Debate contributions by Christophe GRUDLER

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, we are heading towards a major shortage of sustainable fuels. Our ambitions are strong and necessary, but the account is not there. We want 20 million tonnes of sustainable aviation fuel by 2035. Today, Europe produces 1 million, or 20 times less. And these fuels are still two to three times more expensive than fossil fuels. The Sustainable Transport Investment Plan is welcome, but it comes late and is not as massive as announced, as much of the $2.9 billion is already committed through the Innovation Fund. To avoid sinking into the wall, we must pass announcements to real support, and States, too, must invest, because too many projects remain blocked at the demonstration stage without ever crossing the industrial stage. We need to accelerate, secure investments, reduce industrial risk and get our technologies off the ground. It's not just a climate issue, it's an industrial and sovereignty issue. Producing our clean fuels in Europe is about protecting our jobs and our independence.

Mr President, Mr Vice-President, ladies and gentlemen, on 9 October China imposed new restrictions on exports of rare earths. A heavy and hostile decision that clearly targets our most sensitive value chains. Because, let's remember, without rare earths, no batteries, no electric cars, no smartphones, no MRI. They are essential for aeronautics, defense, advanced industry, for all our technological sovereignty. China, of course, has just postponed its entry into force by a year, but this suspension must not put us to sleep. That is why, Mr Vice-President, I fully support your RESourceEU plan, which you will present on 3 December. In this global battle, we need a strong, coherent and offensive European ambition. The Critical Raw Materials Act adopted in 2023 was a first step, but today we have to go further and I too have three ideas. First of all, have more means. To be competitive, you have to invest. We need a strategic vision, we need to open mines, we need to strengthen refining, we need to support European industrialists, all of this requires money. Secondly, to go further in terms of European cooperation. What we have achieved with vaccines, we must replicate for our strategic resources; pool, coordinate, secure together. And finally, third priority, I appeal to the industry. Today, some European companies sell their rare earths in the United States or elsewhere. Let's be consistent. Helping you produce in Europe, yes, but selling in Europe is just as essential. It's time to act, not react. Let us put an end to naive Europe and strengthen powerful Europe.

Mr President, all Europeans remember the surge in their bills in 2022. A crisis caused by the invasion of Ukraine and Russia's energy blackmail. Already in 2014, Putin threatened to cut off gas to Europe. We can no longer live with this sword of Damocles above our heads. The safest and cheapest energy is the energy we produce here in Europe. Let's stop powering the Russian war machine and get out of Russian gas and oil as early as 2026. This strong message is carried by a large majority of this Parliament, with the exception of the extremes of course. They have no patriot but the name, preferring to defend the interests of the Kremlin rather than those of the Europeans. Finally, a message for you, Commissioner: Let's not replace one addiction with another. The commitments made to the United States are incomprehensible. American LNG must not become our new Achilles heel. Let us remain masters of our destiny, as Europeans.

Mr President, Commissioner, it is time to move up a gear to save the European automotive sector and fight against massive and over-subsidised foreign competition. Let's be clear, the future of the automobile will be electric, not only in Europe, but also around the world. Most manufacturers have understood this well. The billions of euros invested must not be wasted. Clear lines over time are needed to encourage investment, but all net-zero technologies must also be allowed to exist. The real debate is not about the 2035 deadline; it focuses on how to facilitate the purchase of European cars. Let us dare a true European preference. Let's dare to value the manufacturers who produce here in Europe, with European content. Let us dare to turn a threat into a real opportunity for our industries, for our jobs and for our territories concerned.

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, dozens of aircraft are jammed every day by Russia. From Finland to France to Bulgaria, it is a war of the waves, invisible, but very real. An attempt at intimidation that aims to blind us in our own sky. It is not only the American GPS that is blurred, it is also our European GPS Galileo, even more efficient. But Europe will not bend, just as it must not bend in the face of the intimidation of Russian drones this morning in Poland. We have a solution to protect ourselves, it is Galileo's Public Regulated Service (PRS), designed to withstand interference. Commissioner, it is regrettable that this more resilient satellite service has not yet been fully deployed, despite the fact that the initial PRS system has been in place since 2016. I count on your commitment to accelerate this PRS. Let's accelerate to guarantee our independence on the air and our sovereignty in the air.

