Davor Ivo STIER

Policy topics Davor Ivo STIER is active on

What Davor Ivo STIER has said (37)

• 2026-07-08 “(10:42:16 - 10:42:44): Thank you, president. Istim, colleague with the heat wave. More than ever, we need a cooling strategy. And I will say in that cooling strategy, also an action plan geothermal energy in order to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. Now the commission has been promising that to be delivered in May, then in June, then it was postponed. Now it's July. So I would like to ask about your views about that cooling strategy and particularly on the role of geothermal.”
  Energy (green transition)
• 2026-07-08 “(10:42:45 - 10:43:17): Thank you very much. And indeed, we are walking on the very heat, but also cold. Let's be honest. From heat, you can make cold. That's physics that we need. And geothermal is the very 1 we have been overlooking and understating. So I expect the commission to come up now in the electrification strategy with a very concrete dedicated action on geothermal on next generation geothermal so we can use it both for electricity as well as heating and, right now, cooling. Thank you very much.”
  Energy (green transition)
• 2026-07-07 “(13:58:43 - 13:59:46): you, president. Mexico is a strategic partner to the European Union, and this is why and it's absolutely necessary in this context of fragmentation of the multinational world order, and we have to build up ties with partners like Mexico, hence the global agreement and the interim trade agreement. We're reducing tariffs, extending these to more chapters and also encouraging producers. But we also have to deepen political dialogue, looking at, independence of the judiciary rule of law, and we cannot ignore the very serious problem of the disappeared. When we traveled with Eurolat to Mexico, it was a the official figure was a 130,000, but that figure is constantly going up. And there is the concern expressed by Amnesty International, when it comes to the Mexican, authorities and forces repressing any kind of demonstration of families when they demonstrate about they disappeared. So we have to do something about this and also make sure there is no authoritarian drift”
  EU relations with left-wing Latin America
• 2026-07-07 “Thank you. President. Mexico is a strategic partner to the European Union. And this is why. And it's absolutely necessary in this context of Fragmentation of the multinational world order, and we have to build up ties with partners like Mexico. Hence the global agreement and the interim trade agreement. We're reducing tariffs, extending these to more chapters, and also encouraging producers. But we also have to deepen political dialogue. Looking at independence of the judiciary, rule of law. And we cannot ignore the very serious problem of the disappeared when we travelled with Eurolat to Mexico. It was the official figure was 130,000. But that figure is constantly going up. And there is the concern expressed by Amnesty International when it comes to the Mexican authorities and forces repressing any kind of demonstration of families when they demonstrate about they disappeared. So we have to do something about this and also make sure there is no authoritarian drift, because obviously our commitment is with not with the government, but with our brother People of Mexico.”
  Free trade agreements (FTAs)
• 2026-07-07 “Thank you, president. Mexico is a strategic partner to the European Union, and this is why and it's absolutely necessary in this context of fragmentation of the multinational world order, and we have to build up ties with partners like Mexico, hence the global agreement and the interim trade agreement. We're reducing tariffs, extending these to more chapters and also encouraging producers. But we also have to deepen political dialogue, looking at, independence of the judiciary rule of law, and we cannot ignore the very serious problem of the disappeared. When we traveled with Eurolat to Mexico, it was a the official figure was a 130,000, but that figure is constantly going up. And there is the concern expressed by Amnesty International, when it comes to the Mexican, authorities and forces repressing any kind of demonstration of families when they demonstrate about they disappeared. So we have to do something about this and also make sure there is no authoritarian drift because, obviously, our commitment is with the not with the government, but with our, brother people of Mexico.”
