Debate contributions by Susana SOLÍS PÉREZ

Commissioner, Europe cannot remain naive vis-à-vis China. Just yesterday he announced his intention to create an international alliance to further strengthen control over rare earths. This is a worrying sign. Beijing is willing to institutionalize the use of raw materials as a geopolitical weapon. China already controls virtually all of the world's rare earth processing and subjects thousands of European companies to opaque licenses, arbitrary restrictions and confidential information requirements to authorize exports. This is a systemic risk to the competitiveness of European industry. The temporary suspension of controls by China is not enough. The message must be clear. Europe does not seek to confront China, but neither can it accept vulnerability. There is a need to diversify suppliers, to cooperate more with reliable partners, to accelerate European extraction and refining projects and to coordinate trade defence measures to ensure that no essential value chain is held hostage to unilateral decisions taken outside our borders. Time is running out, Commissioner.

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, this debate is not just about technology, it is about people and avoiding job and industrial losses, because the reality is stubborn: Selling only electric cars in 2035 is unrealistic. But it's not about backtracking either, because we know there are billions invested. What the industry is asking of us is something much more sensible. It asks us for more time, more flexibility and to put in place the measures to make this possible: charging points, affordable prices, incentives and access to the network, because this debate is not about ideology either, it is about pragmatism and common sense, and that means recognizing that all technologies are necessary to reduce emissions. We need technological neutrality, and we see this very clearly when we talk about vans or trucks from our carriers, of which, incidentally, we speak very little; You can't buy an electric truck or have a place to charge it. But above all, this debate is about competitiveness, whether we want to make Europe the place where the cars of the future are made or whether we are going to cede that leadership to others. And, for that, we must also put the long lights: invest in innovation, in battery manufacturing, in fearlessly reducing regulatory burden and in ensuring that the next generation of electric vehicles also bear the seal made in Europe. And for that, Commissioner, always count on our Group, because listening to the sector, adapting dates and protecting our industry is not going backwards, it is ensuring that Europe is up to par, not with promises, but with decisions.

Madam President, ten days after the blackout, we still do not know the causes. But it was not an unforeseeable fatality: many experts had already warned of the risk of blackouts with an energy mix too dependent on renewables, low investment in electricity grids and the fragility of the system in the face of peak demand. The problem is not renewables, a very abundant resource in Spain and that we know how to take advantage of very well. No, the problem is the neglect of energy planning based on ideology and not on technical criteria, which demonizes nuclear ones, which are what give security and stability to the system. The problem is the lack of investments, interconnections, storage and capacity mechanisms. And the problem is that this can happen again, because we have a Government that does not assume responsibilities, prisoner of some partners that now what they ask here is to nationalize and intervene the entire electrical system, while nothing has been said here about the responsibility of Red Eléctrica. What we demand here is an independent investigation.

Madam President, first of all, let me send a big hug and all our affection to the families of the miners who died in Asturias. I wish the wounded a speedy recovery. Today this Parliament pays tribute to them. Thank you, dear Commissioner Séjourné, for your involvement in finally having a plan to protect European steel. It's about time. This sector, which is strategic, had been demanding solutions to its crisis for too long. I know this very well because, in Asturias, as in many other European regions, thousands of jobs are at stake because of unfair competition from other countries. The most urgent thing today is to put in place as soon as possible the new instrument to replace the current steel safeguards, a more ambitious system that offers greater protection, that reaches more countries and products and that takes into account the country of origin of the foundry. I am also glad to see that the Commission is finally starting to work on closing the loopholes in the CBAM, the border tariff, to prevent it from being easily circumvented and thus protect our exports. Of course, I am concerned that the implementation of many measures proposed to reduce the price of energy, such as the reduction of tolls or taxes, depends on the will of the countries. But, without a doubt, this is a great first step and we have to implement it as soon as possible, because unfair competition does not wait and external threats, such as Trump's tariffs, do not wait either. Europe needs a strong industry and, for that, we need competitive and future-proof steel. Let's act and act now.

Madam President, Commissioner, this Action Plan for the automotive industry is very welcome. The sector is at a critical moment and thousands of jobs are at risk. It is very good news that the Commission is finally reacting to avoid million-dollar fines for European manufacturers. It would be incomprehensible to punish our industry - which we have forced to electrify - and then benefit Chinese cars. But we also need self-criticism. Is this Plan enough for Europe to regain its leadership? Much emphasis is placed on the technology of the future: in the autonomous and connected car. It is very necessary, but this does not solve the problems of the present: incentives to purchase vehicles or upgrade charging infrastructure are limited to recommendations to Member States. The problem of trucks is hardly dealt with. Is it realistic to electrify heavy transport right now? No, it's not. Why not make your goals more flexible? Where is technological neutrality in this whole Plan? Commissioner, this Plan is a great step forward, but for there to be a future for European automotive we need first to ensure that there is a strong industry in the present.