Mr President, Commissioner, five years ago Europe had a trade surplus of EUR 200 million on heat pumps. Today we have a deficit of EUR 400 million. In five years, we have switched from mastery to dependency, and in 60% of cases, it is China that provides. Meanwhile, some here, especially on the far right, are sabotaging the green transition and attacking clean technologies. But to refuse to invest is to accept that our energy future is manufactured elsewhere. This means choosing industrial tendering. Commissioner, enough naivety. The time has come to adopt a true European preference. We need a "Buy European Act" on clean technologies, we need to produce at home, create jobs here. Europe must not choose dependence, it must choose strategic industrial power.

Mr. Speaker, power grids are the Achilles heel of our transition: If they give in, everything else follows. By 2030, we need to mobilise billions of euros to modernise and develop them. Yes, the rise of renewable energies complicates our grid connection needs, but it also relocates energy production to our rural territories or to our outermost regions. It's a chance, not a burden. Renew's Stürgkh report is unambiguous: Invest more, but better, for a robust network in the face of cyberattacks and climate shocks. On the interconnection side, Member States must reach 15% by 2030 and go beyond. The EIB is leading the way with its €1.6 billion loan to connect France and Spain via the Bay of Biscay. I welcome that, because that is exactly what we are proposing. With an energy component for the Connecting Europe Facility strengthened, with finally a European preference in our public procurement in order to consolidate the entire value chain of the networks. Without a strong network, there is no strategic autonomy or successful transition.

Mr President. Commissioner, today we are debating support for our industry, in particular to support it in reducing its carbon emissions through this clean industry pact that you are carrying, Commissioner Séjourné. While we want to turn our climate goals into a real industrial opportunity, the extreme right, including the National Rally, is tabling a resolution that wants to unravel everything. So I ask these colleagues a very simple question: Are you going to explain to citizens that you prefer to let China get ahead in the decarbonized industry while you condemn our declining factories? Are you going to tell workers in Dunkirk, Sochaux or Taranto, Italy, that you don't want clean steel, European electric cars or batteries made here, that you choose dependence and submission over innovation? We make the choice of clean, competitive and European industry. We make the choice of local employment, industrial sovereignty and climate truth. Accepting this transformation is really about defending our industry and believing in its future.

Madam President, Commissioner, at the end of March we were already alerting to the situation in the United States: massive budget cuts, backsliding on academic freedoms, layoffs. Today, its scientists are seeking refuge. Europe therefore has a unique opportunity: become the new eldorado of free science. In this regard, I welcome the Choose Europe initiative and the announcement of €500 million until 2027, but let us be clear: The €22 million of the pilot programme, through the Marie Curie Action, will not be enough. This pilot programme must pave the way, yes, but open it up quickly, with simplified reception procedures, a rapid selection of projects and long-term prospects for those who want to rebuild their scientific future here. Moreover, scientific excellence is not incompatible with the EU's strategic agenda, quite the contrary. The projects carried out under this framework can, through their results, contribute to the Union's priorities, from climate and health to critical and disruptive technologies. Finally, I call on all European universities, academies and research centres to: join the movement, open your doors.

Mr President, Commissioner, oil, gas, LNG, nuclear: The course is finally set. We've been waiting for him for a long time. It's time to turn the page on Russian dependency. In the last three years, Europe has paid more money to Putin than it has paid to Ukraine. This is unacceptable, of course. Every euro spent on Russian gas is also one euro less for our renewable energies, our grids, our nuclear power plants. We're going to get out of Russian gas, but, as of today, we're preparing to get out of the gas at all. There are four priorities, in my view: 1) accelerate on renewable energies and nuclear, 2) electrify our uses, 3) consume better, 4) produce more at home. I welcome the fact that the issue of Russian nuclear fuel is finally on the table, but we must now support the entire European nuclear chain, from downstream to upstream. Finally, let us not replace dependence on Russian gas with another dependence on American LNG. It must not become a currency of exchange or a lever of blackmail. Europe must remain sovereign in its energy choices.