  EU relations with left-wing Latin America
• 2026-07-07 “Has regained its political importance. This is something that in general has benefited the countries, but not in the case of of Serbia. President Vucic made it clear that Serbia can implement EU related reforms and has appointed a very professional negotiating operational team. But he also said that Serbia will not turn its back on Russia. Serbia does not perceive itself as part of the West, but pursues a non-aligned policy which is deeply rooted in the society. It has existed before Vucic and will probably continue after him. Now, while the EU should acknowledge this decision, Serbia needs to understand that it will not make progress towards EU membership if it keeps friendly relations with the EU's adversaries. Now, sometimes driven by a transactional logic, some key member states have attempted to change Belgrade's policy. However, so far they have failed, increasing sometimes the level of frustration on all sides. At the same time, the Parliament's criticism, while honest and principled, has had little impact so far on changing the course of events. So what can be done? A realistic approach should envisage cooperation and a partial and gradual integration in those areas of mutual benefit from border management, trade, finance, energy and transport. A pragmatic but firm approach can bring results. We saw it with the repeal of the mortgage laws with better cooperation on electoral reform. Even with better cooperation with the Croatian National Council, of course this should. This should be continued and expanded to the benefit of both sides. But we should be also honest with each other. Serbia will not align with the EU any time soon. There is no political will for it, neither the government nor in the opposition to that situation. Our response should not be appeasement nor our isolation, but rather a realistic engagement, firm and values and pragmatic on promoting our interests without false promises about progress in the negotiations, but with a clear vision of a working relationship that serves the cause of peace in South East Europe. Thank you.”
  EU-Serbia relations
• 2026-06-17 “(15:28:48 – 15:30:00): You, president, colleague. At 1 point, the commission included in its plan, this electrification plan, a chapter on geothermal energy. They thought about including it, but then in the energy committee, commissioner told us that maybe it would be part of the strategy the heating and cooling strategy instead, or maybe it would simply just be an action plan for geothermal energy in particular. I would ask you, what is your vision? What do you think is the role of geothermal energy in ensuring greater energy autonomy in Europe? Well, my 1st point would be that geothermal energy should form part of this Electrification Action Plan, but I'll say more. It should have an action plan of its own. I think it really could have its own plan. What's more, this geothermal plan would support development and innovation for drilling and exploration so that this sort of geothermal energy could be less risky and more financially accessible. I think the heating and cooling strategy and electrification plan is, well, there's definitely a role for geothermal in all of this. Thank you. Thank you very much, mister Meyer.”
  Energy (green transition)
• 2026-06-16 “(11:08:27 – 11:09:06): Yeah. Stir is fine. Dear colleague, I I fully agree with you, when it comes to respect of international law. 1 of the 1st things to be respected is, of course, the, UN declaration of human rights that is systematically violated in Iran by a brutal regime. But that regime somehow has the support of permanent members of the security council that will block any action of the international community. So what the European Union can do in your view in order to protect human rights in Iran?”
  EU-Iran relations
• 2026-06-15 “Thank you, president. Mister Voorhees, from your position, it seems that the left hates the US administration far more than it loves European workers or European citizens of the European businesses. Please explain to me how what is the cost of not having an agreement that cannot be eventually perfect, but what will be the cost of not having an agreement with The US and how the European workers will pay for that cost?”
  EU-US trade relations
• 2024-12-18 “E-003007/2024 Answer given by Executive Vice-President Virkkunen on behalf of the European Commission The voluntary Roaming Declaration between the EU and the Western Balkan telecommunication operators has contributed to the lowering of retail data roaming prices. The Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) is in the lead for monitoring the implementation of the voluntary Declaration. The RCC initiated the review in 2024 and is currently finalising the first implementation report. The Western Balkans are already on a good path for lowering roaming charges between the region and the EU. In the Western Balkans ‘Roam-like-at-home’ is implemented in the region between the Western Balkan partners and a voluntary roaming agreement is in place between a number of EU and Western Balkan operators. As a follow-up to the Western Balkan growth plan, the Commission is exploring a legally viable option for bringing the Western Balkans into the EU ‘Roam-like-at-home’ area subject to meeting necessary legal conditions.”
