European Council

SUMMIT NEXT GEN TO USE HONEYWELL ETHANOL TO JET FUEL TECHNOLOGY FOR PRODUCTION OF SUSTAINABLE AVIATION FUEL

Retrieved on: 
Monday, May 15, 2023

Summit Next Gen will utilize Honeywell's ETJ technology to convert low-carbon ethanol into SAF.

Key Points: 
  • Summit Next Gen will utilize Honeywell's ETJ technology to convert low-carbon ethanol into SAF.
  • Depending on the ethanol feedstock, SAF produced with the Honeywell UOP ETJ process can reduce GHG emissions by 80% on a total lifecycle basis compared to petroleum-based jet fuel1.
  • "The creation of Summit Next Gen and our partnership with a technology leader like Honeywell UOP sets a new standard for the agriculture, ethanol, and aviation industries," said Bruce Rastetter, CEO of Summit Agricultural Group.
  • "We are delighted to collaborate with Summit Next Gen to combine Honeywell UOP ETJ technology with Summit Agricultural Group's experience in low-carbon biofuels to help the aviation industry accelerate its decarbonization."

HONEYWELL INTRODUCES UOP eFINING™ TECHNOLOGY FOR NEW CLASS OF SUSTAINABLE AVIATION FUEL

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, May 10, 2023

Honeywell's UOP eFining is a methanol to jet fuel (MTJ) processing technology that can convert eMethanol to eSAF reliably and at scale.

Key Points: 
  • Honeywell's UOP eFining is a methanol to jet fuel (MTJ) processing technology that can convert eMethanol to eSAF reliably and at scale.
  • When blended with conventional jet fuel, eSAF is a drop-in replacement fuel that requires no changes to aircraft technology or fuel infrastructure.
  • "As a leader in renewable fuel technology, Honeywell recognizes that creating technologies that use new feedstocks is vital to long-term decarbonization of the aviation sector," said Lucian Boldea, president and CEO of Honeywell Performance Materials and Technologies.
  • HIF Global is the first customer to sign a commercial agreement for the production of eSAF using Honeywell UOP eFining™.

Press release - MEPs approve €145 million in additional assistance to Moldova

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, May 9, 2023

MEPs endorsed the Commission’s proposal to give the Moldovan government support to stabilise the country’s economic situation, by 561 votes to 43, with 20 abstentions.

Key Points: 
  • MEPs endorsed the Commission’s proposal to give the Moldovan government support to stabilise the country’s economic situation, by 561 votes to 43, with 20 abstentions.
  • The support, totalling €45 million in grants and up to €100 million in loans, would be disbursed in two instalments planned for the third and fourth quarters of 2023, provided certain policy conditions are met by Moldova.
  • The energy crisis and a fall in household consumption and investment has put additional pressure on Moldova's public finances.
  • Quote
    Rapporteur Markéta Gregorová (Greens/EFA, CZ) said: “The Russian war of aggression in Ukraine did not spare anyone and certainly not Moldova.

Europe outsourcing asylum to African countries is a terrible idea – there are alternatives

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, April 18, 2023

For 40 years, western governments have entertained ideas of outsourcing asylum processing and refugee hosting to the global south.

Key Points: 
  • For 40 years, western governments have entertained ideas of outsourcing asylum processing and refugee hosting to the global south.
  • In line with these and other recent policy initiatives, prominent migration researcher Ruud Koopmans supported the idea of sending asylum seekers to Tunisia.
  • But his endorsement was poorly timed, coming right after the African Union condemned Tunisia for systematic racist violence against sub-Saharan migrants.
  • Based on this we explain the risks and frequent failures of outsourcing schemes, and offer more pragmatic alternatives for European asylum policies.

Why these policies fail

    • First, since the 1980s, there has not been enough political support in Europe for these radical ideas.
    • The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)implored the Danish government to abandon its externalisation ambitions.
    • It said that developing countries already hosted 85% of the world’s refugees, and that such policies were xenophobic.
    • A growing academic literature also argues that such externalisation policies actually represent a continuation of racialising colonial practices of transferring displaced people through imperial territories.

Niger and Rwanda

    • Rwanda has also used Danish and British desires to silence criticism of its support for the M23 militia in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
    • Niger got international praise for hosting refugees evacuated from Libyan prisons.
    • The lack of economic opportunities in Niger weighed heavily on the refugees, as did the precarious security situation on the officials.
    • According to local UNHCR staff in Niger, the government of Burkina Faso refused to host these refugees after hearing about Niger’s difficulties.