Mr President, 8 May marks the end of the Second World War in Europe in 1945. It is our duty to honour the memory of the soldiers and all those who, at the cost of their lives, fought to defend freedom and return to the path of peace. On May 8, 1945, the Allies announced their victory over Nazism. Let us never forget the acts of barbarism to which the peoples of Europe were subjected, perpetrated by unscrupulous authoritarian regimes, before and after 1945. Today, what do we see, 80 years later? A rise in power of nationalisms, authoritarianisms, violence, the most primitive wills of hegemony. They directly threaten the stability, freedom and state of peace known to European citizens. Let us not repeat the mistakes of the past. These predators will not be right about beautiful Europe, because we, fervent defenders of democracy, will be able to stand ready to protect it. Let's stay united so we never forget! Let's stay united so we never repeat!

Madam President, I am not here to arbitrate the Spanish national debate, which seems very vehement, but 54 million Europeans who find themselves in the dark for almost 10 hours, it interests the whole of Europe, so that it never happens again. This unprecedented blackout reminds us of a simple truth: electricity is not stored. The supply must always be equal to the demand. To ensure this balance, we need a varied energy mix, with renewable energy, but also with hydropower, as well as with nuclear energy. You can't stop the sun from shining, or the wind from blowing, but you can modulate a nuclear reactor or a hydraulic dam. In France, the network protection system has prevented the spread to the rest of Europe. I would like to welcome the responsiveness of the French and Spanish network operators. As for the causes of this cut, we need all the light to be done as quickly as possible. What is certain, however, is that with more interconnections and more robust networks, such a break could not happen again.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, Europe is losing the global race for strategic technologies: Artificial intelligence, batteries, biotech, semiconductors, small modular reactors. We innovate in Grenoble, we file patents in Eindhoven, but we produce in Taiwan, we assemble in Texas. It is not a talent problem, it is a problem of funding, orders and political will. A European venture capital initiative is needed to ensure that Europeans' savings finally serve our European technologies. We need states and communities that buy from Europe. Finally, we need a common technology strategy, not 27 competing national policies. Otherwise, we will train generations of engineers, but for others. Rest assured that our Renew Europe Group will continue to mobilise to make Europe the technological heart of the free world.

Madam President, Commissioner, I welcome the European Commission's awareness of the urgency of our steel and metals sectors. These materials are strategic, they are at the heart of our modes of transport, our clean technologies and our defence industry. Our sites in Dunkirk, Taranto, Liege or Ostrava are in difficulty, and thousands of employees are waiting for strong support from Europe. The problem is known: massive global overcapacity, fuelled by Chinese practices, is flooding our market and threatening our factories. If this industrial dumping is not stopped, it will lead to irreversible deindustrialisation. The measures announced on quotas and safeguards are a step in the right direction. However, Commissioner, be prepared to go further. Europe will have to take more drastic measures to defend our steel mills, it is a question of economic and industrial sovereignty. Our industry will not be able to defend itself or prosper without access to affordable and competitive energy. We need solutions that are accessible and stable in the short term. I propose three things, Commissioner. First of all, low-carbon hydrogen from nuclear power. I am glad to see that it is mentioned in your action plan, but we need to go further and faster. We need the delegated act, with nuclear power purchase agreements starting well in 2026 – this is a very strong demand from Parliament. Next, let’s open the low-carbon hydrogen bank auctions to ensure an attractive and competitive price. Finally, I have high expectations for future legislation to accelerate the decarbonisation of industry. If we rely on European green steel, then it must be a priority in our public procurement and investment. There is no question of importing cheap, dirty steel from the other side of the world! We must choose, endure or defend. Together with you, I choose to defend European steel, its jobs and its future!

Madam President, Commissioner, together with Mr Trump, American researchers are living a nightmare: budgets cut, scholarships cut, unfair dismissals ... Many plan to leave their country. These attacks are not only financial, they are ideological. It is a censorship of climate research, health research, cutting-edge technology, sacrificed on the altar of populism. We are back in the days of Galilee, when science must bend to the dogma of one man. Europe must collect these talents and become the global bastion of scientific excellence and academic freedom. Let's offer these researchers a future with funding and perspectives. The €22 million announced for the pilot project is a good thing, but it will not be enough. We need to go further and look for other funding, both public and private. Dear American researchers, European research needs you now.

