https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from Europe in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed Sweden's government said that the country might need to ration fuel – but there are no imminent plans of doing so – if the Middle East war drags on. https://www.thelocal.com/20260423/sweden-may-have-to-ration-fuel-as-worst-energy-crisis-in-a-long-time-deepens Thu, 23 Apr 2026 13:48:41 +0200 sweden-may-have-to-ration-fuel-as-worst-energy-crisis-in-a-long-time-deepens The European Union said on Tuesday that it was considering importing more jet fuel from the US and requiring member states to hold minimum reserves as the Middle East war squeezes supplies. Brussels will lay out a series of measures on Wednesday. https://www.thelocal.com/20260421/we-must-be-ready-eu-to-lay-out-its-plan-to-deal-with-jet-fuel-crisis Tue, 21 Apr 2026 14:48:22 +0200 we-must-be-ready-eu-to-lay-out-its-plan-to-deal-with-jet-fuel-crisis Italy could bring in nationwide emergency measures to save energy as early as May if disruption to fuel supplies in the Middle East continues. Here's what the government is planning. https://www.thelocal.com/20260408/driving-and-air-conditioning-whats-in-italys-energy-saving-emergency-plan Wed, 08 Apr 2026 12:11:15 +0200 driving-and-air-conditioning-whats-in-italys-energy-saving-emergency-plan The price of diesel fuel has rocketed by more than 30 percent across Europe since the start of the Middle East war highlighting the continent's dependence on imported energy and the lingering prominence of diesel on the car market. https://www.thelocal.com/20260404/european-drivers-choke-on-rising-diesel-prices Sat, 04 Apr 2026 16:17:02 +0200 european-drivers-choke-on-rising-diesel-prices Spain and four other European Union nations have called for a tax on windfall profits of energy companies in response to rising fuel prices due to the Middle East war, Spanish Economy Minister Carlos Cuerpo said Saturday. https://www.thelocal.com/20260404/five-eu-nations-urge-tax-on-energy-firms-windfall-profits Sat, 04 Apr 2026 14:12:23 +0200 five-eu-nations-urge-tax-on-energy-firms-windfall-profits War in the Middle East has caused energy market volatility around the globe, forcing governments in Europe to intervene and keep fuel costs down for consumers. https://www.thelocal.com/20260328/what-are-european-countries-doing-to-keep-fuel-costs-down Sat, 28 Mar 2026 14:13:15 +0100 what-are-european-countries-doing-to-keep-fuel-costs-down EU's energy chief Dan Jorgensen called on member states to help consumers and businesses by lowering taxes on energy where possible, as war in the Middle East saw oil and gas prices surge. https://www.thelocal.com/20260310/eu-countries-urged-to-lower-energy-taxes-to-reduce-consumer-bills Tue, 10 Mar 2026 17:18:48 +0100 eu-countries-urged-to-lower-energy-taxes-to-reduce-consumer-bills Nine European nations including France, Germany, Denmark, Norway and the UK vowed on Monday to build up North Sea offshore wind power with the aim of boosting climate-friendly energy while reducing dependence on foreign powers. https://www.thelocal.com/20260126/france-germany-and-nordic-countries-back-north-sea-wind-power-at-summit Mon, 26 Jan 2026 15:16:09 +0100 france-germany-and-nordic-countries-back-north-sea-wind-power-at-summit A US takeover of a major German operator of fuel storage sites has been approved, Berlin said Friday, despite warnings about the new owner's close links to US President Donald Trump. https://www.thelocal.com/20260124/us-firm-owned-by-trump-donor-buys-german-oil-storage-giant Sat, 24 Jan 2026 14:45:08 +0100 us-firm-owned-by-trump-donor-buys-german-oil-storage-giant The EU said Wednesday it wants to boost energy links between France and Spain as part of a bloc-wide push to secure power supplies, months after a massive outage hit the Iberian Peninsula. https://www.thelocal.com/20251210/eu-seeks-better-spain-france-energy-links-after-blackout Wed, 10 Dec 2025 14:25:53 +0100 eu-seeks-better-spain-france-energy-links-after-blackout Spain's electricity network suffered major