  Geo-blocking
• 2024-12-18 “E-003008/2024 Answer given by Mr Jørgensen on behalf of the European Commission The Commission has taken note of the Parliament resolution of January 2024 1 , and of the Council conclusions of December 2024 and acknowledges that geothermal energy has an important role to play in the decarbonisation of the EU’s energy system. The potential of geothermal energy has been so far hindered by challenges related inter alia to planning, permitting, skills, financing and availability of data. As underlined in Affordable Energy Action Plan adopted on 26 February 2025 2 , the Commission is committed to work on a comprehensive strategy to further advance on the decarbonisation of heating and cooling and will prepare a Heating and Cooling Strategy (first quarter of 2026), which will be accompanied by an action plan on geothermal energy. In the meantime, timely transposition and implementation of recent legislation will benefit geothermal energy, in particular renewables targets on heating and cooling under the revised Renewable Energy Directive 3 , and provisions in the Energy Efficiency Directive 4 concerning decarbonisation pathways towards 2050 for district heating and cooling networks (a key user of geothermal energy), and on local heating and cooling plans. 1 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/C/2024/5738/oj 2 Action Plan for Affordable Energy: Unlocking the true value of our Energy Union to secure affordable, efficient and clean energy for all Europeans, COM (2025) 79 final. 3 Directive (EU) 2018/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December 2018 on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources (recast): https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legalcontent/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A02018L2001-20240716 4 Directive (EU) 2023/1791 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 September 2023 on energy efficiency and amending Regulation (EU) 2023/955 (recast): https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legalcontent/EN/TXT/?uri=OJ%3AJOL_2023_231_R_0001&qid=1695186598766”
  Energy (green transition)
• 2024-10-09 “– Poštovana predsjedavajuća, mi često u ovom Parlamentu izražavamo solidarnost s različitim narodima u različitim državama zbog toga što oni baš i trebaju da budemo uz njih u teškim trenucima. To smo učinili, na primjer, i u slučaju Bosne i Hercegovine zbog ovih strašnih poplava koje su bile doista razorne i tražili smo aktivaciju Fonda solidarnosti. Ali ima situacija kada moramo tražiti isto tako, kada su politički napadi na jednu državu, da i ovaj Parlament digne svoj glas. I to smo učinili u slučaju Moldove zato što je Moldova danas žrtva hibridnog djelovanja jedne agresivne politike Ruske Federacije i stoga je ta rezolucija trebala imati našu potporu kako bi stali uz Moldovu, kako bi podržali perspektivu slobodne, suverene i europske Moldove.”
• 2024-09-12 “E-001691/2024 Answer given by Ms Kos on behalf of the European Commission The Commission follows these developments in Montenegro very closely. In the EU, it is the competence of Member States, having due regard to international law, to lay down the conditions for the acquisition and loss of nationality, and in situations covered by EU law, the national rules concerned must have due regard to the latter 1 . As a candidate country, Montenegro should refrain from any measure that could jeopardise the country’s EU strategic path or the security of the EU, including when using its prerogatives to confer nationality. The Commission expects Montenegro to urgently adopt a comprehensive electoral reform to align its legislation with European and international standards, including the recommendations of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights. Any legal changes, including constitutional amendments, should be based on European standards, follow a broad consultation process and be done with the maximum cross-party political consensus. Those changes should align with the expected EU related reforms, as notably outlined in the Montenegro 2024 Report 2 , in view of fulfilling Montenegro’s commitments to the accession negotiations. Prior to any decision, the Commission expects Montenegro to keep the EU fully apprised of its intentions. 1 Judgment of 18 January 2022, JY v Wiener Landesregierung, C-118/20, EU:C:2022:34, paragraph 37. 2 SWD(2024) 694 final, https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=SWD:2024:694:FIN”
  Foreign interference in Europe · EU relations with Western Balkans
• “Um, this four minutes I will use to, you know, uh, make some concluding remarks on the one hand, but also to summarize Summarized some points and takeaways. I want to take from this discussion we had today between the parliaments of the Energy Committee and the and the European Parliament when it comes to the affordability of energy. The further and deeper integration was mentioned by all of the contracting parties and many of the members of the European Parliament. The progress still expected to come on the integration of the electricity market. Accelerated integration was mentioned several times, and there is no surprise for that because the contracting parties, being part of the EU electricity market, will get access to the biggest and the most liquid electricity market in the world, where all of the profits they can take from that development. However, what was also mentioned there were the price differences between the countries of the energy community and the European Union. There was the call for the level playing field for for better trade and for equal treatment, and for more integration of those countries in the energy or carbon pricing systems. And this discussion is also ongoing in the, in the, in the European Union. What is however important the concept of cost reflectivity was mentioned by by many speakers, underlining the need for accumulating monetary funds for investments in the grid development, allowing more flexibility and more more integration. I take also from that discussion the call for the proper and fair and competitive established open markets with the strong role of the independent regulatory authorities. The issue which is subject to, to, to to concern in some countries of the energy community.”
