Debate contributions by Christophe GRUDLER

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.

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, the European car industry is a few months away from the collision: Influenza supply chains, plant closures... We have to react. The urgency today is to support the entire sector, from manufacturers to the smallest subcontractors. That is why we need a renewed strategy for the automotive sector in the first 100 days of the new Commission, with, firstly, a clear long-term direction, because the industry needs visibility to invest without having rules that change every four mornings; secondly, a Just Automotive Transition Fund, to support the most affected territories in their transformation; thirdly, financial incentives, robust infrastructure and electricity-friendly taxation; fourthly, and finally, a firm response to international competitors who infuse their industry with subsidies and who come here to unfairly compete with us. Under these four conditions, the automotive industry will still have a future in Europe.

Madam President, High Representative, ladies and gentlemen, we have just marked the sad anniversary of the unprecedented mass terrorist attack by Hamas in Israel: 1,200 dead and 250 hostages, 63 of whom are still detained or missing. Since that attack, more than 30,000 Palestinians have been killed and almost 100,000 injured. In Lebanon, the death toll is close to 2,000, including many civilians, with 10,000 wounded and 400,000 displaced, and the ground violation by four armed divisions of the borders of a sovereign State, in defiance of international law. How many dead and maimed must we have for this war to finally end? We can no longer make the policy of the ostrich by being afraid to offend some or to offend others. We must react and firmly urge each side to end this war with all the democratic means of pressure at our disposal. Let us act for the people, stop this carnage and commit ourselves to an immediate ceasefire and the release of the hostages, without any other condition than the cessation of bombing. Force alone will not keep anyone safe. Only peace, diplomacy and responsible politics will allow this.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, in a few moments we will be voting for an EU-US security agreement on the Galileo satellites, our European GPS. But surprise, we vote to allow launches that have already taken place: the first on 28 April 2024 and the last yesterday morning. It is unacceptable that the Council and the Commission did not seek our consent before the launch. It would have been possible if these institutions had had a little more goodwill. I invite you, of course, to vote for this agreement, which is necessary for exceptional circumstances, because we are not going to bring down our satellites. However, we must send a strong message to the Council and the Commission: The agreement of the European Parliament is not just an administrative formality. It is imperative that we be consulted in a timely manner.

Mr President, Commissioner, the report on the state of the Energy Union is welcome at the beginning of this term of office. He highlighted the significant progress made in our European energy policy, but also its shortcomings. Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, the European Union has gradually turned away from Russian gas and orchestrated a renewable revolution. In concrete terms, renewable energy produced 50% of our electricity at the beginning of 2024, which is a record. With nuclear power, two-thirds of our electricity is decarbonized. It is therefore this that must guide our future political choices to operate urgently the electrification of our uses. But producing more clean electricity is not enough. We also need infrastructure, electricity interconnection in particular, and storage facilities, otherwise our progress will be compromised. We don't have the luxury or the budget to waste energy, especially if we invest heavily to make it carbon-free. Finally, we can no longer dedicate billions of euros to fossil fuel imports. It is time to put an end to expensive and polluting energy. The next five years will be decisive for our security of supply, our competitiveness and our purchasing power, then at work. And if you allow me, Mr President, I would like to pay tribute to the work of Mrs Kadri Simson. For five years she has worked very hard for the benefit of energy and at a time when she is going to return her apron, I think it is also important that this assembly can pay tribute to her work.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, the report by Mario Draghi must wake us up. It highlights our delays in crucial sectors such as clean technologies, microchips and artificial intelligence. While China and the United States are investing heavily in these areas, Europe is still too hesitant. This report proposes concrete and ambitious solutions to close this gap. Yes, let's mobilize public and private investment in the transition, because without money, nothing is possible. Yes, let us produce more of our energy in Europe. Yes, let us reform our European space policy. You can count on Renew Europe to bring these ideas and turn these proposals into concrete actions so that Europe regains its leading position.