voltage fluctuations in the past two weeks, the competition watchdog revealed on Wednesday, raising the spectre of a repeat of April's huge blackout. https://www.thelocal.com/20251009/is-another-major-blackout-on-its-way-to-spain Thu, 09 Oct 2025 10:12:24 +0200 is-another-major-blackout-on-its-way-to-spain Portuguese power network operator REN denied on Tuesday it was behind a message circulated on social media attributing the massive blackout across the Iberian peninsula to a rare atmospheric event. https://www.thelocal.com/20250429/claim-that-spains-blackout-was-caused-by-rare-weather-event-debunked Tue, 29 Apr 2025 14:21:02 +0200 claim-that-spains-blackout-was-caused-by-rare-weather-event-debunked Millions of people were left without power after a massive blackout hit mainland Spain on Monday, bringing transport services and businesses to a halt. https://www.thelocal.com/20250428/in-pictures-nationwide-blackout-causes-chaos-in-spain Mon, 28 Apr 2025 17:59:55 +0200 in-pictures-nationwide-blackout-causes-chaos-in-spain When Sweden's government announced its final plans for financing new nuclear, it had clearly learned some lessons from the criticism the draft proposal received last autumn. But not, perhaps, the right ones, argues The Local's Nordic Editor Richard Orange. https://www.thelocal.com/20250402/ideological-swedens-government-shrugs-off-criticism-of-nuclear-funding-plan Wed, 02 Apr 2025 11:48:54 +0200 ideological-swedens-government-shrugs-off-criticism-of-nuclear-funding-plan Following news that rare earth minerals may be part of a peace deal to end the Russia-Ukraine war, few people know that Spain is also sitting on vast reserves that could help supply European demand and present a geopolitical pivot away from China. https://www.thelocal.com/20250307/how-spains-vast-rare-earth-supplies-be-a-game-changer-for-the-eu Fri, 07 Mar 2025 12:26:17 +0100 how-spains-vast-rare-earth-supplies-be-a-game-changer-for-the-eu As Sweden dispatches three ships to defend undersea telecoms cables and power lines in the Baltic, Hans Liwång, professor at the Swedish Defence University, explains why fully protecting underwater infrastructure is almost impossible. https://www.thelocal.com/20250113/interview-how-can-sweden-protect-its-undersea-cables Mon, 13 Jan 2025 16:43:48 +0100 interview-how-can-sweden-protect-its-undersea-cables British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will visit Norway on Monday where he is expected to tout a "green industrial partnership" on renewable energy and carbon capture to tackle climate change. https://www.thelocal.com/20241216/uk-pm-starmer-to-push-for-green-energy-ties-with-norway Mon, 16 Dec 2024 10:42:29 +0100 uk-pm-starmer-to-push-for-green-energy-ties-with-norway Stuck in an economic slump without a functioning government, Germany needs to self-reflect and face up to difficult choices - especially when it comes to energy - in order to get back on track, writes former German Ambassador to UK Thomas Matussek. https://www.thelocal.com/20241127/opinion-germany-is-at-a-crossroads-and-tough-decisions-must-be-made-to-get-back-on-track Wed, 27 Nov 2024 12:14:05 +0100 opinion-germany-is-at-a-crossroads-and-tough-decisions-must-be-made-to-get-back-on-track The Swedish government has rejected applications for 13 offshore wind farms in large parts of the southern and central Baltic Sea due to concerns from the Swedish Armed Forces that it would make it more difficult to defend the country. https://www.thelocal.com/20241104/sweden-blocks-13-offshore-wind-farms-unacceptable-consequences-for-defence Mon, 04 Nov 2024 15:09:06 +0100 sweden-blocks-13-offshore-wind-farms-unacceptable-consequences-for-defence The countries bordering the North Sea meet in Denmark on Thursday to seal commitments to boost offshore wind power, a sector that is suffering from stiff competition from China. https://www.thelocal.com/20241024/denmark-hosts-european-leaders-in-bid-to-re-energise-offshore-wind-power Thu, 24 Oct 2024 16:15:46 +0200 denmark-hosts-european-leaders-in-bid-to-re-energise-offshore-wind-power