Political alternatives

    • EU states could also make it possible to claim asylum at embassies or consulates.
    • Similarly, humanitarian visas could be issued from embassies, as argued by European Parliament members in 2016.
    • These would be real steps towards dismantling so-called smuggling economies, whose incentives have only increased with the one-sided EU focus on deterrence and border control.

Europe outsourcing asylum to African countries is a terrible idea - there are alternatives

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, April 18, 2023

For 40 years, western governments have entertained ideas of outsourcing asylum processing and refugee hosting to the global south.

Key Points: 
  • For 40 years, western governments have entertained ideas of outsourcing asylum processing and refugee hosting to the global south.
  • In line with these and other recent policy initiatives, prominent migration researcher Ruud Koopmans supported the idea of sending asylum seekers to Tunisia.
  • But his endorsement was poorly timed, coming right after the African Union condemned Tunisia for systematic racist violence against sub-Saharan migrants.
  • Based on this we explain the risks and frequent failures of outsourcing schemes, and offer more pragmatic alternatives for European asylum policies.

Why these policies fail

    • First, since the 1980s, there has not been enough political support in Europe for these radical ideas.
    • The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)implored the Danish government to abandon its externalisation ambitions.
    • It said that developing countries already hosted 85% of the world’s refugees, and that such policies were xenophobic.
    • A growing academic literature also argues that such externalisation policies actually represent a continuation of racialising colonial practices of transferring displaced people through imperial territories.

Niger and Rwanda

    • Rwanda has also used Danish and British desires to silence criticism of its support for the M23 militia in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
    • Niger got international praise for hosting refugees evacuated from Libyan prisons.
    • The lack of economic opportunities in Niger weighed heavily on the refugees, as did the precarious security situation on the officials.
    • According to local UNHCR staff in Niger, the government of Burkina Faso refused to host these refugees after hearing about Niger’s difficulties.

Political alternatives

    • EU states could also make it possible to claim asylum at embassies or consulates.
    • Similarly, humanitarian visas could be issued from embassies, as argued by European Parliament members in 2016.
    • These would be real steps towards dismantling so-called smuggling economies, whose incentives have only increased with the one-sided EU focus on deterrence and border control.

Press release - Parliament marks 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, March 30, 2023

MEPs today commemorated the 25th anniversary of the Belfast Good Friday Agreement, which brought 30 years of violent conflict in Northern Ireland to an end.

Key Points: 
  • MEPs today commemorated the 25th anniversary of the Belfast Good Friday Agreement, which brought 30 years of violent conflict in Northern Ireland to an end.
  • Opening the commemorative ceremony, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola hailed the Good Friday agreement (GFA) as one “which has instilled harmony between people”, adding that there were few examples in history of a “peoples’ peace agreement”.
  • European Council President Charles Michel celebrated the Belfast Good Friday Agreement as a "remarkable achievement" steered by visionary leaders who did not fear compromise.
  • The Belfast Agreement opened a new era of cooperation, “it was a new beginning” and since then giant steps forward have been taken.

Press release - MEPs debate results of March EU summit with Presidents Michel and von der Leyen

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, March 30, 2023

MEPs debate results of March EU summit with Presidents Michel and von der Leyen

Key Points: 
  • MEPs debate results of March EU summit with Presidents Michel and von der Leyen
    Reviewing the latest European Council, MEPs called for EU action to enhance the industrial sector, support households and businesses and continue backing Ukraine.
  • He welcomed the leaders’ endorsement to send additional weapons and ammunitions to Ukraine, a major step towards a European defence system.
  • Regarding long-term competitiveness, Mr Michel said that Europe must become “a powerhouse of innovation”, particularly on renewable energy and clean technologies.
  • Von der Leyen also stressed that the international community needs to do everything possible to bring home all the Ukrainian children illegally deported to Russia since the outbreak of the war.

Press release - MEPs demand the EU boosts clean tech industry and fights human trafficking

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, March 15, 2023

MEPs demand the EU boosts clean tech industry and fights human trafficking

Key Points: 
  • MEPs demand the EU boosts clean tech industry and fights human trafficking
    In a debate with Presidents Michel and von der Leyen, MEPs reviewed the outcomes of the 9 February EU summit and outlined their expectations for the 23-24 March European Council.
  • He said that the EU supports President Zelenskyy’s peace formula, but admitted that the Kremlin has given no indication it is interested in de-escalation.
  • In his view, the EU should focus on making investment available to companies, encouraging innovation and supporting fair trade.
  • However, “China is a reality, a key actor” with whom the EU must engage at global level, he insisted.