  EU energy infrastructure integration
• “Thank you. Chair. Thank you Minister. I was just recently talking to the representatives of the cement industry in my country, in Croatia, and they have basically two issues. One is they need to compete in the broader market of Southeast Europe with cement companies from outside the EU, for example, Turkish companies that are 40% cheaper and they don't have all the decarbonisation efforts to make us our companies. So that is one issue. And Prime Minister Tusk addressed that in basically by saying that we need to be ready to Ready to review this situation even by reviewing some of the aspects of the Green Deal. So if you could elaborate further into that. But the second question is our companies, for example, can make use of the, for example, the innovation fund. But here comes the problem for for example, our sector in Croatia is very difficult to accede to these funds. Usually it goes to bigger companies from larger countries coming from Poland. Can you make use of this position of the Polish presidency also to assure a more balanced approach in the use of the Innovation Fund? Thank you.”
  Carbon leakage support
• “Thank you, chair. And I would like to thank the rapporteur for for the draft report as well as for the introductory remarks. Last year, it was not an easy task for him to deal with this resolution and also for the shadow rapporteurs. I wish you an easier task this year. I think that it is important here to obviously address a key issue and a strong opportunity that is, uh, open for North Macedonia as well as for the Western Balkans. But unfortunately, in the case of North Macedonia, until this moment has not been, uh, used. So, uh, how to move forward with the negotiations really comes down to the issue of the fulfilment of the requirement for amending the Constitution. Now, I think that, uh, in this regard, there is already a clear position of the Parliament of the European institutions about that. What can be done is to address what could be eventually the way how to do it. If there are concerns that something will come after the amendment. Constitution has new requirements whether to address these kind of fears in order to build confidence, but that requirement obviously should be fulfilled. So my point would be we cannot address all or achieve all these results with the parliamentary resolution. However, we need to keep in mind that there is still a lot of work here for the for diplomacy to, to, to do and to deliver and try to use the opportunity we have to send such an encouraging message with this resolution. Thank you.”
  EU enlargement
• “Thank you. President. Well, I agree that we need to be prudent in this situation. We can't give a blank check to the US or Israel. But, uh, would you be a bit more cautious when in saying. That you can't act internationally without a UN Security Council mandate? Because I remember. Javier Solana, a socialist Spaniard who was secretary general of the NATO of NATO and. Militarily intervened to save the lives of Albanians in Kosovo without a UN Security Council mandate.”
  EU foreign policy approach
• “I was in the the station of Chamartin in Madrid when the blackout took place. And I would actually like to pay tribute to all the citizens because of their conduct, which was exemplary. Everybody was very calm and took things in their stride and supported each other, which was extremely laudable. So what do we need to take as lessons learned from this? Obviously, we need to have an effective and efficient policy. We need to invest more in the electricity networks. We need to learn that we need to take some cash out of the ATM from every, every so often, because we can't always pay with bills with cars. We need to have a genuine energy mix. It is true that that nuclear energy is part of the solution, but renewables and geothermal Energy are very stable sources of energy. And therefore, Commissioner, we should have a fresh look at the taxonomy which actually discriminates at the moment against geothermal energy. Thank you.”
