Bruno TOBBACK

Policy topics Bruno TOBBACK is active on

What Bruno TOBBACK has said (29)

• 2026-06-17 “(16:09:28 – 16:10:48): Thank you, president. Colleagues, an electric vehicle uses 3 times as 3 times less energy than a combustion engine for the same thing. Now, energy can be used to produce steel to brewing beer. Now the heat pumps, are higher performing than conventional heaters. Now we can choose. We can choose to look on while and wait to see whether this is actually going to happen, or we could take active choices and take our future into our own hands and see how we can invest here in Europe to ensure cheap, affordable energy here. Well, we need to ensure, if we want investment, that we had to have clear, consistent policy. It's not about more taxing, it's about less taxation. It's talking about improving the ETS system and not simply just subsidizing, but moving truly to the transition of the energy of tomorrow. This will ensure a competitive, independent, and sustainable Europe. So yes to targets, yes to a plan, but I truly would ask the commission to take action. Thank you. Thank you, mister Siedel. Thank”
  Energy (green transition)
• 2026-03-25 “Answer given by Mr Šefčovič on behalf of the European Commission 13.5.2026 Written question There has been a significant increase in the demand for trade defence action to tackle unfair trade practices across many sectors. The Commission makes every effort within its resource constraints to meet this demand by adopting contingency measures and has managed to open almost three times the historical average number of new cases since January 2024. The Commission is aware of the challenges facing not only the net-zero technology industry sector but many strategic sectors in the EU and ensures that access to the trade defence instruments is open to all sectors that are facing unfair competition from imports. The Commission aims to initiate investigations as quickly as possible on the basis of complaints which meet the necessary legal standard. In this context, all potential complainants are advised on the process and all complaints received must be assessed in light of strict legal requirements, given that each step in an investigation, from initiation to the imposition of measures, can be subject to judicial review . The Trade Defence services have met with potential complainants from the net-zero technologies sector swiftly and continue to actively engage with them to provide full support in using the trade defence instruments. As regards tenders, this presents technical complexities in investigations and is addressed on a case-by-case basis examining the specifics of each proceeding.”
  "Buy European" provisions · Chinese clean tech competition: trade barriers and investment caps vs. open market · EU policy on screening foreign investment in strategic sectors and critical infrastructure
• 2026-01-14 “Answer given by Ms Roswall on behalf of the European Commission 24.3.2026 Written question The Commission is committed to further address the challenges of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contamination in waste in the EU waste legislation, including in the context of considerations on future circular economy-related policies. Ways to enhance the implementation of the polluter pays principle and support for the hazardous waste management sector may be explored, as well as possible measures on extended producer responsibility. The Commission is aware that the efficient destruction of PFAS in incinerators depends on several operational conditions which are discussed with relevant stakeholders. It is important to map PFAS content in waste streams and PFAS emissions during waste treatment, to enhance circularity while protecting the environment and human health. The Commission is also updating the list of pollutants of the Industrial Emissions Portal Regulation [1] to better report PFAS emissions and looking into ways to help Member States identify PFAS monitoring and abatement techniques. The Waste Shipment Regulation [2] regulates shipments of waste within the EU borders, as well as exports and imports of waste. Waste shipments must be accompanied by information on the carried waste, its origin, destination and the waste management operation it will undergo. Where waste containing PFAS is considered hazardous, stricter rules apply and a prior consent is needed before shipments can take place. From 21 May 2026, waste shipment procedures will be digitalised via a central system [3] to allow the involved authorities and economic operators to submit and exchange documents and information. Enforcement authorities in Member States will use those data to better monitor and control waste movements. [1] https://circabc.europa.eu/ui/group/f80de80b-a5bc-4c2b-b0fc-9c597dde0e42/library/ea510bf0-053b-45f3-974e-39460ab4b731/details. [2] Regulation (EU) 2024/1157 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 April 2024 on shipments of waste, amending Regulations (EU) No 1257/2013 and (EU) 2020/1056 and repealing Regulation (EC) No 1013/2006, OJ L, 2024/1157, 30.4.2024. [3] Digital Waste Shipment System (DIWASS), https://environment.ec.europa.eu/topics/waste-and-recycling/waste-shipments/implementation-waste-shipment-regulation_en.”
