Europe in the face of soaring energy prices

Audio 7:30 p.m.

Demonstrators protest against the cost of electricity, in Barcelona, ​​November 6, 2021. (Illustrative image) © LLUIS GENE / AFP

By: Juliette Rengeval Follow

3 mins

Soaring energy prices come as the severity of the climate crisis requires giving up most of the current fossil fuels.

Beyond the policy conducted at European level, it is up to national governments to decide between reacting to the emergency and maintaining purchasing power.

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Since mid-December 2021,

has been facing the most serious energy crisis since its independence 13 years ago (2008).

Daily cuts had to be put in place and it is in this tense context that the small Balkan country has just banned the mining of cryptocurrencies.

In the world of cryptocurrencies, "mining" does not mean digging the earth, or extracting coal. The term relates to a crucial step and fundamental principle of cryptocurrencies. It is the act that makes it possible to ensure the integrity of the blockchain, to create new units of cryptocurrencies, and which makes the whole ecosystem work. The details of

In

, electricity prices have tripled since last summer (2021). If, for individuals, the tariffs are regulated by an independent public body, this is not the case for companies which have to face intense speculation on energy tariffs. Already affected by the Covid pandemic, many small family businesses are now on the brink and could well go bankrupt. In Sofia,

In

, soaring electricity prices have reignited the nuclear debate.

Nine months before the legislative elections, in September 2022, the conservative right and the far right have launched a campaign to stop the shutdown of the last power stations and build new ones. 

Turkey: the patron Kavala in front of the judges before a new ultimatum addressed to Ankara

Osman Kavala has been imprisoned for more than four years in

, accused of having financed the anti-government protests in Gezi Park in June 2013 and of being involved in the failed coup of July 2016. But, the European Court of Human Rights believes that Osman Kavala is being prosecuted without evidence and being detained for political reasons.

By a majority of two-thirds of its members, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe decided on 2 December 2021 to launch infringement proceedings against Turkey.

An extremely rare procedure, motivated by the Turkish refusal to release the businessman and patron.

A new hearing of his trial takes place this Monday, January 17… Turkey still has a chance to escape sanctions if Osman Kavala is finally released.

In Istanbul,

Franceline Beretti's European Eye

On Wednesday January 19, 2022, Emmanuel Macron will present to MEPs the priorities of France, which has taken over the Presidency of the Council of the EU for 6 months... He already announced in December 2021, at a press conference, the three axes of this French presidency: revival, power and belonging.

But, however proactive the French president may be, will that be enough to leave his mark on Brussels politics?

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• Energies

• Kosovo

• Currencies

• Economic crisis

• Bulgaria

• Sweden

• Turkey

• European Union

• Emmanuel Macron

• Nuclear

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