  Nuclear energy
• “Thank you Chair and after two and a half minutes of propaganda may I just welcome your excellent draft report. I think that you resisted the temptation to transform this report into an accumulation of country reports and keep the strategic dimension of it, trying to provide guidance as you mentioned in a world that in my view has a combination of both elements of a bipolar and a multipolar system. Bipolar because we are living in days when the system that was designed, established and led by the United States in nineteen forty five and then restructured and strengthened after the fall of the Berlin Wall now has been challenged by China and that competition has elements of bipolar system but it's not as ideological as during the Cold War. We see more and more actors including the European Union seeking strategic autonomy and that gives them elements of a multipolar system as well. At the same time in this context I think it's good to focus on what is happening in the European continent and obviously the most prominent issue is the Russian aggression against Ukraine continues to be. Obviously we need to look to our south and to see what is going on in the Middle East and you are addressing that point. I think that in addition to what has been said about the war between Israel and Hamas I think we need to see also the regional competition there between Turkey and Israel and Saudi Arabia and Iran when it comes to the balance of powers in that region. And then of course to finalize the integration of the European project and that's why I think it's worth giving so much space also to the Western Balkans and their integration. In addition to that the position of the EU needs to be defined by the role that we are playing in a challenging global context and then the strategic relations with Latin America. We just approved the report on that. What my colleague Zelina Zofko said about Mercosur is quite relevant as well as the discussions that we recently had with the communication in India. So all in all I think it's an excellent route. I'll try to table some amendments but it will go pretty much in the direction that you already signaled. Thank you”
  EU enlargement
• “Thank you, Mr. President. Madam Commissioner, the new strategic EU India agenda is a timely and adequate response to the process of weakening of multilateralism and fragmentation of the international order. The geopolitical competition between the United States and China is reshaping trade and international relations affecting all of us. Therefore, if we do not want to remain a mere spectator, we need to adapt and move fast. It is in that context that we need to understand this new approach to India as well, for example, as the strategic partnership with Latin America that we will discuss later on. Of course, we are aware that there are areas of disagreement with India, a BRICs founding member. Yet if we manage to get within the FTA to boost defense and technology cooperation and to improve connectivity. Current differences could be overcome by the geopolitical gains of a mutually beneficial relationship. Thank you.”
  EU-India relations
• “Thank you very much. We would like to have a Europe which will be competitive, safe. And this is why we have to reduce our energetic dependencies. Given that Europe does not have enough of its own fossil fuels, of course we have to go in the direction of renewables, and the green transition is therefore very relevant. We want to reduce our dependency on Russia, on the USA as well, if you wish, or on the Gulf countries. But if our goals are unrealistic, we will also increase our dependency on another superpower. We will be more dependent on China, and we cannot reach these goals unless we are more dependent on someone else. Therefore, I am really glad to see that the Council is ready to postpone ETS two for a year, as this will cause an increase in prices for our graduates and for our citizens. I think it should be postponed for three three years, but we should not lose time. We should invest in geothermal energy or similar energies. The Commission should adopt its action plan and we call on it to do it as soon as possible. Thank you very much.”
  EU approach to energy security (home-made vs import sources)
• “Thank you. President. Uh, the price of square meter has risen by 55% during the last ten years. Uh, and, uh, this is due to the lack of supply. Uh, we need to provide, uh, more housing units on the market and introduce limits for short term rentals. And what we also need is cut red tape, as stated by the rapporteur. But we also need to take into account the price of new buildings and the cost of energy. The Commission Commission made a promise for geothermal energy. I visited Vinkovci, a city in Croatia, and they would like to introduce geothermal energy, and this way they will cut energy costs for our citizens. So I welcome this initiative by the commission. Thank you.”
  EU housing policy
• “Thank you. President. Uh, the price of square meter has risen by 55% during the last ten years. Uh, and, uh, this is due to the lack of supply. Uh, we need to provide, uh, more housing units on the market and introduce limits for short term rentals. And what we also need is cut red tape, as stated by the rapporteur. But we also need to take into account the price of new buildings and the cost of energy. The Commission Commission made a promise for geothermal energy. I visited Vinkovci, a city in Croatia, and they would like to introduce geothermal energy, and this way they will cut energy costs for our citizens. So I welcome this initiative by the commission. Thank you.”