  Circular economy · Industrial emissions directive (IED) · PFAs
• 2025-11-04 “E-004318/2025 Answer given by Executive Vice-President Ribera on behalf of the European Commission On 23 December 2025, the Commission amended the State aid guidelines governing the indirect cost compensation 1 , setting out how Member States can compensate a share of electricity-related carbon costs for electro-intensive industries at risk of carbon leakage. In line with the European chemicals industry action plan 2 , the amendment addresses the increased risk of carbon leakage for certain energy-intensive industries compared to the situation in 2020, due to the sustained rise of emission costs under the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) in the last years. The Commission has also decided to update the technical parameters in line with point 67 of the guidelines with recent data and to keep the methodology constant. Different CO 2 emission factors reflect the fact that the carbon price is passed on to different degrees in the electricity price in geographic areas in the EU. The amendment will contribute to the competitiveness of EU industry while incentivising their decarbonisation. Member States are not obliged to use ETS auction revenues for such schemes. The Commission will apply the guidelines until 31 December 2030; new guidelines would be accompanied by an impact assessment. 1 Communication from the Commission Guidelines on certain State aid measures in the context of the system for greenhouse gas emission allowance trading post-2021 (OJ C 317, 25.9.2020, p. 5), as supplemented by Communication from the Commission supplementing the Guidelines on certain State aid measures in the context of the system for greenhouse gas emission allowance trading post-2021 (OJ C 528, 30.12.2021, p. 1) and amended by Communication from the Commission amending the Guidelines on certain State aid measures in the context of the system for greenhouse gas emission allowance trading post-2021 (OJ C, C/2026/196, 5.1.2026, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/C/2026/196/oj). 2 Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions - A European Chemicals Industry Action Plan (COM/2025/530 final).”
  Carbon leakage support · Energy (green transition)
• 2025-06-18 “E-002465/2025 Answer given by Mr Jørgensen on behalf of the European Commission The Commission considers of high importance the development of demand response in the electricity system. In that regard, removing market barriers for demand response is key. The lack of aggregation models supporting the development of independent aggregators in some Member States or the need for aggregators to pay high financial compensation, represent some of those barriers. The Commission is monitoring the transposition and implementation of Directive (EU) 2019/944 1 for the internal electricity market to ensure that existing barriers due to delayed transposition are removed. In addition, the Commission is working on the establishment of a new Network Code on Demand Response, to remove remaining barriers. As announced in the Action Plan for Affordable Energy (COM(2025)79 2 ), the adoption of this network code is planned for the first quarter of 2026. The Commission has been consulting the relevant stakeholders on the Network Code on Demand. 1 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2019/944/oj/eng. 2 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex:52025DC0079.”
  EU approach to electricity market and prices
• 2025-06-02 “E-002205/2025 Answer given by Executive Vice-President Virkkunen on behalf of the European Commission The Commission fully recognises the importance of access to in-vehicle data for aftermarket service providers offering electric vehicle (EV) services, such as smart charging or range prediction, thereby ensuring a consumer-friendly and sustainable industry. This is why the Automotive Action Plan 1 of 5 March 2025 includes a dedicated section on access to in-vehicle data. A set of legislative and non-legislative measures is already in place to boost EV deployment and related services in Europe. The Data Act 2 , in particular its Chapter II, will open significant avenues for data access to users and third parties such as providers of EV-related services. The Commission will complement this with dedicated guidance on in-vehicle data, that is envisaged to be published at the start of application of the Data Act (i.e. on 12 September 2025). Moreover, Article 20a (3) of the Renewable Energy Directive (RED) 3 mandates vehicle manufacturers to make a broad range of battery-related data available in real-time, under nondiscriminatory terms and at no cost to owners and users as well as third parties acting on their behalf. The Commission adopted a guidance 4 on Article 20a of the RED in September 2024 and will publish an additional guidance specifically focussed on battery data to ensure a consistent implementation on Member States level. As there is a need to give these measures some time to show their effects, the Automotive Action Plan foresees that the Commission will consider further action, such as a dedicated legislative proposal on access to in-vehicle data, “upon assessment of the effects of the Data Act”. 1 Industrial Action Plan for the European automotive sector, 5.3.2025, COM(2025) 95 final, 89b3143e-09b64ae6-a826-932b90ed0816_en. 2 Regulation (EU) 2023/2854 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 December 2023 on harmonised rules on fair access to and use of data and amending Regulation (EU) 2017/2394 and Directive (EU) 2020/1828 (Data Act). 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. 4 Guidance on Article 20a on sector integration of renewable electricity of Directive (EU) 2018/2001 on the promotion of energy from renewable sources, as amended by Directive (EU) 2023/2413, 2.9.2024, C(2024) 5041 final, https://energy.ec.europa.eu/document/download/efcd200c-b9ae-4a9c-98ab73b2fd281fcc_en?filename=C_2024_5041_1_EN_ACT_part1_v10.pdf.”
