Debate contributions by Anna STÜRGKH

Madam President, let us be clear – Russian gas has always been too expensive. Russia has always used our dependency to threaten us, to pressure us, and to try to bend us to their will. But while it has been expensive for Europe, it is Ukraine that has truly paid the price for our obsession with Russian gas. And dear colleagues from the far right and the far left of this House, you always say you want peace. Well, now is your time to prove it, because if you are serious about wanting peace, then you have to be serious about cutting off all funding flows to the one man that started it all: Putin. I sure am proud that I get to cast my vote, that we finally end our dependency on Russian gas, and that we take further steps towards a future in which Europe is powered by clean, cheap and home-grown European energy.

Mr President! Your own house – that is freedom, that is responsibility and that is security. The same is true of our common European home. But when I build a house, I don't let the alarm system be installed by burglars, and yet, as Europe, we did just that. Nevertheless, we have far too often placed our critical digital infrastructure in foreign, even dangerous hands. We risk daily that, for example, our power supply can simply be turned off by Chinese companies. But it's no wonder: We are used to outsourcing our security. Our peace, our defence – we have put that in the hands of the US for decades, instead of taking care of it ourselves. But if my house is broken into, I'd rather trust the police station around the corner than the police from overseas. It's time for us to take our security into our own hands, and that means security and defense, too. Made in Europe. So together we finance the European companies that make our house safe! Let's finance our peace together!

Madam President, since, according to Rule 25(2) of the Rules of Procedure, the Bureau is responsible for organisational matters in the Parliament, I would like to draw your attention to the fact that CWT was recently acquired by American Express Global Business Travel. CWT being owned by a US company means that they also fall under the US sanctions regime – the regime that has, for example, recently hit the French ICC judge Nicolas Guillou, who has now been more or less shut out of the entire global banking system. It is unacceptable that MEPs could be prevented from fulfilling their parliamentary duties due to a decision by the Trump administration to sanction them. A number of us will therefore address our concerns to you more thoroughly in a letter, Madam President, but I would like to ask you already to look into this and take swift action to make sure that the sovereignty of this House is ensured.

Mr President, Commissioner, EUR 111 billion. That is 37 000 wind turbines. That is more than two million batteries. That is a new European electricity grid. But instead, we're spending EUR 111 billion a year subsidising fossil fuels. We are throwing money at a technology that was already outdated yesterday. I am aware that we will not shut down gas turbines or get rid of petrol cars overnight, but that is why we need a plan to, once and for all, transition to an energy system that provides European citizens with clean air, European jobs and lower bills. After this shameful show in Belém, it is time for all EU countries to put action to words. So, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia and Sweden, step up your game. We are expecting to see you in Colombia.

Mr President! Russian gas was the most expensive gas we have ever bought, says OMV CEO Stern. For years, the FPÖ has tried to make us believe that we are benefiting from cheap Russian gas – an untruth from which only one person benefits, and that is Putin. The truth is that this Russian gas was the most expensive we've ever bought. Russian gas, which has cost us billions, which has flowed directly from our purses to Putin. But it also cost us our independence. And Ukraine? It costs our Russian gas the most valuable human life. Only today Russia bombed a kindergarten in Ukraine again, with drones that are also financed with European money. It is high time that we finally throw the Russian gas shackles away from us once and for all, break them once and for all and make sure that we will never again be dependent on the warmonger Putin in the future.

Madam President, To the Right in this House: You always say you are for people, but every word you make here shows the exact opposite – that you obviously don’t care about people. Obviously, you don't care if people run out of drinking water because our water reserves are drying up. Obviously, you don't care if thousands of people lose their homes because of the increasingly hungry flames and unbridled floods. Obviously, you don't care if over 60,000 people die from the heat – older, vulnerable people you always claim to want to protect. They may not care, but I don't care if my daughter still finds a future in which she can live. It's too late to do the minimum. It is time for us to be bold, determined and ambitious. We still have our future in our own hands, but we also have to act accordingly.

It is very exciting, because especially in my own country, Austria, we hear so often – especially from the right, from the FPÖ – how evil parties are. But if you look at who implements the bans, it's these FPÖlers: Prohibition of genders, prohibition of veggie burgers and so on and so on. So yeah, I'm afraid the real banning parties are sitting over there.