  EU policy on urban development
• “Thank you, chair. And thank you to the ministers and good luck during the Cyprus presidency that has stressed strategic autonomy and energy independence as a priority goal of of the presidency. In that sense, we have recently passed legislation banning the import of Russian gas. You know that the Parliament wanted to add also the ban of the import of Russian oil. The council did not agree on that, at least not in that piece of legislation. However, during the negotiations, we got a commitment from the Commission to present legislation to ban Russian oil. Uh, so what would be the position of the Cyprus presidency in that respect? Can we expect a support for such a proposal to ban also the import of Russian oil? Thank you.”
  EU approach to energy security (home-made vs import sources)
• “Thank you to, uh, all the experts. You put forward some recommendations as well as describing the situation in the Western Balkans. My question would be, uh, given the close connection between, uh, energy projects and the dependency of this, especially in Serbia, but not only, uh, on, on on Russian, uh, energy. What do you think that, uh, also the EU funds should be put more on conditions that this dependency is reduced. For example, we have some budget support coming from EU funds on energy projects, while at the same time we have a project to interconnect Serbia to the Druzhba pipeline, uh, through Hungary in order to actually increment the dependency on on on Russian oil. Should it be part of the package of recommendations as well to put certain conditions there before using EU funds? Thank you.”
  EU enlargement
• “Um, sorry for my late coming, but if, uh, no colleagues from EBP would like to take the floor, I just wanted to, uh, raise the issue of how to deal with the fact when there is a case not of disinformation as such, coming from outside or promoted by outside. But when you have, uh, All this information coming even from the government's institutions and trying to portray. For example, we had a situation in, in, in Serbia, unfortunately, where there was even from the government's institution, an attempt to portray that there was a sort of color revolution orchestrated, among others, by the European Parliament's rapporteur, uh, which is obviously a disinformation not coming from malign influence from outside, but even from inside. So how to deal with this kind of disinformation, how to protect democracy and the right of citizens to know the real information in these situations? That would be my question. Thank you.”
  Disinformation & online freedoms
• “We do have to carefully examine our relationship with Canada in the context of broader geopolitical trends, because the whole world order is being changed, particularly by the US. So we need a deeper relationship with Canada. Not to gang up on the US, but to take account of all of these changes because we have common values and we have common interests. Canada is an Arctic state. We have common interests there for security and defence. For that reason, it's very important to have Canada in the Safe program. We also have commercial interests. We have trade agreements with Canada, which demonstrates how you can achieve an increase in trade 63% in this occasion through bringing in such an agreement. And even France has been benefiting from this agreement. So countries have been benefiting even if they weren't ratified.”
  EU-US relations
• “Thank you. Chair. Dear colleagues, as we work to integrate the energy community parties into the EU electricity market, we must prioritise the strengthening of our electricity grids, especially in South East Europe. The major blackout in the summer of 2024, which affected Albania, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina and partially Croatia, highlighted the urgent need for more resilient infrastructure. One way to achieve this is by investing in renewables that not only advance decarbonisation, but also enhance our energy security. Croatia, for example, has significant potential in geothermal energy, a resource that can play a vital role in both stabilizing the grid and ensuring sustainable development. Geothermal is reliable, local, weather independent. And in that context, I welcome the Commissioner Jorgensen's announcement that Geothermal Action Plan will be published in early 2026. By unlocking the full potential of geothermal alongside other renewables, we can build a more resilient and interconnected energy system, one that strengthens our grids, supports the integration of the energy community, and brings us closer to a truly sustainable and secure European energy future. Thank you. Thank you very much. And now I will again give the floor to our guests. So first, Mr. Arthur Lorkowski for four minutes to the last remarks. Thank you. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.”