  EV charging infrastructure
• 2024-11-13 “E-002518/2024 Answer given by Executive Vice-President Séjourné on behalf of the European Commission The report on the implementation of Article 4 of Regulation 2019/1020 1 is being finalised. It is expected to be delivered in quarter 1 2025 2 and will not be accompanied by a legislative proposal. A comprehensive evaluation report of the Regulation shall be published by 31 December 2026. Online marketplaces carry out a different role than the traders they host, since they are normally not defining the kind and characteristics of products sold, nor have necessarily access to the goods, their packaging and other kind of information held by the economic operator. For this reason, Regulation (EU) 2022/2065 3 , the Digital Service Act (DSA), confirms the basic principle that online marketplaces are not responsible, under certain conditions, for the products sold on their platforms by third parties. Nevertheless, online marketplaces are subject to several due diligence obligations stemming from the DSA (e.g. traceability of traders, compliance by design and, for very large online platform, proactive assessment of risks and tailored mitigation measures) and from the General Product Safety Regulation 4 , which became applicable as of 13 December 2024. It is therefore of key importance that these different requirements are now enforced in a coordinated manner. Under Article 34 and 35 of the DSA, providers of very large online marketplaces are required to assess and effectively mitigate systemic risks that their services pose to consumer protection. These obligations address risks stemming from illegal and dangerous products. The Commission is committed to addressing the challenges of e-commerce platforms to ensure safety and security, EU sustainable standards and a level playing field within the single market and adopted a Communication on 5 February 2025 5 . 1 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:32019R1020 2 Due to data limitations, the report was not made available at the date foreseen in the Regulation. 3 Regulation (EU) 2022/2065 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 October 2022 on a Single Market For Digital Services and amending Directive 2000/31/EC (Digital Services Act) 4 Regulation (EU) 2023/988 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 10 May 2023 on general product safety, amending Regulation (EU) No 1025/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council and Directive (EU) 2020/1828 of the European Parliament and the Council, and repealing Directive 2001/95/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council and Council Directive 87/357/EEC 5 Commission Communication on a comprehensive EU toolbox for safe and sustainable e-commerce (COM(2025) 37 final of 5.2.2025).”
  Liability for online marketplaces
• “05:47 – 11:08:09): Thank you, Chair. I want to start by agreeing remarkably with the honest assessment of the colleague from Patriots that the last elections have left this parliament a bit short of common sense. I want to bring some common sense into the discussion, which is first of all to point out that what is happening today and this week and the last couple of days in the Middle East is, for those companies and those sectors that are dependent on fossil fuels, many times more expensive than any total cost of ETS right now. And then on top of that, none of those billions of euros that we are spending extra because of the price spike on gas and oil is going to come back to European industry to help them do a transition and to use less of that oil. On the contrary, the common sense behind an ETS system is that indeed the sectors pay for their own transition, the old pays for the new to do that. To evaluate that, you would need to have a clear view on the numbers, where the money goes, how much comes in, and indeed an honest assessment. When I look at what the commission presents, I think that even there there is a bit of mystery and smoke and mirrors going on. Because when you look at the distribution of the money, as far as we can trace it, even there there is a separate category for the indirect carbon leakage and cost compensation, which if you would put it in the graph, I think that we pay more to a lot of industries to keep emitting than we pay to do their industrial decarbonization. Not blaming the commission for that, but I do think that more transparency in the numbers is needed, and I hope they will be giving them to us. A very clear question is that when we get the numbers, we get them very transparently for every country where that money goes. I would secondly be very interested to know if the commission is willing to, in that case, maybe even initiate enforcement and infringement procedures to make sure that the money does indeed go more to investing in more European independence, lower prices, rather than in continuing the misery and the dependence we are in right now every day. Thank you.”
