / Below 50, the...

Mercosur: sweeten the deal

The EU-Mercosur trade deal is close to the finishing line and the final breakthrough might still come by the end of the year. This trade agreement between the EU and the four Mercosur Members – Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay – would be the largest...

Is the EU serious about sugar reform?

There is hardly a single sector in the EU that is as protected as much as sugar. For decades the EU sugar beet industry benefited, together with other measures, of minimum prices and extremely high import tariffs. At a current international price for raw sugar of €255...

Decarbonizing transport in a post-fact world

2016 was the warmest year on record since the industrial revolution. At Politico’s recent debate on decarbonizing Europe’s transport, that was held in Brussels, DuPont’s Jan Koninckx recognised that the most immediate way to decarbonise transport is through cleaner...

The ‘year of delivery’ comes to an end

Dear readers, This is our last post of the year. 2016 will definitely go down in history as an eventful year, both on the political and policy levels. I hope you will all get to disconnect from work, rest, and enjoy the Winter Holidays with families and friends. The...

Many questions and not enough answers

Are we not losing sight of the main objective: reduce GHG emissions from transport? My feeling after having read and digested the new proposal on the Renewable Energy Directive is that by 2030 there will probably not be a massive change in how much we emit from our...

Why science matters

Like most people with an interest in European energy issues, we are impatiently waiting for the release of the European Commission’s ‘Winter Package’. In this package, the Commission will amongst other things present its much awaited and certainly controversial new...