Speeches

Mr President, the European energy union is based on different pillars, as the Commissioner has been highlighting. But currently, policy agendas are primarily based on climate action and decarbonisation. Rightly so – but what about the other pillars? The report points out that Europe is making good progress towards decarbonisation. However, we all know that more is needed. The other four pillars of the energy union need to be in place for Europe to be successful in 2030. So let’s discuss what needs to happen. One crucial pillar of the energy union is a fully-integrated internal energy market through, among other things, the development of sufficient infrastructure. The market needs to foster the transition as well as being prepared for the decarbonisation future. We need EU instruments and regulation, as well as effective state-aid rules – and the ones we are developing are not effective – to allow for necessary funding to develop our infrastructure. To assure the gradual transformation of our energy system, Member States have to develop a gas project for the fifth list of projects of common interest (PCI) – the next PCI list – which should be compatible also with hydrogen—proof infrastructure for the future. And the second pillar I would like to mention is just on the very fact of investment. I’m deeply worried you have been highlighting the comparative advantage we have now – but we are living in a different world since the new American administration. The Americans are not going to go down the regulatory alley – rightly so or not rightly so. But they challenge us, because they’re going to invest: they will put their money on innovation, and it’s a race. And it’s not a race of state aid, a state—driven capitalist system, like China and India, not caring about their citizens. It’s the western democracies now challenging each other. And innovation, from my point of view, is the driving force for decarbonisation and will be at the core of the decarbonisation of industry. So the bottom line is: innovation cannot be stimulated by regulation only; we have to invest. We have to invest, and the Commission has to come up with an idea of how to do so.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, what you can count on if you talk about the European-American lessons in this House is the hypocrisy of the populists in this House. The Left is protecting the European defence industry in the Australian issue and fighting any defence budget, any defence industries in Europe. The Right is giving up any kind of solidarity when French companies and France are losing a contract to which they have a right. It is hypocrisy and anti-Americanism, and it serves just two purposes. Let’s turn now a little bit to the substance. Especially in regard to the newly established cooperation, the Trade and Technology Council, we see an opportunity that could yield massive benefits for both the EU as well as the US, and we will remove barriers from trade and investment. However, the positive aspects of TTC affect not only our bilateral relations, the TTC will also allow us to set joint standards. It’s important to understand that, if we don’t join forces with the Americans, Chinese standards will rule. We won’t see a war, but we will see the domination and the will of the Chinese to establish a rule on that, so we should work together. We have the potential to work together, and that’s an ambition we should all share.