An MFF fit for purpose: Assessing Europe’s long-term budget

The Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS), with the support of the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung European Union | Global Dialogue, is pleased to launch an open call for young climate leaders to join us for our annual flagship event, Ideas Lab, on 2 and 3 March 2026. We are looking for young people from countries that are located in the ‘Global South’ who have a passion for climate action. Ideas Lab provides a unique opportunity to look behind the scenes of EU policymaking, make new contacts from all over Europe and learn how one of the largest events of its kind in Brussels is put together. The deadline for applications is Wednesday 10 December 2025, 23:59 CET.

Europe’s energy transition has achieved a lot. The high share of domestic renewables in our energy mix buffered the fossil gas price crisis. During the last decade, solar power became the cheapest source of electricity, accessible at basically all citizens’ homes. So, if your bill goes through the roof, just put solar panels on the rooftop? Yes, but if things were so easy, the Green European Foundation (GEF) and the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung European Union would not have worked with a knowledge community of 30 energy geeks and social policy nerds during the past year on how to let citizens benefit better from the energy transition

The Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung's Global Unit For Democracy and Human Rights in Brussels is welcoming applications for Administration Support (Part-time). The deadline for applications is Monday 1 December 2025, 23:59 CET.

There are good reasons to wish for a future with more heat pumps: less fossil gas in the heating sector and therefore less methane leakage and less CO2 and NOx emissions; lower costs for households; and more energy independence for nations. Most of this works best with powering the heat pumps with a bigger share of renewables. In Europe, heat pumps boomed until 2023 and then dipped to 2020 or 2021 levels in 2024. Starting points and paces of change in the heat pump market differ wildly. Let’s have a virtual trip to Sweden, France and Germany and find out why those timelines are so different.