Madam President, With every iPhone, we hold a piece of Trump in our hands – and so do our children. Every time they look on Instagram, a piece of their privacy flows across the Atlantic, right into the hands of tech autocrats and data despots who share neither our laws nor our values. But it is clear: Not Google governs Europe, not TikTok educates our children, and not Elon Musk determines our freedom of expression. We need to get control back. We have created the tools for it. But now we also have to defend them. All companies that want to make money with us must also abide by our rules. That is why we remain clear: our data, our laws!

Madam President, There is no meat in the meat tomato. There is no cheese in the liver cheese, cat tongues are not made of cats. There are no snails in the nut snail, no pigs in pork ears, no trees in the tree cake and no potatoes in a marzipan potato. There is no meat in the Shokovurst. And in the children's schnitzel? Well, I think you understand what I'm trying to get at. That was now a rather long sausage of comparisons and examples. The Duden defines sausage as follows: a food made from crushed meat stuffed into intestines – or something that looks like a sausage in the form of an elongated roll. So please, let's trust the consumers and let's stop with this sausage populism.

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen! We know what we owe to the older generations: the reconstruction of our countries, our post-war democracies – the basis for our prosperity today and also the cornerstone of this common Europe from which we can benefit today and on which we can also work. But we must also not close our eyes to what else we owe to the older generations: climate change, which was already known at the time and where nothing was done; a debt backpack, worth 56 000 euros, which my daughter had to carry before she could even walk; a pension system that may just be running out, but in any case has nothing left for us. I'm sorry, but this is not generational justice. Dear older people, we are grateful to you, but we also need you. Join us as we fight for our future and together we will make Europe a project of the next generations.

Madam President, Our common market is our strength – why do we stand in our own way? It should be clear that if I start a company in Germany, I can also work in Sweden. It must be clear that if I put a product on the market in Poland, I can sell it exactly as it is in Spain. Let's break down the barriers! National walks alone must finally be a thing of the past. It is clear: What applies to products must also apply to people. It cannot be that I am training in Austria, but then I am not allowed to work in France; Of the 6 000 protected professions, only seven are still recognised across Europe. Let us finally create this one market for products and services that can be the basis not only for our common Europe, but also for our prosperity; which can be the basis for opportunities, for people, for companies. Let's finally achieve what we have been promising in Europe for a long time!

Dear Mrs Dieringer, you say that Hungary makes education without ideology. It was Hungary, in particular, that forbids LGBTQ content in schools, in school books. What is it other than bringing ideology to schools, banning real educational content? Tell me where else this is happening in Europe, I'd be interested!

Mr President! Over the ocean, Trump puts the shackles on science: Students are expelled, scientists lose their money, and universities are harassed. It is precisely the science that we so urgently need today; The science that today provides the solutions to our problems of tomorrow. And it is precisely this science that can flourish only in freedom. This is precisely why we are working here on our side of the ocean to expand and strengthen this freedom step by step: The Bologna Process, Erasmus+ and thus the university alliances have laid an important foundation on the path towards a genuine education union in a freedom of knowledge. The basis is laid, but there is still a lot to do: the mutual recognition of diplomas, a genuine European diploma, joint funding, European scholarships, joint research projects; the freedom to learn, to research with whom I want, where I want; the cooperation of our universities – this creates real opportunities, opportunities for students, for researchers and ultimately for our future. Thank you for this important report!

Mr President, Commissioner, first I want to thank colleague De Meo for the very good cooperation on this very important report. Now, speaking as a citizen, as a customer, when I go into a shop, I expect at least three things: I expect the products that I buy to be safe; I expect them to be what I chose; and I expect that if something is wrong, I can go and complain. So why should this be different when I shop online? But far too often we see that when we buy online, the products that we choose are not what they promise to be once they arrive at our doors, especially when they come from third countries and especially when they come from China. Far too often they even turn out to be dangerous. When we look at toys that include harmful chemicals, when we talk about exploding chargers or cosmetics that lack any sort of labelling. And if you want to complain about that, then there is no one to turn to. This cannot hold. When someone wants to sell in the EU, they need to adhere to European law. And we have to make sure that these laws that we create are airtight and cannot be circumvented, as they are right now. We have already got great instruments, as we have heard with the DMA and the DSA. We need to implement them. Yes, there are also still some holes that we need to fill, but I'm sure and I'm certain that this House, together with the Commission, will do so in the next few months.