  EU energy infrastructure integration
• “Still what I would like also to mention on the second point, which is the the issue related to renewables. The discussion proved again the commitment of the contracting parties of the energy community to the development of renewables. The renewables are being seen as the part of the solution for the issue of affordability. By developing the the concept of the self-consumption and the concept of prosumers in the in the countries. Again, the discussion on on on renewables focus on the proper market development market, which should support the the flexibility of the system, which is the technical enabler for the further integration of renewables with with storages with highly maneuverable capacities, with uh, with the demand response mechanism, uh, in the, in the countries. What was however, also mentioned, and what I think is critical is the proper governance of the transition through the national energy and climate plans. The same documents which are developed for the European Union for the proper targets, but also for the legal stability, stability and alignment with the European Union legislation, including the Red two directive. Uh, the issue of permitting was was mentioned, which we believe is also critically important, and some initiative will be taken in this regard. And finally, let me revert to to Ukraine, the country under war, focusing on the reconstruction and rebuilding, but also focusing on promotion of the renewables and the distributed new energy system. And I think this Ukraine can also serve as the laboratory of this change, which is also happening in, in, in, in, in the European Union. Mr. chairman, thank you very much again for, for this very fruitful discussion.”
  EU policy on permitting for renewable energy projects
• “Thank you president. Over €300 billion this much the European Union imported gas and oil before the increase of prices caused by the war in the Gulf. Of course, the solution. The solution is not to curb the sanctions to Russia and to, uh, to be dependent on fossil fuel, fossil fuels, but to, uh, but small modular reactors can really be part of this solution. Not only that, the commission said that in May, it will adopt a strategy for cooling and heating and also, uh, an action plan for geothermal energy. Why is this important? Because this is a renewable energy. We have the technology. This is constant energy. And in this way we can really reduce the bills. We mustn't forget that half of the energy that we that we use in Europe goes for heating and cooling. Thank you.”
  Nuclear energy
• “Thank you, chair. And let me thank also the authors of of this report as well as Mr. Malamoud for his presentation. I will have three points. One is a question we are now, as has been said, in very timely presentation of of this report since the Commission has approved. Now the text is Senate for ratification. So my first question will be if we can elaborate not only on the geopolitical aspects and the dimension of this, but what would be the geopolitical cost of not ratifying this, this agreement? My my second point will be about the strategic autonomy. Will we have any report that will be in 20 days? Uh, voted here and offered about our strategic relations with Latin America. And one of the points is that, uh, with the cooperation between the two regions and in particular with Mercosur, we are increasing the strategic autonomy of both. And you also have reflected that in your report. I quote, for example, the fact that Brazil decides to pursue cooperation with both EU and BRICs reflects a broader strategy of autonomy via diversification, but it has its limits. So my question to Mr. Malamoud will be if he can elaborate a little bit further what those limitations would be, uh, in in this case related to the EU Mercosur agreement in terms of achieving strategic autonomy. My third point is just a reflection about the ratification process. It seems to me that the model has been put forward, creates, uh, something that is practical, that deals first with trade and then with the whole, uh, all the three pillars. And that can work in practice. Although there are some problems with the theory, I will always try to have, uh, you know, uh, the, uh, uh, the practical arrangements working rather than to have all the theoretical ones in place, but are having problems in practice. So that would be my conclusion for the ratification process. Thank you.”
  Trade relations with Mercosur
• “Thank you. Well, I'd just like to note that the NATO mission, while Javier Solana was secretary general, did not have the approval of the UN Security Council. It was done for humanitarian reasons, and I think it was the right thing to do. But I just wanted to note that so that it appears in the minutes.”
  Relations with NATO
• “Thank you, dear Mrs. Kallas. This agreement represents a strategic investment in our engagement in Central Asia. Uzbekistan is an important partner for regional stability, connectivity, diversification of energy sources, and raw material supply within Global Gateway. The EU should strengthen its political ties with Uzbekistan through investment in sustainable traffic corridors, digital connectivity and modern infrastructure. Such a cooperation contributes to better supply chains and strengthening strategic presence. Presence of the EU in Central Asia. At the same time, this partnership should remain strong and stable in our values. Meaning respecting the rule of law freedoms as constitutive elements of this agreement which should be implemented in this way. This may not be perfect at this moment, but we live in an imperfect world and we must take into account the interests of the EU. This is why we should support its agreement due to its geopolitical and strategic importance.”