  Extension of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme
• “President, Commissioner. Colleagues, in 2022, when prices went up, there was one group which seemed to be very calm. Those were the citizens who were members of cooperatives, and they slept very quietly. Their bills went up €0. And of course, if you look at the oil and gas markets, those structural solutions give you better guarantees for citizens rather than to subsidise prices to consumers. Because if we're dependent on imported oil and gas, You know, basically subsidies are a waste of time. And this entire thing is simply in the hands of Putin and Trump. So let us draw lessons from 2022. Cheap energy is energy that we control, that citizens through energy communities can produce in a flexible system, which makes it easy for this production. And it's not just a privilege for some and others to wait for energy to arrive or for wars that need to end. Thank you.”
  EU approach to energy security (home-made vs import sources)
• “Madam president, Commissioner colleagues, I have a story of two camps. In one camp, you have Team Hamburg. Team Hamburg in the sector of wind energy offers direct employment to more than 200,000 people in Europe. More than 200 companies and 11,000 jobs in Belgium alone, 14 billion by way of investment in European construction capacity over the past two years, which accounts in some member states for 80% of their electricity. So made in Europe, industrial and growing. In the other camp, you have Team Antwerp, 10% less production. Over the past five years, more than 1000 jobs that have disappeared in Belgium alone, structural dependence on foreign raw materials and energy, and chronically lagging behind in investment in electrification. Fighting in fighting over the ETS system, which adds 10% to the cost of energy. While gas prices this week have gone up by 50% through events out of our control, which we will also never have control over. So the race for independent secure energy is a race that has been run. Dear colleagues, clean is the only solution. But some in this parliament are still fighting windmills instead of choosing for the future.”
  EU approach to energy security (home-made vs import sources)
• “Thank you. Chair. Commissioner. Colleagues, anyone with common sense knows that electrification is Europe's only realistic road to affordable energy and to competitiveness. And events like the blackout in Spain and Portugal make it crystal clear that robust grids are as essential to that as highways are to road transport. And in that sense, the obsessive debate between renewables and nuclear today is simply ridiculous. It is a circus aimed at polarising and distracting people. If something some people here think that nuclear is cheaper than wind or solar PV. Let them present their business case to the taxpayer. And grids, in any case, do not see any difference between the electrons they transport and both technologies were producing at the moment of the blackout. Those of us that really want to build a secure energy future for European families and businesses should, in the meantime, focus on building solid, reliable connections. Because essentially the blackout shows how fragile, isolated systems are. It shows that a deliberate effort to integrate, interconnect and manage our energy systems together in a true energy union is the only effective way to keep the lights on in the whole of Europe. Thank you.”
  EU energy infrastructure integration
• “I understand it is confusing, chair. Um, but, uh. Yes. Thank you. Thank you very much. Uh, and all the best of luck to the to the new presidency. Um, I would like to, uh, to return to the discussion on the on the grids, on the grids package and therefore address myself to Mr. Damianos. Um, I guess that, uh, Cyprus, in a way, is a positive, uh, energy island in that you can actually produce more than you can consume, especially when it comes to renewable energy sources. Um, but it's also a negative energy island in the sense that indeed you lack a lot of interconnection and therefore could Contribute a lot more to European energy policy, independence and competitiveness than you are doing right now. Grids package should point towards solutions in that, in getting a more European level planning and execution of of interconnections, for example, be it on hydrogen or on electricity. Um, in the preliminary discussions that you are having, um, can you estimate how the positions in the council would be on that? Because also in this Parliament, it is not always an easy discussion, um, to harmonise, uh, to, to, to synchronise literally and figuratively, um, that decision making and the financing on those. So how do you estimate the, the, the chances of that landing in the place where we would need it to land for European competitiveness?”