Madam President, I would like to say thank you, Commissioner, and thank you, colleagues, for this debate. Now, I heard that the far-right in this House is quite worried, so let me address some of those worries. You seem to be quite shocked by the numbers of the investment needed: EUR 584 billion by 2030. Yes, that is a lot of money. But let me put it in perspective: EUR 1.8 trillion by 2030 is what we will spend on fossil fuel imports if we don't change our system. And you as patriots, as nationalists, you must be pleased to hear that we can invest in a grid with only EUR 584 billion, keeping that money in Europe instead of sending EUR 1.8 trillion at the same time to other countries, keeping it in Europe, benefiting European companies, benefiting European workers. I also heard the worry that we need to make sure that interconnections really serve the Member States. Now, I am pleased that this shows support for our report because, let me quote, 'we are asking for binding interconnections based on a needs assessment, to make sure that we build interconnectors that are needed and not just thought of'. I also heard a lot of worry about the energy mix, about nuclear being demonised. Well, I've read this report a couple of times and let me assure you: nowhere in this report is there a demonisation of nuclear. Rather, there is even a mention of the prerogative of nation states to choose their own energy mix. And let me be very clear, when Ms Knafo was saying, 'you don't want nuclear' – well, yes, in my country, for example, we don't want nuclear. But again, isn't that great? It's our prerogative to choose our own energy mix. I also heard worries about fishers suffering from offshore wind; however, we see that they are actually thriving in offshore farms. So, let me thank you again for this debate. I hope I lifted some of those worries, and I'm really looking forward not only to the vote tomorrow, but to working with all of you on the implementation and with you, Commissioner, and the rest of the Commission on getting this forward.

Mr President, Commissioner, just one year ago, I started my days just like everyone else: unplugging my phone, boiling my kettle for my tea and starting my computer to check my emails. Never really thinking about how the electricity that was powering my day actually got into my home. I just took it for granted. Well, over the past year, I've spent my time learning everything I could about our electricity system, how our grids actually really work, remembering the difference between volts and watts and amps and hertz, and realising how simple yet complex electricity actually is. And it has been an absolute pleasure. Now my days still start the same unplugging my phone, boiling my kettle, starting my computer. But now all these processes feel a little bit more special, knowing what it really takes to keep the power flowing. Now I take these ordinary routines for what they are, daily reminders that our electricity grids are in fact the backbone of the EU energy system. The reasons for the need to modernise and expand our electricity grids are pretty straightforward. The ongoing electrification of our industry, our heating, our mobility is putting pressure on the existing systems. The intent to make sure that this electrification is sustained by clean energy sources, and the fact that soon about 70 % of renewables will be connected directly to the distribution grid, demands our existing grid to adapt. But even without these developments, there is need for action. Considering that around 40 % of distribution grids are now over 40 years old. Having established why we need to do something, let's look at what we actually need to do. With high investments at stake and a clean energy union to win, we need to make sure that this grid buildout is done as efficiently as possible. That means strengthening the planning process to make sure that it is robust and integrated, combining the bottom‑up knowledge and responsibility of the system operators with a stronger role for ACER to make sure that the European grid becomes increasingly interconnected. We also need to put a stronger focus on the modernisation and digitalisation of the grids, and create a regulatory framework that will make alternative options to physical build out more economically feasible. Even if we manage to ensure that the buildout is done as efficiently as possible, it is clear that this comes with a price tag. Estimates show that around EUR 584 billion will be needed in the investment in grids by 2030. So we need to strengthen CFE, make sure that national funds are available and proportionately used for grids, and we need to mobilise private capital. But through strengthening the European supply chain and job market, we can make sure that those investments actually benefit European companies and European workers. But we have to be aware that the increase in interconnection can only be successful if we manage to make sure that the individual actors have mechanisms that make sure that the costs are equally as fairly allocated as the benefits are. So a reform of the cross-border cost allocation and the Inter-TSO compensation mechanism is of the utmost importance. It is high time this Parliament puts forward a position and provides a basis for the Commission to use in preparing the grid package, and I want to use this moment to thank sincerely all the shadow rapporteurs, but particularly also their teams, for all the work that we've put into this over the last few months and this wonderful cooperation we were having. Together we are building the energy system of tomorrow, so let's make sure we don't connect it to the grids of yesterday.