Madam President, Commissioner, the Clean Industry Pact is a very good sign that Europe is changing and there is strong support for reindustrialisation. That's good news. But, in my opinion, this is four years late and, therefore, today I want to emphasize, first, the urgency, because its success will depend on how fast we are in implementing all the actions you have announced today and this roadmap: from regulatory simplification to incentivising demand. Secondly, decision. We need more concrete and effective measures, because the affordable energy plan already falls short for the electro-intensive industry, and many proposals such as reducing tolls, charges and taxes or investing in networks are only recommendations for Member States. And in the case of Spain, bent on shutting down nuclear weapons, I'm afraid they won't follow. Thirdly, fair rules of the game. There is an urgent need to update all trade defence mechanisms to make them effective. You know it very well because sectors such as steel are in an unsustainable situation. Commissioner, we can do this. Europe has historically demonstrated its ability to adapt and lead in times of change. But we must act now.

Madam President, Commissioner, while you are here today defending the future of nuclear fusion, nuclear power plants are being shut down in Spain. Because of the ideological dogmatism of the Government of Spain, we give up 20% of cheap, clean and safe energy to replace it with gas. The first plant to close will be Almaraz in Extremadura, regardless of the 3,000 jobs that are going to be lost, nor the increase in emissions, nor that the Spanish will pay more expensive the price of energy. Today it is Mrs Ribera who should be in this debate, so that she can explain to us how one thing can be preached in Brussels and the opposite can be done in her country. Because while for the European Union nuclear energy is considered green and necessary for the transition, in Spain Almaraz is closed. While all nuclear-capable countries invest in extending life or in new reactors, we dismantle them. And while here the Commission defends technological neutrality and that all technologies are taken into account to decarbonize, in Spain they demonize them. Nuclear fusion, indeed, is a promising and innovative technology that can provide us with abundant and inexhaustible clean energy and complement renewables. Europe cannot be left behind, because China and the United States are investing massively. Therefore, yes, Europe must continue to focus on fusion technology, ITER and international cooperation. But here today I would like to address Commissioner Ribera in particular to ask for consistency. I ask you for consistency and to reconsider the disastrous decision to close Almaraz.

Madam President, Commissioner, the ArcelorMittal steelworks in Asturias will stop next week due to lack of demand: Chinese imports of cheap and subsidised steel are flooding our market and putting at risk a strategic industry for Europe and, with it, thousands of jobs. Commissioner, we already need urgent trade defence measures and review the safeguard clauses, as other countries are doing, but we also need measures to regain our competitiveness because, let us not fool ourselves, investments to produce green steel will not take place if we are not able to guarantee that it is economically sustainable, and we know that very well in Asturias, where our direct iron ore reduction plant is standing still. To do this we need competitive energy prices and to ensure that the carbon border adjustment mechanism works properly before withdrawing free allocations to industry and securing our exports: That is why, Commissioner, we are calling on you to take urgent, courageous action so that we can compete on a level playing field, and to act now, because we cannot wait another minute.

Madam President, Commissioner, the automotive sector, the jewel in the crown of European and Spanish industry, is on a tightrope. We know what China's bet is on the electric vehicle. We know what the response of the United States has been, but do we know what the response of Europe has been? We have rules that set objectives, yes, but the mechanisms to reach them are not established. There is a lack of overall vision, of putting the long lights, because today we are not only talking here about job losses and closures. Today we are also talking about technology and the loss of technological sovereignty. The two highest added-value elements of the electric car - batteries and chips - are not made in Europe. And, who dominates technology, dominates the world. So, Commissioner, there is an urgent need to act. Electrification does not go at the expected pace and it becomes mission impossible to meet the objectives, not already of 2035, but those of 2025. And fines are no solution. So we ask the Commission to review the regulation to assess whether the necessary conditions for electrification are in place in Europe. Do we have charging points? Is our network ready? Are electric vehicles affordable for citizens? Secondly, we ask that in this review the Commission take into account all available technologies for decarbonisation, including biofuels. Thirdly, as Draghi requested, we requested a specific plan for the automotive sector in the first hundred days. And finally, as this Parliament has approved, we call for a fair transition fund to support car-dependent regions in this transition. A new term is opening and the next five years will be vital in reversing this situation.