Marie-Luce BRASIER-CLAIN

Policy topics Marie-Luce BRASIER-CLAIN is active on

What Marie-Luce BRASIER-CLAIN has said (34)

• 2026-06-17 “Thank you resident, commissioner. The link between mental health, learning difficulties, and overexposure to social media has been proven. France is preparing legislation on banning access to social media of the under fifteens waiting for the commission approval. However, there are pitfalls to avoid. We cannot allow minors to turn to chatbots for some sort of relationship, dangerous advice, low loss of social confidence. And 2nd pitfall, we cannot take away parents' responsibility. There is something, called parental control and, time limits that can be placed on screen use. We cannot allow anonymity. We cannot, turn this strategy into some sort of tracking tool, collating data to strengthen, mainstream positions.”
  EU policy on mental health
• 2026-03-17 “Answer given by Mr Hoekstra on behalf of the European Commission 6.5.2026 Written question The Commission strongly condemns the disruptions brought to the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial transit for global trade, and calls for full respect of navigation rights and freedoms of merchant and commercial vessels in accordance with international law. The disruptions highlight the vulnerability of the maritime sector to geopolitical situations in critical maritime chokepoints, and the ripple effect these have on commodity markets and global supply chains. The sector will see higher transport costs due to increases in freight rates for the shipping of fuels, prices of bunker fuels and insurance premiums [1] . Additional impact in the form of increased costs stemming from the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) linked to the re-routing of voyages is expected to be low considering notably the relatively limited reliance of the EU on energy imports transiting through the Strait of Hormuz. It should also be noted that when ships are involved in voyages between the EU and third countries, the ETS surrender obligation only applies to 50% of relevant emissions, thus limiting possible further increase in ETS costs. The Commission continues to monitor the implementation of the ETS for maritime transport, including with regards to transport costs. Past analysis has shown that the ETS has limited impact on total transport costs or commodity prices. The Commission is working on a number of initiatives including a review of the ETS, to modernize the system in line with the 2040 emissions reduction target agreed by the co-legislators. The ETS is a key tool to achieve a higher degree of energy security and independence, which in time will ensure lower, more stable energy and carbon costs, including for the maritime sector. [1] Strait of Hormuz Disruptions — Implications for Global Trade and Development; UNCTAD; 10/03/2026.”
  Extension of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme · Decarbonisation of maritime transport
• 2026-02-10 “Answer given by Mr Jørgensen on behalf of the European Commission 12.5.2026 Written question On 4 March 2026, the Commission adopted the proposal for the Industrial Accelerator Act (IAA) [1] with purpose of strengthening Europe's industrial base by boosting manufacturing and the demand for low-carbon and European-made products and net-zero technologies [2] , including specifically two solar photovoltaic components , inverters and cells. The proposed provisions on origin requirements complement the Net-Zero Industry Act (NZIA) [3] , which already mandates the application of resilience requirements in public procurement and renewable energy auctions. The IAA reinforces the existing cybersecurity requirements for renewable energy auctions under NZIA, and, building on the proposed revision of the Cybersecurity Act [4] , it expands the limitations to prevent high-risk suppliers from supplying critical components in renewable energy auctions and other forms of public intervention. The Financial Regulation [5] provides the possibility to set specific conditions for the protection of security or public order. These restrictions need to be strictly limited. In the proposal for the Connecting Europe Facility [6] , the Commission set out that eligibility restrictions shall apply to high-risk suppliers, in line with EU law, for security reasons. The Commission is currently conducting a risk assessment of critical elements in the EU solar value chain. The results of this assessment, planned for the third quarter of 2026, will serve to identify possible gaps in current EU policy and propose new measures to mitigate concrete risks that will have been identified. The results will be published, with possible limitations envisaged by the regulation regarding public access to documents [7] . [1] Proposal for a regulation establishing a framework of measures for the acceleration of industrial capacity and decarbonisation in strategic sectors and amending Regulations (EU) 2018/1724, (EU) 2024/1735 and (EU) 2024/3110: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=COM%3A2026%3A100%3AFIN&qid=1772791153353). [2] The net-zero technologies included in the proposal are battery energy storage systems, solar photovoltaic technologies, heat pumps, onshore and offshore wind technologies, electrolysers and nuclear fission energy technologies. [3] Regulation (EU) 2024/1735 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 June 2024 on establishing a framework of measures for strengthening Europe’s net-zero technology manufacturing ecosystem and amending Regulation (EU) 2018/1724 (Text with EEA relevance): https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/1735/oj/eng. [4] Proposal for a regulation on the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA), the European cybersecurity certification framework, and ICT supply chain security and repealing Regulation (EU) 2019/881 (The Cybersecurity Act 2) COM/2026/11 final: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex:52026PC0011. [5] Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2024/2509 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 September 2024 on the financial rules applicable to the general budget of the Union (recast): https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32024R2509&qid=1772791240498). [6] Proposal for a regulation establishing the Connecting Europe Facility for the period 2028-2034, amending Regulation (EU) 2024/1679 and repealing Regulation (EU) 2021/1153: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A52025PC0547&qid=1772791356238. [7] Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 regarding public access to European Parliament, Council and Commission documents: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32001R1049&qid=1772791830756.”
