Young people can again register for free rail tickets until 28 October, thanks to the Discover EU initiative, supported by the European Parliament.

Lead MEPs from the Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee decided to invite Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen to a hearing on 8 November.

Vilnius Airport, which is a part of the Lithuanian Airport network, has launched an international public call for tenders as it begins looking for a contractor which will construct a new module of a passenger departures terminal in the northern part of the airport. After the construction of this terminal with an area of 14.4 thousand square meters is complete, the total area of all passenger terminals at Vilnius Airport will increase by a third, and passenger throughput will double - from 1 200 passengers per hour to 2 400.

From heating to transport, energy is essential to everyday life, but also a major source of emissions.

Energy is the biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the EU, accounting for more than three quarters . It covers electricity production, heating and transport - all essential to everyday life. In order to reach the EU’s ambitious target of climate neutrality by 2050, emissions need to be drastically cut in the energy sector.

In 2021 gas and electricity have hit record prices. The EU is highly dependent on energy imports, especially when it comes to natural gas (90%) and oil (97%), making them vulnerable to disruptions that can increase prices. Better cooperation and interconnections of energy networks with the development of renewable energy sources can help EU countries secure energy supplies.

Read on to find out about the different proposals the EU is working on to reduce emissions from the energy sector and guarantee a safe supply.

Better connections between EU countries

Connecting energy infrastructure between EU countries can help to secure a diverse supply of energy and better mitigate possible disruptions.

The EU is currently revising rules on the funding of cross-border energy infrastructure projects in order to meet its climate goals. Every two years, a list of key infrastructure projects is selected. These projects can benefit from simplified permits and the right to apply for EU funding.

Members of Parliament’s energy committee want to stop the EU from funding natural gas projects and instead direct money to hydrogen infrastructure and carbon capture and storage. The Parliament will negotiate the rules with the European Council.

Renewable hydrogen

When hydrogen is used as an energy source, it does not emit greenhouse gases, meaning it could help decarbonise sectors where it is hard to decrease CO2 emissions. It is estimated that hydrogen could supply 20-50% of the EU’s energy demand in transport and 5-20% in industry by 2050.

However, in order to be sustainable, hydrogen must be produced by renewable electricity. MEPs have insisted on the importance of a clear distinction between renewable and low-carbon hydrogen as well as on phasing out fossil-based hydrogen.

Offshore renewable energy

Currently, wind is the only offshore renewable energy source used on a commercial scale, but the EU is looking into other sources, such as tidal and wave power, floating solar energy and algae for biofuels.

The European Commission has proposed an EU strategy to dramatically increase the production of electricity from offshore renewable sources. Offshore wind capacity alone would grow from 12GW today to 300GW by 2050. Parliament will set out its position later.

More ambitious targets

Increasing the share of renewable energy and enhancing energy efficiency are both needed in order to decarbonise the energy sector. Under legislation aiming to deliver the Green Deal’s targets, the Commission has proposed to revise the targets for both renewable energy (currently 32% by 2030) and energy efficiency (32.5% by 2030).

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Robust road safety measures, such as a 30 km per hour speed limit and zero-tolerance for drink-driving, are the way to reach zero deaths on EU roads by 2050, say MEPs.

Wizz Air has increased connectivity between Lithuania and France by resuming its direct flight between Vilnius and Paris (Beauvais Airport).

On 22–24 September, Minister of Energy Dainius Kreivys participated in the High-Level Meeting of the Partnership for Transatlantic Energy Cooperation (the so-called P-TEC cooperation format). It is already the third High-Level P-TEC meeting – this time organised in Warsaw, Poland – attended by high-level delegations, including the delegation from the USA, led by the US Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, and delegations from 24 European countries. The P-TEC meeting has been organised at the US initiative, aiming at follow-up discussions on the issue of enhancing energy security in Central and Eastern Europe. In response to the global energy developments determined by climate change, this year all P-TEC countries have agreed to include the climate change dimension in the transatlantic energy cooperation format and rename it as the Partnership for Transatlantic Energy and Climate Cooperation (the P-TECC cooperation format).

The National Cyber Security Centre under Ministry of National Defence conducted a cyber security assessment of 5G smartphones made by Chinese manufacturers and supplied in Lithuania: Huawei P40 5G , Xiaomi Mi 10T 5G, OnePlus 8T 5G.

As of October, everyone wishing to get vaccinated can do this in Litexpo vaccination centre which will be open at least until winter, pharmacies which carry out vaccination (the list is available here https://vakcina.vilnius.lt) and personal healthcare institutions.

Assisted by the European Commission, local and foreign experts, the Ministry of the Economy and Innovation has worked out a Roadmap for the integration of the Lithuanian Industry into European Value Chains proposing specific steps on how to strengthen the national competitiveness as well as economic and technology independence.