  EU energy infrastructure integration
• “Thank you. President. Commissioners. Commissioner. Colleagues. Our citizens are seeing both rising energy prices and ever more expensive bills. Competition or competitors are excluded because they can't get onto the grid, whereas elsewhere they're excessively high prices. Lots of companies who want to invest are on waiting lists to be connected to the grid. In some streets, you can't charge your electric car because somebody else has bought a heat pump. Commissioner, this is a threat to our industry, our prosperity and our future and our industries. We have to ensure that we have reliable, cheap electricity the best possible way that the European Union can invest in our future. We can invest in cables made in Europe to transport electricity, made in Europe to deliver energy to citizens and producers based here in Europe. Or we can continue spending billions and billions of euros every year importing fossil fuels, thereby fitting other people's pockets. Colleagues, the time has come for us to establish a broad coalition here in this Parliament committed to investing the what we need to do to promote European prosperity. I would like to thank those colleagues who have supported this and to thank the Commission for working with us on this. Thank you.”
  EU energy infrastructure integration
• “And is that easy? No, not always will that. As someone said, require a complete overhaul of some of the things that we do and how we live. Yes, probably. But I'll give you a nice example. My grandparents lived in a house that was heated by a coal stove. Well, actually, two coal stoves, that same house right now has had the complete overhaul. It is being lived in by other people. It has central heating. Yes. That cost money. They're very happy about it. And the next generation living in that house will again completely overhaul it and probably install a heat pump, because that is what science tells us right now is the most efficient, the best and the most comfortable way for ourselves and for our planet. And so, yes, we need to help that transition get along. But for God's sake, let us not go back to the dark days of European history, where dogma and opinions held us back or tried to hold us back, luckily without without success of moving forward for the benefit of everybody. Thank you.”
  Energy (green transition)
• “Thank you very much, chair. And thank you for the colleagues of the energy community for keeping us up to date with the remarkable progress being being made in the integration. Um, I want to say that in my opinion, the distinction between the two subjects today, on the one hand, the affordability, on the other hand, um, renewables integration is kind of an artificial one because both are very much interconnected and interconnection is a big deal. Integrating renewable energy requires a solid and interconnected network to avoid, to afford flexibility, to make storage and stability possible, but at the same time, those interconnections will give security to individual states for their security of supply, and they will allow competition and therefore lower prices. What is good for renewables? Simply put, is good for prices and is good for energy affordability. I think we cannot we cannot stress that enough. However, we do need functioning markets in all those countries to make that possible and therefore a fast and quick and efficient implementation of renewable energy directives of M.D. that need to be that need to be going forward as fast and as efficiently as possible.”
  EU energy infrastructure integration
• “Thank you. Chair. I want to repeat a remark that has been made by a lot of the colleagues, which is that it's obvious that a compass is completely useless if you don't know which course you're going to follow. And so I welcome the committee's commitment. And Mr. Grassi's replies to to the decarbonisation. Tragic, because it's pretty clear that depending on imported fossil fuels is as bad for our competitiveness and our trade balance as it is for our planet. So it's very important that we do that. However, that road to clean, uh, available, um, and, and affordable, uh, homegrown energy is full of obstacles that need to be tackled. And I do lack a number of commitments and clarity on those. It's all good to have transparent regulation and permitting, but we also need a very fast and coordinated investment in energy infrastructure. We need clear commitments on controlling electricity prices for all our citizens and all our all our industries. And I do not see all of that in here. And the last point I want to, I want to mention is that competitiveness is also a matter of ecosystems. I hope that everyone here is aware that no one is going to invest in a battery sector, let alone in lithium mining in Europe if we are not committed to being leaders in, for example, introducing electrical mobility and vehicles in Europe. That is a matter of ecosystems. One depends on the other, and the road to competitiveness needs to be a clear road and a commitment.”
  Energy (green transition)
• “Thank you. Chair. Thank you to the to the ministers for being here and for for insisting on the fact that, indeed, dependence on important fossil fuels is key to our problem of high energy prices, because the the imports have been weaponized against our economy and against our democracies by a country like Russia. And who knows, maybe in the future also by another country that is no longer seem to share our values, the United States of America. So I mentioned I noticed you didn't go into the question of my colleague Jens Geier. How do we avoid, uh, dependency switching dependency from one unreliable partner to dependency of another unreliable partner when it comes to LNG? Second, I was very happy to hear you insist very much on the on the issue of of grids. Um, from the note that we are all not supposed to have. Um, I know that the European Commission is preparing a grid package focusing very much on integrated planning of electricity grids. I think it is very important because right now we are building, uh, renewable energy, that we are not connecting and building connections that have no, no production. It will be very important to have the 27 countries on line for that kind of integrated planning of, of electricity grids. So my question would be, is there going to be an initiative from your presidency, maybe on the March Council on improving that joint coordinated planning that would make a big impact on our electricity prices and on our competitiveness?”
