BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The European Union’s economic crisis took precedence over solidarity at a meeting of energy ministers on Friday, with big economies reluctant to fund a 1 trillion euro ($1.3 trillion) vision for energy infrastructure.

Ministers were meeting for their first discussion of plans by EU energy commissioner Guenther Oettinger for massive investment to bolster energy security and distribute green electricity.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – European fisheries ministers have agreed minor cuts to quotas for some vulnerable deep-sea fish and more stringent measures to protect rare sharks.

The European Union is trying to nurse its fish stocks back to health after decades of over-exploitation. Deep-sea fish are particularly vulnerable as they reproduce so slowly.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Children born today in countries such as Spain and Italy will witness a 7 degrees Celsius rise in summer temperatures by the end of their lives, the European Union’s environment watchdog warned on Tuesday.

Deaths due to heat shock will rise, southern crops such as grapes will be pushed northwards and flagship European plants such as Switzerland’s edelweiss will face extinction, the European Environment Agency (EEA) said.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The European Union’s executive Commission has proposed banning from 2013 the most common types of carbon offsets, mostly from India and China, in order to boost money flowing to offset projects in the poorest countries.

The Commission proposed that from January 1, 2013 the EU should exclude from its Emissions Trading Scheme offset credits from HFC 23 and nitrous oxide credits from adipic acid production, it said in a statement on Thursday.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The European Union has banned all Afghan airlines from flying into European airspace because of the country’s failure to set up a proper safety regime, the executive Commission said on Tuesday.

National carrier Ariana Afghan Airlines was already banned and there were some restrictions on Kam Air, but the new EU blacklist extends the embargo to other carriers such as Safi Airways.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Moscow is “closely watching” Europe’s shift to renewable energy and foresees continued demand for gas to balance fluctuations in green energy output, Russian Energy Minister Sergei Shmatko said on Monday.

The 27-country European Union relies heavily on Russian gas supplies to heat and power the homes of its 500 million people, but aims to increase the share of renewable energy to 20 percent over the next decade, putting its overall needs in question.

BRUSSELS, Nov 17 (Reuters) – Europe’s energy chief took the
first step on Wednesday towards defining a list of gas and power
distribution projects by 2012 that will benefit from public
funds and fast-tracked building permits.

Energy Commissioner Guenther Oettinger prioritised four
corridors for electricity and three for gas with the aim of
binding together the supplies of all 27 European Union
countries.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – European governments have fulfilled a promise to deliver 2.2 billion euros ($3 billion) to help poor countries tackle climate change, EU reports show, but critics say the money might have come from rebranding existing aid pledges.

At last year’s Copenhagen climate summit, rich countries pledged $30 billion of “fast start finance” to help poorer countries adapt to climate change and reduce their greenhouse gas emissions during 2010-2012.

BRUSSELS, Nov 15 (Reuters) – Europe’s energy chief will this
week reveal his blueprint for massive new gas pipelines,
high-tech “electricity highways” and up to 8,000 km of pipes for
transporting and burying greenhouse gases, a leaked draft shows.

Energy Commissioner Guenther Oettinger last week issued a
warning over gas and oil imports and unveiled a strategy for
investing 1 trillion euros ($1.4 trln) over the next decade to
bolster energy security.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Europe’s fishing chief called for a cut of up to 50 percent in next year’s haul of cod on Thursday after reviewing evidence that the main species used in fish and chips is not recovering from being over-fished.

Scotland, where annual fishing revenues are around 445 million pounds, looked likely to be hit hardest by the proposal from EU fisheries commissioner Maria Damanaki, which is designed to rectify years of mismanagement of stocks.