Energy News Beat

The Capitals brings you the latest news from across Europe, through on-the-ground reporting by Euractiv’s media network. You can subscribe to the newsletter here.

The European news you deserve to read. Welcome to The Capitals by Euractiv.

In today’s news from The Capitals:

MADRID

The far-right Vox party, the third-largest force in the Spanish parliament, on Thursday urged the centre-right Partido Popular to veto all potential Socialist candidates for European commissioner from the Iberian country. Read more.

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PARIS | BERLIN

Berlin-Paris clash over Mercosur worsens amid calls to split trade deal. Pressure is increasing from Germany to conclude the free trade agreement between the EU and the Latin American Mercosur bloc by December, with key politicians calling to split the deal to circumvent French opposition, blaming Paris’ “misguided patriotism.” Read more.

UK & IRELAND

LONDON

UK must keep trade open and EU close, Bank of England says. Britain should stand up for free trade and rebuild ties with the European Union as the global economy fragments, Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey said in a speech on Thursday that cast an eye towards Donald Trump’s White House return. Read more.

EUROPE’S SOUTH

ROME

NGO rejects claims of ‘sabotage’ in Albania-Italy migration deal. The humanitarian organisation SOS Mediterranée has sabotaged the Albanian-Italian migration outsourcing programme following allegations reported by Libero and echoed by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s Fratelli d’Italia on its official social media channels. Read more.

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LISBON

Commission gives countries two months to transpose EU motor insurance directive. The European Commission on Thursday gave Portugal and five other countries two months to fully transpose the EU directive on motor insurance into national law, threatening to take the matter to court. Read more.

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ATHENS

Greece in talks with Israel to develop 2 billion euro ‘Iron Dome’. Greece is in talks with Israel to develop a 2 billion euro ($2.11 billion) anti-aircraft and missile defence dome, part of a wider push to modernise its armed forces as it recovers from a protracted debt crisis, Greek officials said on Thursday. Read more.

EASTERN EUROPE

PRAGUE

Czech FM: If Europe wants US protection against Russia, it must support US on China. The United States remains Europe’s greatest ally regardless of who is in the White House, said Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský, adding that to face Russia, the EU should back newly elected US President Donald Trump’s China policy. Read more.

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WARSAW

Polish ruling coalition splits ahead of presidential elections. As Poland’s main parties prepare to announce their candidates for next year’s presidential elections, the chances of a joint ruling coalition candidate have diminished. Read more.

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BRATISLAVA

Slovak Interior Minister faces mounting pressure after police brutality incident. Slovak Interior Minister Matúš Šutaj Eštok (leader of Hlas-SD/NI) has come under fire after the death of a detainee exposed cases of police brutality, despite claiming it was an isolated incident, while the opposition is demanding accountability, including his resignation. Read more.

NEWS FROM THE BALKANS

SOFIA

Bulgaria’s infrastructure not ready to use new F-16 jets. Bulgaria, which is waiting to receive its first eight F-16 fighter jets from the US next year, does not have the infrastructure or pilots ready to even use them, said Caretaker Military Minister Atanas Zapryanov on Thursday. Read more.

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BUCHAREST

Minimum wage in Romania set to increase. Romania is ready to raise the minimum wage to 4,050 lei (about €800) from 1 January, following President Klaus Iohannis’ promulgation of the European minimum wage law on Wednesday, Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu announced on Thursday. Read more.

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ZAGREB

Croatia to purchase Turkish military drones. Croatia will buy lethal drones from Turkey in an 86-million-euro ($91 million) deal, the government said Thursday, just days after a parliamentary committee backed the purchase of US-made rocket systems. Read more.

AGENDA:

• EU: Economic and Financial Affairs Council convenes to discuss Union budget for 2025;
• Commission Vice President Vĕra Jourová speaks at the Transatlantic Policy Forum 2024, in Prague, Czechia.

***

[Edited by Sarantis Michalopoulos, Daniel Eck, Alice Taylor-Braçe, Sofia Mandilara]

Source: Euractiv.com

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Romania is ready to raise the minimum wage to 4,050 lei (about €800) from 1 January, following President Klaus Iohannis’ promulgation of the European minimum wage law on Wednesday, Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu announced on Thursday.

Ciolacu stressed that there were no electoral or other obstacles to implementing the wage increase effective 1 January 2025.

Labour Minister Simona Bucura Oprescu described the wage increase as progress towards “better paid jobs and greater economic and social stability.” Through the application of this law, the government aims to “reduce working poverty and protect purchasing power,” she added.

This newly signed law incorporates the EU’s Adequate Minimum Wages Directive 2022/2041 into national legislation to ensure a decent standard of living for all Romanian workers and reduce wage inequalities.

According to the Ministry of Labour, the law stipulates that “low wages will increase on the basis of clear economic indicators and promotes collective bargaining between employers and trade unions, thus strengthening social dialogue.”

According to official sources, Romania has the highest growth rate of minimum wages in the EU over the last decade.