  EU energy infrastructure integration
• “Thank you, chair. And thanks for the for the authors of the of the study and their presentation. Um, I have a general question, which is that if I look at at the results of the study, I see that on the one hand, the PPA is and CFD are, are a mature, um, and performing instrument. But on the other hand that there is a lot of room for improvement and suggestions, uh, in, in improving, uh, the instrument, making it broader and applying it in many more European countries. Um, but I do think that what is essential is that it creates some credibility and long term stability. And in that sense, I'm kind of curious to the reaction of the authors on the whole discussions that we are seeing now on, uh, reopening the whole, uh, electricity market design and the price setting mechanisms, because it is my feeling that those would undercut that ambition of stability. It would create insecurity. It creates a lack of clarity in price setting. It would make it way more difficult to set strike prices, for example. So I wonder what the what the idea is. Personally, I do believe that keeping DMD as it is right now, um, and developing the instruments that we have that accompany it, which is basically what the PPAs and the CFDs were in, the directive would make a lot more sense than reopening the whole discussion before it has even been implemented decently.”
  EU approach to electricity market and prices
• “Thank you very much, president, and congratulations to Mr. Jorgensen for doing what had to be done and what should indeed have been done way back, because after the invasion of Crimea and after the 2022 invasion, a lot of water has flown under the bridge. We have contributed literally billions to the Russian war machine, which is threatening us. And it is high time that we brought this to a complete end. We need to learn the lessons of this. So thank you. We need to learn. I think that trade is good, but dependence is wrong. Our economy relies too much on imports and especially of raw materials. Expensive imported gas is not the only reason that we have competitiveness issues. It's also one of the reasons why we're more exposed to blackmail and therefore genuine energy and other independence on the part of Europe means that we can be really independent of all imported sources, and it's high time we achieve that too. Thank you.”
  EU-Russia relations (from March 2022)
• “Thank you very much, Commissioner. Colleagues. What is even worse than keeping half a billion European citizens held hostage by Putin is to keep them hostage to Trump and Putin. And the best way of getting out of that situation is to reduce our own energy. Let us start taking action. The energy union has to be better than 27 separate energy markets, where the citizens have to pay for expensive energy, and they even have to pay if they produce their own green energy and transport it. It's ridiculous that hundreds of projects which could produce cheap energy is waiting for connection at the moment. Commissioner Johnson, just about everybody wants connection. Well, perhaps not everybody, but almost everybody. This is the best guarantee for cheap energy for families and our companies. Don't forget about that.”
  EU policy on permitting for renewable energy projects
• “05:47 – 11:08:09): Thank you, Chair. I want to start by agreeing remarkably with the honest assessment of the colleague from Patriots that the last elections have left this parliament a bit short of common sense. I want to bring some common sense into the discussion, which is first of all to point out that what is happening today and this week and the last couple of days in the Middle East is, for those companies and those sectors that are dependent on fossil fuels, many times more expensive than any total cost of ETS right now. And then on top of that, none of those billions of euros that we are spending extra because of the price spike on gas and oil is going to come back to European industry to help them do a transition and to use less of that oil. On the contrary, the common sense behind an ETS system is that indeed the sectors pay for their own transition, the old pays for the new to do that. To evaluate that, you would need to have a clear view on the numbers, where the money goes, how much comes in, and indeed an honest assessment. When I look at what the commission presents, I think that even there there is a bit of mystery and smoke and mirrors going on. Because when you look at the distribution of the money, as far as we can trace it, even there there is a separate category for the indirect carbon leakage and cost compensation, which if you would put it in the graph, I think that we pay more to a lot of industries to keep emitting than we pay to do their industrial decarbonization. Not blaming the commission for that, but I do think that more transparency in the numbers is needed, and I hope they will be giving them to us. A very clear question is that when we get the numbers, we get them very transparently for every country where that money goes. I would secondly be very interested to know if the commission is willing to, in that case, maybe even initiate enforcement and infringement procedures to make sure that the money does indeed go more to investing in more European independence, lower prices, rather than in continuing the misery and the dependence we are in right now every day. Thank you.”
