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European Governments are increasingly relying on bioenergy as a cheap way to meet targets for renewable energy. Bioenergy represented 62% of EU’s renewable energy use in 2012. But new evidence on the real climate impacts and other environmental and social impacts of bioenergy has made its use increasingly controversial. 

Following today's donor meeting in Brussels to discuss the food crisis in the Sahel region of Africa, Oxfam deputy humanitarian director Graham MacKay said:

Today, the European Parliament voted in favour of an European Financial Transaction Tax (FTT), with 487 votes in favour out of 685.

European leaders at the EU summit in Brussels have failed to agree on reforms to the common European asylum system. Instead, they try to respond to internal rows by reducing the space for asylum seekers even further, and want to offload their responsibilities to countries outside the EU. Oxfam argues that European agreements on migration are welcome, but they should not have a negative impact on the lives of refugees and migrants.

As the second to last negotiations before Copenhagen draw to a close in Bangkok, three big sticking points remain. These issues show a lack of willingness of the EU and other industrialised countries to find common ground with developing countries.

An important International Monetary Fund (IMF) initiative to shore up poor people in the Global South from the worst effects of its own austerity measures and the global economic crisis is in tatters.

Launched in Brussels on 19th May, this year’s flagship AidWatch report entitled 'Challenging self-interest: Getting EU aid fit for the fight against poverty' says that aid is becoming increasingly dictated by domestic political agendas.

Runaway inequality has created a world where 62 people own as much wealth as the poorest half of the world’s population combined, according to an Oxfam report published today ahead of the annual gathering of the world’s financial and political elites in Davos.

Oxfam applauds the World Bank's new strategy to halve extreme poverty by 2020 and end it by 2030, but swift action is now needed to bring the strategy to life.

Today, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, proposed the introduction of a cap on revenues of companies producing electricity with low costs and a solidarity contribution from fossil fuel companies. The revenues from these unexpected profits will be directed to people and businesses to help them adapt to the recent increase in energy prices as well as to invest in clean home-grown energy sources.