  EU approach to energy security (home-made vs import sources) · Cybersecurity investments for critical infrastructure
• 2026-01-27 “E-000321/2026 Answer given by Executive Vice-President Fitto on behalf of the European Commission In 2023, the Commission adopted a comprehensive approach to mental health, with EUR 1.3 billion in funding opportunities. It supports the Member States through capacity building actions, and calls on them to use the European funds available. Under shared management of regional programmes between local decision makers and the Commission, financial support is determined on the basis of priorities established at the level of each region. Accordingly, the European Regional Development Fund supports investment in health infrastructure (EUR 32 million in Réunion, EUR 3.7 million in Saint Martin) and infrastructure and equipment for training and research in the area of health (EUR 5 million and EUR 17 million in Guadeloupe). EUR 30.2 million have been invested in the hospital centre of Mayotte. Furthermore, the European Social Fund+ contributes to activities to develop and promote health and medical training. Funding implemented under direct and indirect management can also be used. Erasmus+ helps support cooperation in education. Horizon Europe supports research and innovation projects, including in the area of mental health. The ‘EU4Health’ programme funds the EUPROMENS training and exchange programme. For the next multiannual financial framework, the Commission’s proposal reflects the constraints on the outermost regions as recognised by Article 349 TFEU 1 . It calls on the Member States to include specific measures for the outermost regions in the national and regional partnership plans, particularly as regards access to health. 1 https://eurlex.europa.eu/eli/treaty/tfeu_2012/art_349/oj/eng?eliuri=eli%3Atreaty%3Atfeu_2012%3Aart_349%3Aoj&locale =en.”
  Funding for OCTs and outermost regions
• 2025-08-06 “E-003195/2025 Answer given by Mr Šefčovič on behalf of the European Commission The political agreement 1 between the EU and the United States (US) increases cooperation and secure energy supplies. It includes the intention to procure more energy from the US. These energy imports are expected to have a total value of about USD 750 billion (circa EUR 700 billion) over the next three years. They include, inter alia, liquified natural gas (LNG), oil, and nuclear items (such as fuels, technology, investments and services). This agreement would contribute to fully replacing all Russian energy imports 2,3 . The figure of USD 250 billion per year over the next three years builds on extensive work with Member States, industry, and other stakeholders to identify the energy needs to ensure the EU's full energy independence from Russia, EU's energy security and lower prices for citizens and businesses. The purchases, which will be carried out by private companies, will also depend on the unrestricted access, and sufficient production and export capacity in the US, as well as other factors including commodity prices, exchange rates, and Foreign Direct Investment decisions taken by project promoters. The agreement is in line with the 2040 impact assessment 4 and does not undermine the EU’s commitment to achieve climate neutrality by 2050. While substantially decreasing its fossil fuel consumption, the EU will still need to import oil and gas in the next decades. In July the Commission proposed an amendment of the Climate Law with a 90% greenhouse gas emissions reduction target for 2040. For more information, please see the Commission’ press corner 5 . 1 Further reflected in this Joint Statement issued on 21 August 2025: https://policy.trade.ec.europa.eu/news/jointstatement-united-states-european-union-framework-agreement-reciprocal-fair-and-balanced-trade-2025-0821_en. 2 https://commission.europa.eu/topics/energy/repowereu_en. 3 https://energy.ec.europa.eu/strategy/repowereu-roadmap_en. 4 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:52024SC0063. 5 https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/qanda_25_1935.”
  EU-US trade relations · Climate efforts
• 2025-07-09 “E-002784/2025 Answer given by Mr Várhelyi on behalf of the European Commission 1. The Commission is currently undertaking a comprehensive evaluation of the Tobacco Products Directive 2014/40/EU 1 and Tobacco Advertising Directive 2003/33/EC 2 . The findings of this evaluation will inform the next steps regarding these Directives. 2. In line with the Better Regulation requirements, the Commission will publish the Staff Working Document on the evaluation of the Tobacco Products Directive 2014/40/EU and Tobacco Advertising Directive 2003/33/EC once this evaluation is completed. 3. The Commission always ensures that its impact assessments comply with all the Better Regulation requirements 3 and provide a comprehensive and balanced analysis of the potential impact of the proposed measures on relevant stakeholders. 1 OJ L 127, 29.4.2014, p. 1. 2 OJ L 152, 20.6.2003, p. 16. 3 https://commission.europa.eu/law/law-making-process/better-regulation/better-regulation-guidelines-andtoolbox_en.”