  Carbon leakage support
• “Thank you. Chair. Um, for us indeed. The draft report is a is a good starting point to work on, and we very much appreciate the rapporteurs willingness to engage in a constructive dialogue. And it is clear that decarbonisation and competitiveness must go hand in hand. Clean industrial deal has the potential to strengthen the European industry, which we need to do. Um, and that comes through being, uh, being stable while other regions face policy confrontations and uncertainty. The EU must stand out for its stability and build a clean industrial deal on the Green Deal and not against it. On energy. Let's let's be clear. Damage to our industry in the past years has not come from the transition to renewables, but from gas prices surpassing €300 per megawatt hour in 2022. For comparison, yesterday in Belgium, with abundant production of wind and solar, electricity, prices were at -€462 per megawatt hour. I think the opportunities for for competitiveness are clear where they lie. So the resolution must clearly project reject policies that promote further fossil fuel dependency. Re industrializing Europe is only possible with affordable energy and that affordability comes from clean, endogenously produced energy, renewables, stronger grid infrastructure and interconnections that build a true energy union.”
  Energy (green transition)
• “Thank you. President. Ladies and gentlemen. The commission is trying to do us a favor here with this package. They know where a better future might lie. Strengthening our grids means that we are giving our citizens the possibility of using clean energy and looking at energy, rather than turning off wind turbines. But we're still looking at energy prices, which are three times higher than other areas of the world. So we're better linking these areas, integrating this better. And that's going to help electricity prices in the member states. But in member states, there are some where the price is three times more than elsewhere. It's not just about transformers. It's about keeping the lights on tomorrow, about keeping cars moving, keeping factories Uh, working in an economy that shouldn't have to try and get its hands on fossil fuels to keep going. It's about linking different parts of Europe, defending citizens interests, a way in which we could otherwise no longer defend Europe. And I know that many people in this Parliament have understood that something that we couldn't do if this weren't in place.”
  EU energy infrastructure integration
• “Thank you. Chair. Um, colleagues, uh, Commission. Um, the original success of automotive mass production was based on Henry Ford's clear insight that his workers should be able to buy the cars that they themselves were building. And the growth of the European car industry was based on this very same principle affordable cars for regular people, mass produced in innovative ways. Sadly, European car industry has lost sight of this principle several years ago and at the same time has succeeded in missing the boat on the technological transition to electrical mobility that is going on. So colleagues, not being willing or capable to design and build affordable electrical cars in a world where many of our export markets are already shifting to electrification faster than the EU is doing, is the sword that hangs ever more precariously above their heads and slowing down transition will only bring that sword down even faster, accelerating the transition, for example, through social leasing schemes that create a European market for affordable electrical cars built to high social, ecological and data security standards, which no one has mentioned, isn't obviously much smarter answer because it will offer affordable cars to families and sustain an entire industrial ecosystem, including battery production that is essential for Europe's energy independence and future. Thank you.”
  Road transport environmental policy
• “So I think it would be good if we could keep a good track of of what is going on there and what are the possible roadblocks that that need to be solved. As my colleague mentioned, Sean Kelly on, for example, availability, flexibility and of storage systems, I think we can learn from each other. And finally, one thing I was very happy to to, to notice is that within the energy community, a lot of attention is being paid to energy communities. I thank the Secretary for the for the update on that, because I do think that they can play a vital role in not only a distributed production and decentralized generation, but also in more self-consumption and thereby also for reducing pressure and stresses on the network. So it is very good to hear that there. Again, I think we can probably learn lessons from each other on how this integration of energy communities within, within the production landscape would work so very much, very much curious and interested to hear about that. Thank you very much.”