  EU policy on Central Asia
• “Thank you, chair. And I would like to thank the rapporteur for for the draft report as well as for the introductory remarks. Last year, it was not an easy task for him to deal with this resolution and also for the shadow rapporteurs. I wish you an easier task this year. I think that it is important here to obviously address a key issue and a strong opportunity that is, uh, open for North Macedonia as well as for the Western Balkans. But unfortunately, in the case of North Macedonia, until this moment has not been, uh, used. So, uh, how to move forward with the negotiations really comes down to the issue of the fulfilment of the requirement for amending the Constitution. Now, I think that, uh, in this regard, there is already a clear position of the Parliament of the European institutions about that. What can be done is to address what could be eventually the way how to do it. If there are concerns that something will come after the amendment. Constitution has new requirements whether to address these kind of fears in order to build confidence, but that requirement obviously should be fulfilled. So my point would be we cannot address all or achieve all these results with the parliamentary resolution. However, we need to keep in mind that there is still a lot of work here for the for diplomacy to, to, to do and to deliver and try to use the opportunity we have to send such an encouraging message with this resolution. Thank you.”
  EU relations with Western Balkans
• “Dear colleagues, at a moment where the world economy is being fragmented for Europe, it is of strategic importance to ensure that we have trading partners with a regulated relations through agreements. In this circumstance, the Mercosur agreement is especially important for our relations with Latin America and if we have a shared history and culture. Without this agreement, Europe will not be able to handle ever growing competition from global players who are present in Latin America and not only present. China is the first trading partner for a lot of countries within this region, so there is no doubt that this agreement is necessary. Yes, for European industry, but in general for European economy. At the same time, it is true that there is a need of a dialogue with farmers. For Croatian agricultural chamber. There are three special sectors poultry, sugar and beef. And for this reason it is important to communicate that we have quotas agreed on import of these products between 1.2 2.5% of total European market consumption, and with these small quotas, they will even be introduced consequently slowly. So our market will not be flooded with products from Latin America. But we still need a compensation measure package which could be activated in case of need. So Mercosur is no threat, but it is an opportunity to make Europe competitive on a global market. Thank you.”
  Trade relations with Mercosur
• “It was time for us to stop being dependent on the Russian fossil fuels, which continue to be used as a means of coercion. We have capacity for that. We have diversified our supply sources. We have renewable sources. We have untapped capacities. Geothermal energy, for instance. But what was necessary was to end the inflow of Russian gas, and that required political will. And we show today that we do have political will to end the importation. Now we are faced with the second step, and that is going to be the Commission's proposal to end the importation of Russian oil. And therefore, I welcome the Commission statement whereby it undertakes, at the beginning of the next year, to present the legislative proposal to end the impulse of Russian oil. And that was the demand of this House. We know that there are member States who still continue to benefit from the exemption, but today we do have alternative. It is called the Adriatic Pipeline, which already today and the Uh, Adriatic, uh, oil pipeline. And it can be alternative for all the Central European states which continue to import Russian fossil fuels. The rules have to be the same for everyone.”
  EU approach to energy security (home-made vs import sources)
• “Thank you very much. The European Commission proposed a road map in order to stop the import of Russian oil and gas, and I'm very much for it. However, one month before this road map, Hungary and Serbia agreed to build yet another pipeline in order to increase the import of Russian oil. You know that Hungary enjoys enjoys an exemption because they don't want to use the Adriatic pipeline, saying that it is too expensive, which is incorrect. And now they want to build another pipeline that would bring Russian oil not only to Hungary, but also to Serbia. You have to bear in mind that the Russians own the oil industry in Serbia today. I think that this issue should be addressed by the Commission. The vice president, Kostas, Costas was recently in Belgrade. Tomorrow, High Representative Carlos is traveling there, and I think that we should also put this issue on our agenda. Otherwise, we will not be able to accomplish our goals. Thank you.”
  EU approach to energy security (home-made vs import sources)