  Restrictions of flavours in tobacco products · Smoking regulation · EU regulation on plain packaging for tobacco products
• 2025-05-14 “E-001925/2025 Answer given by Executive Vice-President Mînzatu on behalf of the European Commission The European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) is implemented under shared management. It is up to Member States to decide which measures they want to invest in, in line with the specific objectives of the ESF+ Regulation 1 . All Managing Authorities (MA) must have a website with information on programmes under its responsibility, covering the programme’s objectives, activities, available funding opportunities, achievements, and a list of operations selected for support (Article 49 of the Common Provisions Regulation (CPR) 2 ). For the selection of operations, the MA shall establish and apply criteria and procedures which are non-discriminatory, transparent, ensure accessibility to persons with disabilities, ensure gender equality, and take account of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union (‘the Charter’), the principle of sustainable development and the EU policy on environment (Article 73(1) of the CPR). Article 69(7) of the CPR stipulates that it is the Member States’ responsibility to ensure the effective examination of complaints concerning the Funds. The scope, rules and procedures concerning those arrangements are the responsibility of Member States in accordance with their institutional and legal framework. This is without prejudice to the general possibility of citizens and stakeholders to address complaints to the Commission. The Horizontal Enabling Conditions on the effective application and implementation of the Charter and on the implementation and application of the United Nations Convention on the rights of persons with disabilities (UNCRPD) reiterate that Member States need to have reporting arrangements to the monitoring committee regarding cases of non-compliance of operations in place. 1 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32021R1057. 2 Regulation (EU) 2021/1060 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 June 2021 laying down common provisions on the European Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund Plus, the Cohesion Fund, the Just Transition Fund and the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund and financial rules for those and for the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund, the Internal Security Fund and the Instrument for Financial Support for Border Management and Visa Policy.”
  EU policy on social criteria in public funding · EU policy on disability inclusion & accessibility
• 2025-02-07 “E-000578/2025 Answer given by Mr Hoekstra on behalf of the European Commission The Commission and the Member States are working towards the timely implementation of the new Emissions Trading System for buildings, road transport and additional sectors (ETS2), which was adopted by the European Parliament and the Council in 2023. This includes regular technical level discussions and exchanges at the political level with all Member States, including Poland. The Commission’s impact assessment 1 for the review of the ETS Directive provided a detailed analysis of the socio-economic impact of ETS2. The impact assessment shows that the ETS2 effects on fuel prices are limited. Furthermore, ETS2 contains strong safeguard mechanisms to avoid prices rising very fast, including a safeguard to delay the start of the system to 2028 in case gas or oil prices are exceptionally high in 2026. Europe’s reliance on imported fossil fuels causes energy price volatility and higher supply costs, significantly impacting consumers’ energy bills. To reduce energy costs for consumers in the EU, we need to reduce energy consumption and accelerate the roll-out of renewable energy, which is an effective way to achieve decarbonisation. The Social Climate Fund (SCF), financed by ETS2, aims to ensure that vulnerable households and micro-enterprises will be supported in this transition. The purpose of the SCF is to turn ETS2 into a clearly progressive measure, and to spur green investments that will address the root causes of energy and transport poverty. 1 SWD(2021) 601 final.”
  Extension of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme · Energy (green transition)
• 2025-02-07 “E-000577/2025 Answer given by High Representative/Vice-President Kallas on behalf of the European Commission The EU monitors closely developments, including legislative proposals, and acts adopted in South Africa. This includes the Expropriation Act (Act No. 13 of 2024), which was passed in 2024 by the previous South African Parliament and which was assented by President Ramaphosa on 20 December 2024 1 . The EU is aware of the domestic discussions that have taken place in South Africa in relation to this act. According to information at the EU’s disposal, the act is yet to enter into force. The EU will continue to monitor developments and, if need be, raise the issue with South Africa in the context of the formal political and human rights dialogue fora that exist between the EU and South Africa as part of their strategic partnership. 1 https://www.parliament.gov.za/storage/app/media/Acts/2024/Act_13_of_2024_Expropriation_Act_2024.pdf”
  EU policy on African region
• “Thank you very much, chairperson and colleagues. Cop 30. We've seen very little measurable progress since then. We talk about a global consensus, but Europe is more and more isolated, not only in terms of the environment. This time, the main factor at stake is going to be the reevaluation of the contributions determined on a national level for this five years to come, these NDCs. So the context is not very favourable. We see the re-election of Donald Trump, for example, and the reanalysis of the Green Pact by the commission, as well as what's happening in China with carbon emissions. We can see there's just a few countries which have decided which have come up with their updated strategies to reduce greenhouse gases by 2035. There's a large possibility that Cop 30 be a failure, and China is not a unique case. What is the equivalent of the Green Pact throughout the world? What are the other great ecological issues to be dealing with? The risk is that we may sabotaging our industry by following a green policy that works too quickly. The question is whether or not Europe or Europe, which we know is the green continent par excellence. But is this model one that can really be transferred to other parts of the world? We also don't see how international funding could actually be multiplied by three by 2030. If we think about the withdrawal of the United States, which one? Which was one of the major donors under the major donor under Joe Biden, Europe must be exemplary, without losing the importance of protecting its own interests, especially in contexts of global competition with countries from the global South, which are more and more reticent to sacrifice their economic growth. Thank you very much.”
  Climate efforts
• “Thank you, chair, and thank you to the professor for your presentation. I'd like to ask a question of methodology, which I think is fundamental, even if you justified correctly the methodology. Now, the report that you're presenting is based on public consultation. Around 96% of respondents are women of and about 60% come from three member states Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands. This profile doesn't reflect the diversity, neither geographic nor the social, as most of them were of medium to higher social levels. So how can you say, how can you say that? The conclusions drawn from this are representative of the reality experienced by women across all Member States, and particularly in rural areas? The working classes or the countries of the South and the East of Europe. The report also mentions in several places the LGBTQ people and issues of gender. What scientific sources were used to establish the specific needs of these groups of population, and how were these elements verified independently? So taking into account that the consultation is based on voluntary online participation without any random sampling, what guarantees do we have that the responses don't simply reflect the position of players who are already militants in this area? And finally, the report concludes that there is a strong implementing that we need to have a greater involvement of the European Union in women's health. How could that be done specifically?”
  Gender roles, equality and inclusion
• “Thank you very much, chair. Thank you, Minister, for your presentation. I would like to just pick up on a couple of points. First of all, on the issue of mental health. The figures are disastrous. Uh, we have, uh, 50,000 suicides a year, for example. It's one of the highest causes of death amongst young people. Mental health care, uh, was highlighted in 2025, in France. And the National Assembly, uh, has recently voted to ban social media access for young people under the age of 15. What do you think? Should there be a ban at a European level? More generally speaking, on tobacco, the Commission wants to double the maximum tax on tobacco. Some countries feel this measure is too radical, though. What would your position be on this? And in a more general sense, on revising the legislation on tobacco from the point of view of the Commission and the World Health Organization. Continuing on the subject of alcohol, there is a lot of pressure to put in place behavioral taxes or lifestyle taxes on tobacco and alcohol to try and change the habits of consumers. And the W.H.O. didn't think these prices were dissuasive. Would you follow those recommendations from the W.H.O. also relating to processed foods and sugary drinks? Finally, how do you see cooperation with international bodies such as the W.H.O.? Will you commit to safeguarding national competences and not going beyond European competences? Thank you.”
  EU measures on lifestyle-related behaviours (smoking, drinking, eating, etc.)
• “Thank you very much, chairperson. And thank you, colleagues. And thank you as well, Miss Rendi-wagner, for your presence here. I've got two questions. The first, about vaccinations, specifically the coming together of vaccines. If we look at Covid 19, that has reduced the amount of confidence people have in vaccines, if we think as well about what's going on with chikungunya and Mayotte and Réunion as well, that's also contributed to that, that from the data that you have, what can you tell us about the lack of confidence in different countries in the EU or outside of the EU, and what are the consequences that this is having on people's health? What are the health impacts of this lack of confidence? Second question, you have recently spoken about the, uh, the use of antibiotics in EU. We see that there's a 1% increase since 2019, in antibiotics, despite the 2030 objectives to fight against antimicrobial resistance, which continue to cause tens of thousands of victims per year. The causes of this resistance is well known over use, over prescription and poor use of antibiotics. You've also recently declared that the EU does not have the same figures in terms of antimicrobial resistance amongst differing member states, half of the country studies have point out that there had been an increase in the use of antibiotics, and there are far from obtaining the 2030 objectives, in particular in Europe and Eastern. Excuse me, in Central and Eastern Europe, how can you explain this gap between the East and West, and how will the EU make sure that the 2030 objectives that were set out are actually respected? Thank you.”
  Antimicrobial resistance · Vaccination
• “More than 25 years of cop. For a world that had been more and more CO2. What a failure. Our countries are deluding themselves in terms of commitments they cannot honor. Um, transitioning away from fossil fuels. But doing something in terms of finance flows it to Cop 29. The funding was at the center of attention from Baku to Belém 1.3 trillion. The cost of funding the transition in the Global South. We talked about 300 billion only recently. I think taxpayers contribution is going to be increasingly mobilized. What hypocrisy is China and India represents 70% of the world's demand in coal, and recalls to fossil fuels is increasing worldwide. We're constantly talking about the just transition, but people are seeing only the punitive aspect, the expense of our competitivity, uh, the defense, whatever the cost of the Green Deal flying in the face of all the technological, um, challenges, will not lead to a rapid transition of the European and global economy. It's impossible. On the contrary, we need to defend a gradual and incremental approach based on innovation and energy sovereignty, using indispensable assets such as nuclear energy. That is a vision that we defend. **Nicolae ȘTEFĂNUȚĂ @Co-Chair: As a kite. Tegetthoff.”
  Energy (green transition)
• “Merci. Monsieur le président. Thank you. Chairman. Thank you to the Commission representative. The first thing to say is that the Ucpmb was created to promote operational cooperation. That would be rapid and effective between civil protection services at national level. It's a good symbol of cooperation, allowing states affected by natural disasters to call on European solidarity through a mutual voluntary assistance system. Except that this redrawing moves away, unfortunately, from that philosophy and is problematic in many ways. There's a conflict, first of all, when it comes to subsidiarity, about reinforcing the Commission's powers to the detriment of the exclusive responsibility of member states. We're not talking any more about a voluntary assistance mechanism, but European centralisation of crisis management. And then there are new competencies on health preparedness stocks, production, purchasing and logistics. When it comes to association with third countries, again, everything is very vague. Generally, what is the Commission planning to use as a standard there? Plus the text talks about extending this to civilian military cooperation. National security would be affected there with the requirements to share data, which we reject. Then this reorganization is going to mean that decision making centers are further away, and that could damage the operational effectiveness of the services because of different layers being built in and the effect this will have on resources. Plus implementing acts are going to be used again and again, which means member States control and decision making powers will be diluted. And one could imagine that the project really is aimed to ensure that the management of this will go directly to the Commission, which sees itself as being more competent and more legitimate than states. In response, the PFI Group will maintain the role and responsibility of the Member States. Each time these are circumvented and threatened, which has happened far too frequently recently.”
  Jurisdiction conflicts between EU and national courts
• “(17:03:13 – 17:05:03): Thank you, Jeff. Thank you for those presentations. I think we should be relieved that the 3 degrees by 2100, figures replacing the 5 degree, figure. So it's not as, it's not the worst case scenario, but we are seeing a rapidly increasing pace of warming from 1.5 to 2 degrees for Europe and failing to achieve the Paris targets and the current arrangements being insufficient. So looking at your proposals and obligation on member states to identify their identification their adaptation pathways leads me to following. The natural carbon sinks decline, not looking at carbon capture as a strategy. Do you believe that these are technologies that do not have a future, therefore? Air conditioning is only mentioned once in the report as an example of bad adaptation because it's high in energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. But if you have a decarbonized energy mix in your country, this may not be the case, especially given this ever stricter rules on refrigerants. So there could be effective measures to help deal with hate related deaths, 24000 in 2025, for instance. So might it not be appropriate to look at greater use of air conditioning in our societies?”
  F-gases regulation
• “Thank you very much. Chairman. Commissioner. Colleagues, I'm speaking on behalf of Mathilde Androuet, who has not been able to join us today. Industry is in France's DNA. These are the words of Macron from 2017, 88 years later. This DNA is under threat. And you as commissioner and someone close to Mr. Macron will need to deal with this. Let's take two specific examples from recently. Michelin, for example, has announced that it wanted to close its site. 900 jobs lost, even though that group has achieved huge profits. What's the state's response been? What about protection from Europe? In Dunkirk? The ArcelorMittal factory is now under direct threat. The president of ArcelorMittal France said two weeks ago said that all steel factories in France and Europe are under threat threat because of skyrocketing energy prices. The fall in demand as well. So, Commissioner, what is the point of your billions to produce reports to fund decarbonisation in Asia. Factories are closing, workers are despairing. And you are just witnessing what is happening. What is the point of opening ten sites if 20 sites close and face indifference? We don't need an inventory. We need a clear strategy. Clear strategy. We need to relocate and produce. We are calling for targeted recovery and plans from Europe. Europe cannot be an area of planned de-industrialization. Thank you.”
  Carbon leakage support
• “(16:53:09 – 16:54:41): you very much, mister chair, and thank you very much to the speakers for the quality of your presentations. I want to ask about the articulation between civilian and military aspects and sharing sensitive information with third countries. We think it is important to reinforce critical infrastructure at the European level, but we are giving the commission a look on strategic assets, the grid, water, and hospitals and military capacities. This information can be shared with other actors through cooperation modalities with third countries, and this is not very clear. The regulation will transform the RCC in classified information tools, and this will multiply people receiving this information. And we will be unsure whether the information will be destined to people who have been identified and who are trained. My question is for mister Gessel. Does this evolution risk increasing member state vulnerabilities as well as EU vulnerability to cyber threats and foreign interference? On the European scale, should we not make CEE the exclusive channel for sharing intelligence? Thank you.”
  EU policy on screening foreign investment in strategic sectors and critical infrastructure
• “11:35 – 11:13:44): Thank you very much, Chair. Thank you, Commission. Last month, several businesses and member states have criticized the carbon market and the high cost, and what the commission is stating that there's a low revenue because of it is true that when it comes to the late entry into force, we see that there are problems now. We know that the rules allow this to happen. Nonetheless, what's important is for us to see the objectives that come from the Green Deal that is out of date. The real problem is the existence of this carbon tax. It is a problem that means that we can't act, and that has a negative impact on our competitiveness and our households. What does the revenue pay for? Renewable energy to the detriment of our technological advances, tax revenue with an interest to keep high prices. We know that there are free allowances for several years, but the reduction and the lowering of the ceiling are going to automatically cause a price hike. Nonetheless, we see that businesses are spreading out their investment, but we can see that the EU regulation is not causing the shift transition that we need, even though it's more stringent. There's a modernization of infrastructure that is necessary. Therefore, we're going to have exorbitant energy prices that will prevent that from happening. Therefore, we should look at the carbon market based on the increase in energy prices. At this rate, this will cause a closure of factories and sending businesses abroad because of the punitive regulation that is in force. Thank you.”
  Extension of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme
• “11:35 – 11:13:44): Thank you very much, Chair. Thank you, Commission. Last month, several businesses and member states have criticized the carbon market and the high cost, and what the commission is stating that there's a low revenue because of it is true that when it comes to the late entry into force, we see that there are problems now. We know that the rules allow this to happen. Nonetheless, what's important is for us to see the objectives that come from the Green Deal that is out of date. The real problem is the existence of this carbon tax. It is a problem that means that we can't act, and that has a negative impact on our competitiveness and our households. What does the revenue pay for? Renewable energy to the detriment of our technological advances, tax revenue with an interest to keep high prices. We know that there are free allowances for several years, but the reduction and the lowering of the ceiling are going to automatically cause a price hike. Nonetheless, we see that businesses are spreading out their investment, but we can see that the EU regulation is not causing the shift transition that we need, even though it's more stringent. There's a modernization of infrastructure that is necessary. Therefore, we're going to have exorbitant energy prices that will prevent that from happening. Therefore, we should look at the carbon market based on the increase in energy prices. At this rate, this will cause a closure of factories and sending businesses abroad because of the punitive regulation that is in force. Thank you.”
  Extension of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme
• “Thank you very much, president, commissioner. The MVHomndis episode shows that we're never prepared enough for health crises even though we've learned the lessons of previous crises. Let's welcome the work done together between national and European authorities to evacuate the people onboard that vessel. Quarantine protocols are different for different member states, and that's been criticized. But let's not use that as a pretext to undermine the health competence that member states enjoy. So far, EU coordination has worked well. That's what we need to focus on. We need to make sure that EU measures available like the civil protection mechanism are complement complementary with member states terms. Let's also make sure that the outermost regions are considered. They are often vulnerable entry points for these diseases. Let's make sure that medication reserves and equipment stocks are available rapidly as well. Thank you.”
  EU competences on health (internal-competence axis, sharpened)
• “Thank you. President. Commissioner. Obesity is a scourge which leads to a number of other conditions like cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular illnesses and mental health problems. 25% of Europeans are affected by this. It's a real societal problem which can't be solved just by using slimming medications. They're treating the symptoms, not the causes. We have to reduce the amount of fat and sugar in our foods and allow citizens access to healthy and affordable food. It can't be considered normal that in the peripheral regions, foodstuffs are heavily loaded with sugar, creating more obesity. And prices are higher because these are often island Regions. So what can we do? We need to stress prevention from youth onwards. We have to fight against sedentary lifestyle and the use of ultra processed foods. We need to treat obesity as a chronic illness and we need to better offer care. It's too fragmented at this age, and we need better accompaniment of individuals in the long term. This is a social and economic burden for health systems. It's a real public health issue and we need political commitment to this cause. Thank you.”
  EU measures on lifestyle-related behaviours (smoking, drinking, eating, etc.)
• “Thank you. President. Commissioner. It is clear that we welcome any and all simplifications of the Cbam mechanism. But the measures that have been put forward are far from satisfactory, and we still need to ensure that the real gains for SMEs are solidly motivated by the impact assessment. We need to go beyond this. We need to calculate the carbon footprint based on the average for the country and not the factory of origin. We need to maintain free quotas and not just for exports. The question of free quotas is key in the economic context that we currently face with American tariffs, Chinese capacity, high energy costs. This will be another hard blow to the sector, which is subject to these costs. What we need is a true border tax that targets heavily emissions based countries and in line with rules. This is not the solution, and it assumes that we can fix a carbon price on the global level and end free quotas. We need to avoid inflation. Start for a solution would be to not have two binding green constraints, and do everything to relocalize our industries and to reindustrialize our continent. Thank you.”
  Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM)
• “Thank you. Dear colleagues, we need to say this clearly. We approve of all simplifications of the cbam. Nevertheless, the measures that have been proposed are not satisfactory. Moreover, we also have to be certain that the SMEs and the other benefits for companies are confirmed in the evaluations. We also need to think of the average in the country and not the countries we need to tax finished products. We need to maintain free quotas, not only for exploitations. And this question of free allowances is fundamental in this economic situation where we have American tariffs, we have an overproduction in China. So reducing the free quotas would be a hard hit for the sector. Also because of carbon prices. We need to go back to the original idea, a real border tax on imports coming from high emission countries. And we can insist with the WTO as well. This mechanism is not a solution. We need to establish a carbon price at an international level, and we also need to compensate the end of free quotas by helping companies and by avoiding inflation. A possible solution would be to avoid having green goals that are too strict, because this leads to carbon problems, we need to reindustrialize our continent.”
  Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM)
• “Thank you President. It is well known if you look at education, transport, hospitals, mental health is a serious problem. One in four French people are affected. We've seen a rapid rise since COVID. Some nine thousand suicides a year in France, one of the highest rates in Europe. Mental health is one of the leading causes of chronic conditions ahead of cancer and cardiovascular disease and yet we see a dearth of nurses and medical health professionals. What is the government doing? We've seen poor reform, we've seen massive closures and a lack of financing. Mental health can be cured if tackled early on. What we have seen is precarious positions and social isolation socioeconomic factors playing a role. We need to tackle mental health by ensuring prevention in schools. We need to train teachers to identify vulnerable pupils, offer support, better access to consultations. We need to ensure this is a public health priority.”