  EU energy infrastructure integration
• “Thank you chair. I would first of all like to ask the question if somebody of one of the speakers has a has a solution for hearing problems. Um, because I, uh, I hear some colleagues still obsessed by the idea that, uh, that the blackout in Spain was caused solely by by renewables. Uh, whereas if I am correct. But, uh, Mr. Kiesling can maybe correct me. I believe that the proportion of PV in Bavaria, a very developed economy, as far as I am aware, uh, is higher than it is actually in, uh, in Spain right now. Um, and as I am with Berenberg, I would like to stay there with, with a few questions, specifically the idea of, um, uh, location planning or better location uh, transparency for uh, for investments is a good one. But how do we, uh, incentivize and in that case, in this case, in many cases. So how do we incentivize them, uh, to better, uh, provide transparency on that available capacity, um, to investors because not all of them do it right now. Uh, I think we need the system that that could work. And I was wondering if you have any concrete proposals. Secondly, from the consumer's point of view, we talk a lot about flexibility. A lot of the speakers offer it. We are installing smart meters, but in many cases we see a lack of of capacity to actually use the data of those smart meters for flexibility, for flexible pricing, for dynamic pricing, and a lack of information for the for the consumers. And then one final question. Yes, one. One final question. Chair. The idea of cross-border cost benefit sharing has been mentioned, I think, by Acer. Um, what are the the the realistic systems to do that? Are there any realistic, concrete proposals to do that cost benefit sharing better than we do it today? What models are available? Thank you.”
  EU energy infrastructure integration
• “I also see several references to technology neutrality in the draft that Contradictorily only seemed to focus on one single technology. For us, it's clear that support should be given to all technologies that contribute to reaching the net zero goal in the most cost efficient way. Avoiding lock in effects, including therefore obviously renewable energy sources, financing is an essential condition. It's good that this plan is accompanied by resources, but we must ensure that the MFF continues in this direction and support the Industrial Decarbonisation Bank and its push for electrification. We support the measures to increase demand for clean products manufactured in the EU. The introduction of sustainability and resilience criteria is extremely important for that, as is protecting the market from unfair competition and and dumping through cbam. And finally, we must not overlook the social dimension of the clean industrial deal. Support for workers through training and upskilling is absolutely needed. And once again, I want to thank the rapporteur. We look forward to the negotiations where we hope and we are sure to be able to cover all these issues. Thank you very much.”
  EU industrial funding
• “President, Commissioner. Colleagues, in 2022, when prices went up, there was one group which seemed to be very calm. Those were the citizens who were members of cooperatives, and they slept very quietly. Their bills went up €0. And of course, if you look at the oil and gas markets, those structural solutions give you better guarantees for citizens rather than to subsidise prices to consumers. Because if we're dependent on imported oil and gas, You know, basically subsidies are a waste of time. And this entire thing is simply in the hands of Putin and Trump. So let us draw lessons from 2022. Cheap energy is energy that we control, that citizens through energy communities can produce in a flexible system, which makes it easy for this production. And it's not just a privilege for some and others to wait for energy to arrive or for wars that need to end. Thank you. **Nicolae ȘTEFĂNUȚĂ @Chair: Tomas Buzek Tomas Buzek is next.”
  EU approach to energy security (home-made vs import sources)
• “05:47 – 11:08:09): Thank you, Chair. I want to start by agreeing remarkably with the honest assessment of the colleague from Patriots that the last elections have left this parliament a bit short of common sense. I want to bring some common sense into the discussion, which is first of all to point out that what is happening today and this week and the last couple of days in the Middle East is, for those companies and those sectors that are dependent on fossil fuels, many times more expensive than any total cost of ETS right now. And then on top of that, none of those billions of euros that we are spending extra because of the price spike on gas and oil is going to come back to European industry to help them do a transition and to use less of that oil. On the contrary, the common sense behind an ETS system is that indeed the sectors pay for their own transition, the old pays for the new to do that. To evaluate that, you would need to have a clear view on the numbers, where the money goes, how much comes in, and indeed an honest assessment. When I look at what the commission presents, I think that even there there is a bit of mystery and smoke and mirrors going on. Because when you look at the distribution of the money, as far as we can trace it, even there there is a separate category for the indirect carbon leakage and cost compensation, which if you would put it in the graph, I think that we pay more to a lot of industries to keep emitting than we pay to do their industrial decarbonization. Not blaming the commission for that, but I do think that more transparency in the numbers is needed, and I hope they will be giving them to us. A very clear question is that when we get the numbers, we get them very transparently for every country where that money goes. I would secondly be very interested to know if the commission is willing to, in that case, maybe even initiate enforcement and infringement procedures to make sure that the money does indeed go more to investing in more European independence, lower prices, rather than in continuing the misery and the dependence we are in right now every day. Thank you.”
  Extension of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme