Sean Goulding Carroll

Trump turmoil leaves Parliament’s US files in limbo - Contexte MEPs will meet Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič in Strasbourg on 10 March to discuss whether to resume work on the EU-US trade deal negotiated in Turnberry last year.

Geopolitical shocks from Washington — from tariffs to security threats — is upending the European Parliament’s ability to conclude US-related files. The frenetic pace of the White House is clashing with the Parliament's consensus-building culture. More: @contexte.com
www.contexte.com/eu/article/p...

Trump's social media site Truth Social appears to have crashed - the only thing that remains visible is "Proudly Made in America". A wonderful bit of poetic irony.

Commission overhaul sparks staff backlash - Contexte Critics say the reform of the European civil service reflects the top-down decision-making that has defined Ursula von der Leyen’s second term. The Berlaymont maintains the review process is ‘highly i...

The European Commission's first major administrative overhaul in decades is meant to ready the institution for global challenges. But what Brussels bills as modernisation has landed badly among the institution's staff. Read @contexte.com's latest Power article: www.contexte.com/eu/article/p...

How a Hungarian think tank is rewriting Brussels’ political boundaries - Contexte MCC Brussels says it wants to build “an alternative intelligentsia” in the EU capital to challenge the centrist worldview. But as the European Parliament shifts rightward and new alliances emerge, cri...

My first piece for @contexte.com looks at MCC Brussels, a think tank with ties to Hungary’s conservative Fidesz party. The organisation's aim is to build “an alternative intelligentsia”, which mainstreams ultraconservative rhetoric on issues like gender + migration. www.contexte.com/eu/article/p...

[Press release] Sean Carroll Joins Contexte As EU Politics Reporter - Contexte - Deep information Contexte announces the appointment of Sean Carroll as EU politics reporter. In this role, he will contribute to the launch of a new English-language vertical fully dedicated to the world of EU public ...

I’m delighted to share that I'm joining the stellar team at @contexte.com as EU politics reporter. In an evolving landscape for EU policy media, Contexte has built a reputation for serious, detailed reportage. I’m looking forward to contributing as we ramp up our English-language coverage.

Hmmm… The restaurant I went to here in the capital of Belgium got the country it’s located in wrong.

Thanks to @ciarancuffe.bsky.social for chatting with me for the article.

As Europe rearms, the European Greens are trying to link military spending with climate measures, ensuring Europe's defence push doesn’t come at the expense of carbon neutrality. However, not all Greens are comfortable with the bloc's rearmament.

Read my latest for @eurcorrespond.bsky.social:

Incredibly biased headline and angle, running with the notion that any challenge to motonormativity destroys commerce. It implies that people that cycle or walk instead of driving are an economic drain.

So the premise is that VDL survived the motion of censure only to fall on her own sword due to a strongly-worded letter from the perpetually whining Ryanair man?

This was fun: cities matter, and they’re crucial in tackling the climate crisis.

Flights are always more expensive in summer, but these prices are exceptionally high for one-way with Ryanair to Dublin. Are people in Brussels trying to escape the heatwave by travelling to more temperate shores?

In today’s episode of The Jolt, Sean looks at calls for cities to have a greater role in designing EU climate policy, plus an Australian green hydrogen project gets scrapped

Listen Now: foresightmedia.com/story/sr2z4p...

@kirataylor.bsky.social
@sgcarroll.bsky.social

Maintaining the focus on climate in a turbulent era In a world beset by military conflict and economic woes, climate issues are taking a political backseat. Co-chair of the European Green Party and former MEP Ciarán Cuffe joins The Urban Report to disc...

For my final time hosting The Urban Report on @foresight-ce.bsky.social, I'm joined by @ciarancuffe.bsky.social. We discuss his experiences in the EU Parliament, whether defence, competitiveness and climate concerns can co-exist politically, and the role of cities in pushing forward climate action.

In today’s episode of The Jolt, Sean looks at how Munich is funding its transition to carbon neutrality, plus could NATO’s new spending target be good for green energy?

Listen now: foresightmedia.com/story/sU3MPN...

@smorgan.bsky.social
@sgcarroll.bsky.social

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In today’s episode of The Jolt, Sean looks at the steps the Finnish city of Turku is taking to achieve carbon neutrality by 2029, plus Kira reports on the United Kingdom’s push to cut electricity...

Listen now: foresightmedia.com/story/siot0W...

@kirataylor.bsky.social
@sgcarroll.bsky.social

The true cost of free public transport Cities worldwide are experimenting with free-to-use public transport as a means to rein in emissions and cut air pollution. Yet, experts suggest that the move may not be as effective as thought, with ...

I wrote a long piece examining fare-free public transport. Investing in frequency and quality, with targeted subsidies for those who need them, seems to be a better option.

foresightmedia.com/story/sBLL8k...

Green regulation rollback is not the answer to the housing crisis With the housing crisis ongoing, conservative politicians have recommended reducing environmental regulations to accelerate home construction. While doing so may affect prices in the short term, it wi...

For more, listen to the piece here: foresightmedia.com/story/sB8DUT...

In a nutshell, experts say that cutting green regulations on housing now is a short-term move that will lower upfront costs while pushing up living costs, and which will likely mean that buildings need to be renovated in the future to meet climate/comfort standards.

The housing affordability crisis stems from more than just a lack of supply - inequality, financial speculation, and inefficient use of existing housing stock also play a part. Indeed, addressing the housing crisis will partly involve reexamining how we use the buildings that we already have.

However, experts warn this ignores long-term costs: higher energy bills, poor living conditions, and climate harm.

A lower purchase price would likely be offset by the cost of living in the home, which would require considerably more fuel to heat/cool, often with additional climate harm.

Politicians such as Donald Trump and Keir Starmer have argued that slashing environmental regulations will ease the housing crisis by speeding up construction. Doing so, they say, would "unleash" the construction sector to build more homes, boosting supply and dropping prices.

As the housing crisis lumbers on, some politicians have asserted that environmental regulations are to blame for the situation, as they make it too difficult and expensive to build.

For my latest @foresight-ce.bsky.social audio piece I scrutinised this push to cut regulations. (short 🧵)

No mention of who these organisations are or who’s funding them? Just taking them at face value?

Cities across the United States face deep challenges: ageing infrastructure, a lack of economic vitality, and high carbon emissions. Martine Reinhold Kildeby of Bloxhub joins The Urban Report to discuss how the...

By @sgcarroll.bsky.social

View full episode: foresightmedia.com/story/sp2TbZ...

Existing buildings hold the key to Europe’s housing crisis To fix housing supply issues, lawmakers' first instinct may be to ramp up construction. Before doing so, it’s important to examine how we are using existing structures, as they can often be used more ...

For many across Europe, purchasing a property seems like a distant dream. To discuss how we can tackle Europe’s housing crisis without exacerbating the climate crisis, I sat down with BPIE's Oliver Rapf. Listen to our conversation on @foresight-ce.bsky.social here:

In today’s episode of The Jolt, Sean looks into how ditching green construction rules could cost Europe in the long run, plus Sam reports on Russia triggering the first official trade complaint against...

Listen now: foresightmedia.com/story/smdPlx...

@smorgan.bsky.social
@sgcarroll.bsky.social

In Wednesday’s episode of The Jolt, Sean looks into a new EU proposal to calculate the carbon embedded in the construction of buildings, plus Sam has the latest details on the EU’s new...

Listen now: foresightmedia.com/story/sWORNn...

@smorgan.bsky.social
@sgcarroll.bsky.social

Constantin Ginet of Siemens joins The Urban Report to discuss a financing model that uses the savings gained through improved energy efficiency to pay off installation costs

By @sgcarroll.bsky.social

View full episode: foresightmedia.com/story/sdMfYV...