  EU policy on mental health
• “11:35 – 11:13:44): Thank you very much, Chair. Thank you, Commission. Last month, several businesses and member states have criticized the carbon market and the high cost, and what the commission is stating that there's a low revenue because of it is true that when it comes to the late entry into force, we see that there are problems now. We know that the rules allow this to happen. Nonetheless, what's important is for us to see the objectives that come from the Green Deal that is out of date. The real problem is the existence of this carbon tax. It is a problem that means that we can't act, and that has a negative impact on our competitiveness and our households. What does the revenue pay for? Renewable energy to the detriment of our technological advances, tax revenue with an interest to keep high prices. We know that there are free allowances for several years, but the reduction and the lowering of the ceiling are going to automatically cause a price hike. Nonetheless, we see that businesses are spreading out their investment, but we can see that the EU regulation is not causing the shift transition that we need, even though it's more stringent. There's a modernization of infrastructure that is necessary. Therefore, we're going to have exorbitant energy prices that will prevent that from happening. Therefore, we should look at the carbon market based on the increase in energy prices. At this rate, this will cause a closure of factories and sending businesses abroad because of the punitive regulation that is in force. Thank you.”
  Extension of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme
• “Thank you very much, Chairperson and colleagues. COP-30, we've seen very little measurable progress since then. We talk about a global consensus, but Europe is more and more isolated, not only in terms of the environment. This time, the main factor at stake is going to the reevaluation of the contributions determined on a national level for this five years to come, these NDCs. So the context is not very favorable. We see the re-election of Donald Trump, for example, and the re-analysis of the Green Pact by the Commission, as well as what's happening in China with carbon emissions. We can see there's just a few countries which have come up with their updated strategies to reduce greenhouse gases by 2035. There's a large possibility that COP-30 be a failure. And China is not a unique case. What is the equivalent of the Green Pact throughout the world? What are the other great ecological issues to be dealing with? The risk is that we may sabotage our industry by following a green policy that works too quickly. The question is whether or not Europe, which we know is the green continent par excellence, but is this model one that can really be transferred to other parts of the world? We also don't see how international funding could actually be multiplied by three by 2030 if we think about the withdrawal of the United States, which was one of the major donors under – or the major donor under Joe Biden. Europe must be exemplary without losing the importance of protecting its own interests, especially in a context of global competition with countries from the Global South, which are more and more reticent to sacrifice their economic growth. Thank you very much.”
  Climate efforts
• “Thank you chair. Thank you, Mrs. Rubio. It's not always easy to follow the decisions and the reasoning in the commission, especially when we're going through crisis, trade crisis, war in Ukraine and Iran and energy crisis. So we need to react very quickly and lift the restrictions that we have very urgently. And we don't want to continue this green path laid down in the previous mandate. Looking at the coal market, for example, what is the commission thinking? Are they on Germany or Italy side who are asking for the urgent revision or suspension of that market to cut the energy prices? Or are they looking at Portugal and Spain and their request to keep it? And we've just been talking about nuclear. And you're looking at this now. It has been time. We need to put this commitment into action. Is the commission going to facilitate this access to nuclear and to provide access to funding without any form of discrimination? You weren't so clear on nuclear. Are we finally going to review the green taxonomy and look at how nuclear is included? We've seen things happen in Spain, and now we need to defend energy. It's not just about independence, it's about managing prices and grids. The recent blackout in Spain. Would show that we need to rethink any policies that are just clearly solely founded on renewables.”
  Nuclear energy
• “Merci, monsieur. Mr. president. Commissioner. Colleagues, a recent study in nature set out the mortality due to heat in European cities by 20. And how it will look by 2050 if nothing is done. Over 25 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants in some of the big cities in the south, and also a massive increase in the north. Cities increase heat are heating at twice the average global rate. This is a problem because of an ageing population and because we don't have air conditioning. Largely 20% in the UK, 25% in the Netherlands, whereas it's 90% in the USA or Japan. So we have to focus in the Spanish model who have. They've massively cut their mortality during the hottest periods. At the same time, we have to fight against, uh, Subsidies for ineffective gadgets and focus the funds on what actually works.”
  EU climate adaptation and disaster preparedness
• “Thank you very much. Thank you. Chair. Thank you. To the professors. In 2024, France was second amongst countries consuming most antibiotics in Europe. Um, around 800 prescriptions per 1000 inhabitants per year, which is very far off the 650 target for 2027. The Ecdc figures are concerning when it comes to the success or the potential success of the eaves objectives. Uh, if these uh, uh, coccus viruses are becoming more frequent, we are seeing, um, more, um, resistant infections that have increased by 50% by 2023. This phenomena, uh, also affects benign, uh, bacteria such as Escherichia coli, for example. This resistance is also a, um, veterinary concern because, uh, these drugs are used for animals as well. Um, we have 37,000 people dying from these drug resistant infections each year in the EU, according to the W.H.O., there's a 5 to 15% increase every year, which leads to 5 million deaths. And it is, uh, could become the highest cause of mortality by 2050. There is no miracle solution. The first thing to do is to reduce the unnecessary use of these antibiotics by raising awareness amongst doctors and patients. When it comes to the development of antibiotics, there are three types of challenges scientific, pharmacology, and economic. My question is regarding science. Do you place a lot of hope on AI when it comes to developing a new diseases? I'm thinking new antibiotics. I'm thinking of the French company Iquitos, for example. Do you think there could be new methodologies? Um. Compared to genomics or phage or other types of more traditional treatments? There are also, um, issues when it comes to clinical, uh, treatment. Uh, or um, there are quite strict policies when it comes to the FDA or the European Medicines Agency. Um, based on quality of data representative of the population and conformity to ethical norms. I think the small number of new molecules being developed is focused on more, uh, compassionate uses, reduced uses for patients, for those who've really exhausted all other treatment options. So how can we improve the clinical evaluation of treatments? Each, uh, infection is obviously unique from a biological point of view. Thank you.”