Member States have two years from 6 June 2022 to directly adopt the DirecDirectivehe EU Council to comply with its provisions.

However, historical differences in national wage levels.

(Sebastian Rotaru | Euractiv.ro)

Source: Euractiv.com

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Slovak Interior Minister Matúš Šutaj Eštok (leader of Hlas-SD/NI) has come under fire after the death of a detainee exposed cases of police brutality, despite claiming it was an isolated incident, while the opposition is demanding accountability, including his resignation.

On 5 November, police in the eastern Slovak city of Košice arrested 48-year-old Ľubomír for allegedly trying to steal alcohol from a local shop. Two policemen arrived, and one of them severely beat the detainee, who was caught on the shop’s cameras. The detainee lost consciousness and was taken to hospital, where he died the following day.

The senior officer involved was arrested on Monday and charged with manslaughter, facing 12 to 15 years in prison, while his colleague was released.

Details of the case have slowly emerged, with significant revelations coming only after several days. The public was first informed on 12 November.

On Thursday, a special closed meeting of the Parliament’s Defence and Security Committee was convened to discuss the case in detail, with further disturbing information coming to light.

Opposition MP František Majerský (KDH/EPP) said after the meeting that the accused policeman had tried to influence witnesses and obtain CCTV footage after the crime. The other policeman who witnessed the fight also remains on duty.

“We will end his work contract,” police president Ľubomír Solák said at a press conference after the committee meeting, being accompanied by Interior Minister Eštok.

Solák explained that the two policemen lied in their report about the arrest of Ľubomír after the violent fight. They first claimed that the detainee was heavily intoxicated and had slipped and fallen. But the autopsy clearly showed that he died as a result of the beating.

Neither Minister Matúš Šutaj Eštok (Hlas) nor Solák has taken responsibility yet. Opposition politicians have called for their resignations, but so far, there has been no response.

“It was a failure of a single police officer, an act that should never have happened,” said Eštok.

Eštok later said he wanted to “wait until the investigation is complete before holding anyone accountable if it is proven that there was no individual failure”. He also announced plans to introduce body cameras for officers and improve psychological testing.

However, the opposition remains adamant that accountability measures are overdue. The Progressive Slovakia party (PS/RE) has repeatedly called on Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD/NI) to dismiss Interior Minister Šutaj Eštok.

“If you don’t do it, we will push for his dismissal in parliament,” said party leader Michal Šimečka.

The opposition SaS party has accused Eštok of exacerbating social tensions through his perceived arrogance and inflammatory rhetoric.

“Ľubomírs death is unquestionably the result of the policies of this government and of Matúš Šutaj Eštok, who in his one year in office has only succeeded in betraying the police,” it added, calling for participation in the 17 November demonstration.

This case is not an isolated one in Košice. Two weeks ago, MPs from the Parliamentary Human Rights Committee were in another department to investigate a case of brutal and apparently sexual violence by police officers against a man.

Four years earlier, 23-year-old Jakub was also the victim of police brutality in Košice, leaving an interrogation with two skull fractures that required emergency surgery.

(Natália Silenská | Euractiv.sk)

Source: Euractiv.com

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ENB Pub Note: Chris Wright is a class act and has the perfect mindset to be the best Energy Secretary the United States has ever had. His vision to end energy poverty has been a driving force in the industry and has had a tremendous impact on my podcast. Congratulations! We are here to help you in any way possible! 

• Liberty CEO Chris Wright backed by prominent energy voices
• Wright sees hydrocarbons as essential for ‘life opportunities’

The head of Liberty Energy Inc., the world’s second-largest fracking services company, has gained prominent endorsements as a potential pick for Donald Trump’s energy secretary.

While Chris Wright has no Washington experience, he’s made a name for himself as a vocal proponent of fossil fuels, touting their ability to raise living standards with cheap energy, while downplaying the need to transition to clean energy.

“Chris is an excellent choice for Secretary of Energy,” said Thomas Pyle, president of the American Energy Alliance, a free-market advocacy group. He led Trumps Energy Department’s transition team in 2016.

Continental Resources Chairman Harold Hamm, a Trump energy adviser and donor, told the Houston-based trade publication Hart Energy that Wright was his top choice for the job.

Chris Wright told Bloomberg Markets in 2022 that the US is not in the midst of an energy transition and said subsidies for wind and solar will only drive electricity prices higher and increase grid instability.

Wright declined to comment when reached by phone. A spokeswoman for the transition team said decisions regarding who will serve in Trump’s second administration “will be announced when they are made.”

Wright declined to comment when reached by phone. A spokeswoman for the transition team said decisions regarding who will serve in Trump’s second administration “will be announced when they are made.”

— With assistance from David Wethe and Nancy Cook – Bloomberg

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The agency said in its weekly report, citing shipping data provided by Bloomberg Finance, that the total capacity of these 26 LNG vessels is 97 Bcf.

This compares to 23 shipments and 87 Bcf in the week ending November 6.

According to data from S&P Global Commodity Insights, average natural gas deliveries to US LNG export terminals increased 1.4 Bcf/d from last week to 14.1 Bcf/d.

Natural gas deliveries to terminals in South Louisiana increased by 5 percent (0.4 Bcf/d) to 8.2 Bcf/d, and natural gas deliveries to terminals in South Texas rose by 28.2 percent (1 Bcf/d) to 4.7 Bcf/d.

The agency said that natural gas deliveries to terminals outside the Gulf Coast were essentially unchanged at 1.2 Bcf/d.

During the week under review, Cheniere’s Sabine Pass plant shipped nine LNG cargoes, and the company’s Corpus Christi facility sent four shipments.

The Freeport LNG terminal shipped five cargoes, while Sempra Infrastructure’s Cameron LNG terminal shipped four cargoes and Venture Global LNG’s Calcasieu Pass facility sent three cargoes during the week under review.

Also, the Cove Point facility shipped one cargo, and the Elba Island terminal did not ship cargoes between November 7 and November 13.

According to the agency, the Henry Hub spot price increased 30 cents from $1.80 per million British thermal units (MMBtu) last Wednesday to $2.10/MMBtu this Wednesday.

The price of the December 2024 NYMEX contract increased 24 cents, from $2.747/MMBtu last Wednesday to $2.983/MMBtu this Wednesday.

The price of the 12-month strip averaging December 2024 through November 2025 futures contracts climbed 14 cents to $3.100/MMBtu.

The agency said that international natural gas futures increased this report week.

Bloomberg Finance reported that average front-month futures prices for LNG cargoes in East Asia increased 2 cents to a weekly average of $13.54/MMBtu.

Natural gas futures for delivery at the Title Transfer Facility (TTF) in the Netherlands increased 69 cents to a weekly average of $13.48/MMBtu.

The agency said that in the same week last year (week ending November 15, 2023), the prices were $17.17/MMBtu in East Asia and $14.97/MMBtu at TTF.

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At COP29, the UK committed £79 million to help developing countries adopt clean energy, pushing the global transition away from fossil fuels.

This support package includes funding for projects to develop renewable energy, improve energy storage, and reduce industrial emissions in nations already hit hardest by climate change, including African and small island countries.

The package includes £45 million for the World Bank’s Energy Sector Management Assistance Programme.

Additionally, Innovate UK will receive £15 million to drive clean energy tech development, while £14 million will go to the UN’s Industrial Development Organisation to support zero emission industrial projects.

Another £5 million will help developing countries reduce methane emissions, reinforcing a global pledge to tackle this potent greenhouse gas.

Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said: “Climate change does not respect borders, and the UK has seen a year of record-breaking warmth. That’s why we are determined to lead from the front and drive global change, to protect future generations at home and abroad.”

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Shesh, or Venkatraman Sheshashayee, is a retired CEO living in Singapore whose first novel, Sixty is the New Assassin, will be made available to buy on Amazon come Monday.

Armed with degrees in marine engineering and management, he first sailed across half the known world and then built businesses across most of the rest of it. In his career spanning 38 years, he built companies from scratch, transformed them and turned them around. Roles included being the CEO of both Miclyn Express Offshore, and Jaya Holdings Limited as well as a stint as managing director of Greatship Global.

Shesh had been writing articles – including on this site – and short stories for a number of years.

In October 2022, he asked his wife, Radhika, what she would like for Christmas.

“A full length novel,” she replied, “with a plot that I haven’t come across before.”

Shesh got to work. As a regular runner, one of his stranger pastimes while pounding his way across Singapore is to look for cameras, and the absence of them.

“Don’t ask why,” he tells Maritime CEO. “As I did, I realised that while some areas were well covered, some were bereft. Such areas were conducive for crime, I thought while panting.”

One evening, Shesh met up with a few friends for drinks.

“Most of us were retired or were on the verge of retirement,” Shesh recounts. “What are we supposed to do for the next 20 years?” asked one. Ideas and suggested flowed fast and furious. One slightly more inebriated friend said, “We should form a vigilante group, and go after corrupt politicians.” Another agreed. “We have the knowledge, networks and money to do so,” he said.

These and other pieces gradually slotted together, and Shesh decided that he would try his hand at a full length novel about a retired CEO, who seeks relevance and meaning, and decides to use his hard-won skills to take the concept of killer instinct to a very different level. While Sixty is the New Assassin officially goes on sale on Monday, Shesh has been busy – there are already another seven books done in the series tracking the evolution of the protagonist from a law-abiding, house-broken CEO to a lethal assassin who begins to rationalise every killing as an extension of his purpose.

Quizzed as to how much of him is in the lead character, Shesh concedes there is quite a bit, minus the homicidal impulses.

“The protagonist, Ishmael Dollah, is compulsive, anal, and goal-focused. He plans and prepares for every contingency. He decides what he has to do and then justifies why he is doing it,” he says.

To order Sixty is the New Assassin, click here.

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