Madam President, Commissioner, Minister! Five seconds, then. It took five seconds before the Spanish network collapsed and Spain and Portugal were dark. But it took about the same amount of time until the first speculations were there and, above all, until – and we have already experienced it again here in this House – this situation was used for populism and ideological trenches, ideological struggles against renewables and against the energy transition. The energy transition would have failed. Yes, the investigations are not yet complete, but what we have definitely seen is that we have a grid, a grid that is not and was not prepared for today's realities. What we have seen is that the energy transition can only work if we not only focus on the expansion of renewables, but also expand storage and power grids in harmony. I found it particularly exciting to hear then that supposedly the Energy Union failed, that exactly the interconnectors we have would have been a problem. But the opposite is true. We saw that France could help immediately because we have at least a few interconnectors. So the fact is: We need to invest in our electricity grid, we need strategic planning, we need more interconnectors to have a real European grid. And we also need fair financing so that the budgets and, above all, the transit countries do not suffer as a result. The energy transition needs a grid that it has grown.

Madam President, Mr Executive Vice-President! We have a vision: A clean future where we are independent of oil despots and gas autocrats, where we drive progress and drive innovation. But to achieve this vision, we also need to start at the grassroots level, and in many cases this is the energy-intensive industry, from bricks to steel, but also new industries such as AI. Sustainable homes, but also a Europe-wide rail network and green technology - all this can only be achieved if we can also put our energy-intensive industry on a sustainable footing. And companies are ready – they are already investing heavily in the electrification of their production steps. But this electrification is only sustainable if sufficient clean electricity and the corresponding infrastructure are available. That is why we must also invest massively in the energy transition in the coming years – from the expansion of renewables to energy storage and grid infrastructure. And today is indeed a good day for that, because this seemingly dark day for our industry, this Liberation Day – as Trump calls it – is also an opportunity for us. Because Trump and his frat boys With each decree, it not only drives innovation, but also drives investments in sustainable energies out of the USA. So let's open our doors to these sustainable innovations, to these sustainable investments in the energy transition. Because we have a common vision, and it deserves the energy to become a reality.

Madam President, Commissioner! 400 billion euros for fossil fuels flow from the European Union every year. Even today, three years after the start of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, we still source gas from Russia. It is all the more important that energy in Clean industrial deal It plays such an important role. The question of a complete energy transition, of a resilient, of a secure and of a sustainable energy system is not just a question of climate protection. Energy policy is security policy. We must no longer be dependent on autocrats, nor on those who would like to be. A successful energy transition with a modern, cross-border power grid secures our freedom. A true Energy Union, where the Baltics benefit from solar energy from Spain and Croatia from wind energy from the North Sea: This is a shield for our economy, for our society – no more and no less.

Mr President! Mr Executive Vice-President! Dear members! Europe's economy is under pressure, not because our companies lack ideas or commitment, but because they are structurally disadvantaged. If we want to unleash European entrepreneurship, then we must free it not only from complex rules, but above all from the shackles of expensive oil and gas. European companies pay twice as much for their energy as in the US. That's not balance. I am pleased that the Commission shows in the compass for a competitive EU that we can only drive innovation and growth in Europe and bring it back to Europe if we push ahead with the energy transition with full force. With the Holy Trinity of renewable energies, storage and grid expansion, we are not only putting our economy on a sustainable footing, but also offering cheaper and safe energy sources for our industry, our companies and also our households. Without a strong economy, Europe remains just an idea. We have it in our hands that it remains a success story.

Mr President! As an Austrian, let me say more than ever: Cooperation with the extreme right does not bring Europe any further. This should be clear to anyone who takes a look at their agenda. They want to lock us up in national fortresses, a fortress Austria. But a world of fortresses is a pretty gloomy, a pretty lonely world. They not only want to deprive our citizens of their freedom, they prevent our companies from growing beyond their own borders. And then you scold yourself as patriots? Where I come from, it's called different. This is called a traitor. They don't even hide it. If you don't see it, you don't want to see it. I find it all the more frightening when parties that are committed to Europe and appear to be advocating our common Europe turn around in the next breath and reach out to these inciters of Europe. I'm sorry, but that doesn't work out. Ladies and Gentlemen of the People's Party! Open your eyes! Whoever builds a fortress locks himself up. Whoever joins the Right betrays Europe.

Madam President, Again and again I hear: People deserve to know what happens to their tax dollars. I don't see it that way. Transparency is not something you have to earn first. People have a right to know what is being done with their money. Transparency is not a free choice, it is our duty. And we live in times when more and more people are losing faith in politics. No wonder we hear about bought influence and non-transparent money flows. There can only be one answer: Full transparency at all levels. And that is why I invite everyone – from politics to advocacy to NGOs – to do the same to us neos. We disclose all our revenues and expenses, from the largest donors to the oat milk packer. Only in this way can we regain people's trust, because for us must apply: If you've done nothing wrong, you have nothing to hide.