  Antimicrobial resistance
• “Thank you sir. Minister. To your presidency, you'll be heading a divided European Union with a couple of countries willing to lead the fight against the Commission when it comes to the Green Deal. And this is understandable. How can you defend such a deal if the electricity prices in the EU, electricity generated from gas and coal are seeing a surge? Then we're victims of weather events when it comes to renewables. We need solutions. What we recently saw in Spain showed that we're too dependent on renewables during the blackout. This can lead to serious problems at the same time. Nuclear energy continues to be a victim of European insistence on renewables. Your compatriots Jorgensen as well as, uh, Commissioner Ribera. Were clearly hostile towards this sector. And this is happening under the influence of certain states. We can't continue to say that we can reconcile renewables and nuclear. Renewables aren't steerable. They're not storable. What we're seeing is a chaotic energy transition where wind and solar are seeing progress. Without, however, doing away with. Combustion. Now, my question is, would you be in favor of rethinking our approach to the green transition? And what's Denmark's position on nuclear energy? What would you want to focus on during your presidency? Thank you.”
  Energy (green transition)
• “(15:21:58 – 15:23:57): Thank you very much. In its current form, this has clear limits. It doesn't protect European consumers, and it increases the price of products that we depend upon. Upstream, there's a question mark about commission trade offs. Why refuse to include certain products that can break up value chains? Then for us, it's essential to support Article 27 piece of the convention where a sector might be economically weak, particularly with regard to fertilizers. And then we need to take into account the specific nature of outermost regions, which are isolated and more fragile economically. Uniform application of this would be, nonsense given the market, with regard to these outermost regions getting supplies from neighboring countries. Now for decarbonization, this doesn't offset the high costs for our companies. Therefore, we need to maintain free quotas, which are necessary for the upstream and downstream sectors that are fragile and for exporters because this fund has a limited scope, and therefore, the administrative burden is worsened, including the complexity of funding and timelines. This is bureaucratic. To benefit from financial support, companies need to declare the amount exported to third countries set out in terms of destination countries and calculate the c o 2 content. Now instead of favorizing delocalization of part of extra EU production, we really need to review the working of the carbon market, maintaining a reasonable quota price.”
  Carbon leakage support
• “Thank you. Chairman. Commissioner. It's almost never too late to do good. But from Mrs. van der Lei on nuclear, there's not going to be a mea culpa. We'll never hear a European commissioner claim that this European preference. But there's so much more to do. And it's a difficult situation. The political context doesn't help. But we've been dismantling industry for decades. And, Mr. Séjourné, you are part of this state of affairs. 14 million direct and indirect jobs in our car manufacturing industry. If we don't do something, China will take over. Our markets are too open. We depend on China, which, uh, has these, uh, threats against us and the US that imposes humiliating treaties on us. Now, what's the response from the commission? Legislative omnibuses, which simplify our own rules. But there's a real deadlock here. And there's a failure. We have more free trade agreements to diversify our trade partners. But we could continue pursuing our decarbonisation goals. And we want electrification using renewable energy sources. What we would have preferred to hear is sovereignty reindustrialisation, which is what was mentioned in the letter and Draghi reports. And we know the challenges AI, quantum physics and so on, quantum computing as well. And, you know, you want by 2035 an industry which produces 20% of GDP, you want to have independence from China in ten years. But my question is straightforward. Do you really believe that this strategy is feasible? Thank you Thank you. I don't really think we have a choice, to put it bluntly.”
  Chinese clean tech competition: trade barriers and investment caps vs. open market
• “Madam President, Commissioner, colleagues, everybody knows that the measures proposed here are clearly not enough. We have always defended the idea of having a carbon tax at European borders, but not in this format. We needed to draw on our strengths to think that this was a protectionist tool. And we're rejecting that protectionism. We're just applying one environmental measure. The point about the carbon market here is key here. It's central. And we need to look at this mechanism and what it would do for our companies, because the companies who are no longer benefiting from the free credits that they had before is something that's not going to be compensated in the current economic context with US tariffs, Chinese overproduction, energy costs and the disappearance of these free quotas means that our competitiveness is going to be hit. It's not in the camp of the commission, and it's up to them to stop using this old software and move into the 21st century. Thank you.”
  Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM)