Switzerland amends law to legally recognize that sex without consent is rape
The amendment follows similar rulings in Denmark and Spain, where the law was recently changed to define rape as sexual assault without explicit consent.
European Union
Latvia elects the first openly gay head of state in Europe
The country’s parliament has elected Edgars Rinkēvičs to be its next president. Rinkēvičs publicly came out as gay in November 2014.
Planes in the E.U. will have to be partly powered by sustainable fuel
By 2025, 2% of fuel offered at EU airports must be sustainable aviation fuels (SAF). This must rise to 6% by 2030, 20% by 2035, and 70% of by 2050.
E.U. lawmakers approve world’s first carbon import tax
At the core of the broader EU package is a so-called “Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism” (CBAM), which seeks to incentivize non-EU nations to increase their climate ambitions.
E.U. parliament passes historic law forcing companies to track deforestation
A new law, passed with an overwhelming majority by the European Parliament, requires companies to demonstrate their products aren’t sourced to deforested land or land with forest degradation, or else risk heavy fines.
Europe establishes its first wild river national park in Albania
45 hydropower projects were planned for the Vjosa’s delicate ecology for years—But, last week, after a nearly decade-long struggle by environmental NGOs, Vjosa was designated as Europe’s first wild river national park.
E.U. strikes ‘ground-breaking’ deal to cut maritime emissions
Under the law, which is being hailed as the most ambitious maritime fuel legislation in the world, ship emissions will be reduced by 2% as of 2025 and 80% as of 2050.
E.U. Parliament votes to effectively ban new combustion engine cars by 2035
Final approval is expected to be given by March, meaning the world’s largest trading bloc will soon officially be on track to almost completely phase out vehicles powered by combustion engines.
The E.U. to invest more than $270 billion in its own “green deal”
The Green Deal Industrial Plan will simplify regulation to help get proposed green projects up and running faster, accelerating access to investment, developing programs to train skilled workers in green industries, and more.
Wind and solar were E.U.’s top electricity source in 2022 for first time ever
Record additions of new wind and solar in 2022 helped Europe survive a “triple crisis” created by restrictions on Russian gas supplies, a dip in hydro caused by drought and unexpected nuclear outage.