Mr President, Commissioner, the affordable energy plan must respond to an emergency: reducing the energy bills of our industries and our citizens, because without stable and competitive energy, there is neither industry nor prosperity. Today, energy costs account for up to 40% of the production costs of the most energy-intensive industries. Our companies pay two to three times more for their electricity than their Chinese or American competitors. How to be competitive in these conditions? We must act in three directions. First of all, electrification, as you pointed out. The target of 32% electrification by 2030 is a good step; but without a modernised network, accelerated procedures, storage and flexibility, this figure will not be achievable. Then the funding. €584 billion will be needed by 2030 just to strengthen power grids. All public and private levers must be mobilised, without burdening businesses and citizens. Finally, stability. It is clear that long-term contracts will offer more stable prices and visibility to manufacturers. They must concern all clean energy, whether renewable or nuclear. Affordable energy is energy that we no longer import. I shall therefore end with a question: Where did the roadmap for exiting Russian energy go?

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, the Clean Industry Pact is a major step forward for our industrial sovereignty. Thank you, Commissioner, for your commitment to defending our industry and jobs here in Europe, because a principle must now be clearly and firmly established: Buy European. Ladies and gentlemen, in recent days we have seen our citizens and businesses mobilise to buy more from Europe, especially for our clean technologies. This is an opportunity for our industrial bases, and we need to meet that expectation. We have a market of 450 million consumers; it is a gigantic economic lever. Let's not be modest. This pact introduces the first elements of European preference. This is a good start, but more needs to be done in the face of an unstable world. Commissioner, I am counting on you to continue in this direction. Europe must choose: Defend your industry or fade away.

Madam President, Commissioner, nuclear fusion has enormous potential. It is a clean, abundant, waste-free energy capable of ensuring energy security for future generations. Thanks to ITER, Europe is at the heart of this global breakthrough with recognised expertise and know-how. But this project is not enough. As we move forward timidly, the United States and the United Kingdom are deploying ambitious strategies, with massive funding and clear regulatory frameworks. They attract billions of dollars in private investment and want to be leaders in innovation. Europe cannot remain a spectator. We need a European strategy for nuclear fusion. It must set clear objectives, fund research, encourage private investment and finally ensure an appropriate regulatory framework with merger-specific safety standards. Let's take a long-term vision, well beyond 2050!

Mr President, Madam Vice-President of the Commission, ladies and gentlemen, opposing competitiveness and sustainability is not only irresponsible, but also dangerous for our common future. The Green Deal is a major step forward, and many regions around the world are following suit. No turning back will be tolerated. Our industries, businesses and SMEs need long-term stability and visibility, and their future success depends on their ability to adapt in a changing world. In my region, now companies are building the TGV of the future, electric cars, electrolysers, fuel cells, hydrogen storage, steam turbines for nuclear power... In short, we have been able to adapt, and with this adaptation, we have global competitive advantages. Those who call for the destruction of the Green Deal are playing with fire. There will be no thriving economy on a +2°C planet, but implementing the Green Deal requires concrete action. First, ambitious public-private financing, then adapted support without losing direction, and finally pragmatic solutions adapted to each sector. Yes to simplification to simplify procedures, but no to arbitrary deregulation, which would be totally counterproductive!

Madam President, 4,166: This is the number of hours during which electricity prices have been negative on the European market this year. A market that works, no displeasure to the extreme right. Negative prices for more than three months this year. Yet household and business bills remain shockingly high. Why this inconsistency? Because our energy grid is not resilient enough to fluctuations in demand; it is not up to citizens or SMEs to pay the price. We need to act on three points: firstly, to accelerate the deployment of transport, distribution and storage infrastructure to balance supply and demand across Europe; secondly, to put in place fair pricing for all clean energy, ensuring fair access to the grid for nuclear and renewables; and to prioritise energy produced in Europe to ensure stable, affordable and accessible energy for all.

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, Europe is fully suffering from steel produced at very low cost, due to global overproduction, caused in large part by China, which is crushing our European production. It is shrinking, while our imports remain at the same level. One hundred thousand jobs have been lost in the sector in Europe in fifteen years. This is not acceptable. We have had safeguards since 2018, but they are no longer adequate and will even expire. I therefore call for strong action by the European Commission. First, emergency measures to prevent the break-up of our steel industry. Secondly, new safeguard measures that are more reactive and dissuasive, to avoid dumping. Thirdly, and finally, the rapid introduction of the carbon tax at the borders, avoiding any circumvention.