Virgil-Daniel POPESCU

What Virgil-Daniel POPESCU has said (15)

• “Thank you. Thank you, chair. Dear colleagues, the Commission proposal address a well known and very concrete bottleneck in the energy transition. The excessive length, length, and complexity of permitting procedures for renewable energy, grid storage and recharging infrastructure. Today, projects that are essential for decarbonization and energy security can take many years to be approved. This is simply not compatible with the pace at which we need to move for EPP Group. This proposal is therefore a good starting point. Without faster permitting, there will be no acceleration of renewables, no timely grid expansion, and no credible pathway to meet our climate objectives. At the same time, reducing administrative burdens is not optional. It is essential if we want projects to be delivered and investments to materialize across the union. We particularly welcome the strong focus on digitalisation and introduction of one stop shop through a single national digital portal. This is exactly the type of concrete solution we need, and it must help avoid fragmentation at national level. Our objective is straightforward make procedures faster, more predictable, and easier to implement while maintaining strong environmental protection. Environmental ambition and industrial development are not in contradiction. On the contrary, accelerating renewable energy and green infrastructure is a condition for decarbonization and energy security, including reducing our dependency on external energy sources.”
  EU policy on permitting for renewable energy projects
• “Thank you. Chair. Vice president. Yes. The competitiveness compass clearly indicates that the Commission is concerned with the competitiveness of the EU industry. Unfortunately, we have a lack of competitiveness when it comes to other industries elsewhere. And the Draghi report indicated that European energy is three times as expensive as energy in the US and in China. This means that we really do have an issue and we have to remember what Donald Trump said. Drill, baby drill. But they have something to drill. They have gas. They have oil. Do we have the same possibility? We don't. I like what Macron had to say. Plug. Baby plug. Yes, but we need energy in order to plug something in. So I wonder. What should be our main concern? Well, increasing production, increasing connectivity, digitalizing grids and obviously a functional market. Because right now and I say this in all responsibility, we don't have a functional energy market. Energy doesn't flow freely from north to south or from east to west. We do have a fracture between Austria and Hungary, Austria and Slovakia, the entire eastern area, the border with Ukraine, where it doesn't have the energy produced elsewhere. So we have to produce more and we have to create a better functional market for energy. Thank you.”
  EU energy infrastructure integration
• “Thank you chair. Thank you, Commissioner, for being here. Let me allow to to speak in in Romania. I think I will better express all my thoughts about grid package. How much we've been we've all been waiting this grid package, just like we've all been hoping that because we've been hoping that the prices for energy will drop. I come from Romania. This is at the border with Ukraine. And, um, my region has one of the highest prices in Europe. And right now, if I look at our price for the next days, the price is €276 per megawatt. The price in Bulgaria is the same and the price in Hungary is the same. But in Poland the price is half that. So I'm wondering if we're in the same region. We we help Ukraine in this way because we have to admit that part of the, um, energy in this region goes to Ukraine because their energy system is being bombed by Russia. Then what is the issue? The problem is not, um, the, the capacity, the production capacity. The problem is the interconnection between the states and the my colleagues, the ministers in these regions have called the commission, uh, have passed this on to this information, on to the Commission. There was an open letter from the ministers from Greece, Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary. What I'd like to ask you, Commissioner, is how can the Commission make sure that in this top down strategy and in the planning that they will carry out, they will actually make these connections? Can they force states to do this or not? And who will bear the costs? Because after all, if we have to bear the entire cost from the tariff, from the price that the TSO has to pay, then, um, it will be the population who will pay.”
  EU energy infrastructure integration
• “I really don't understand the question, but I can tell you that from my point of view, what I talk here is about prosumer that we have to encourage in Europe, prosumer. And we started in the end of 2021 in Romania. We modify the law to encourage them. Until now, we have more than two gigawatts. So more than the two reactors that we have in Europe, in Romania. So this is part of the solution, not the whole solution. So I don't intervene in your internal political problems, but I can intervene in European energy policy. So don't ask me about other colleagues of yours of mine. Ask me about energy, about energy security. And I gladly answer you to all my questions. Thank you.”
  Energy (green transition)
• “Thank you. Europe's energy tradition must be accelerated but not anyhow. We need a strategy that combines decarbonisation with energy security and industrial competitiveness. For me, this means strengthening investments in nuclear energy, stable renewable capacities and in emerging technologies from small nuclear reactors to hydrogen production and then the European Union's energy This also applies to a whole range of technologies. We really must start.And we have to recognize the diversity of the energy mix. Romania can become a pole in the development of clean technology and contribute to the autonomy, to the strategic autonomy, and we have to be very careful not to replace the dependence on Russian gas with the dependence on green technology from China, for instance. Without clean technology, we will not have competitiveness and we will not have sustainable green energy.”
  Chinese clean tech competition: trade barriers and investment caps vs. open market · Energy (green transition)
• “Thank you very much, Madam President. Commissioner, colleagues, Europe is now debating or talking about the energy potential of the North Sea. This is a necessary discussion, but our energy security can not only be built in the north of the continent, it has to be built at all cardinal points. I'm from the east, so I'm very interested in the area of the Black Sea. Romania is strategic in this effort. The project to extract natural gas in the in the Black Sea is not just a European project. It is an energy security project because the, uh, without that volume of, of oil and gas there, we risk to be vulnerable. Moreover, the Black Sea has huge potential for offshore wind energy. Over 150, uh, 170GB. We cannot build, uh, our energy without a resilient infrastructure and without diversified sources. Sources. There have been attacks, uh, on the on the energy infrastructures over the last few years. Uh, protecting the infrastructure from the Black Sea and from the North Sea has to be a priority. And technological neutrality has to be a fundamental principle. We have to accelerate, uh, renewable energy, but we also need nuclear energy. Uh, Romania has already proven that it can be a stable supplier for all of the EU. So we need to invest in the Black Sea and to into regional interconnection. We need to build a real energy union where all the the regions and all the resources contribute to a common objective. Europe needs a green transition, but also a safe, competitive and consistent transition as well.”
  EU approach to energy security (home-made vs import sources)
• “Thank you. President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen. Europe has paid for its energy with strategic vulnerability for too long. Today we make a clear historic decision. This vote is about Europe's independence and cutting the last structural ties to somebody who uses energy as a weapon against us. Gas was never a neutral commodity. It was always an instrument for political blackmail, pressure and coercion. We now have a clear text. No dependencies, no ambiguities, no circumvention. But independence must come along with solidarity. We know that member States have different levels of exposure and vulnerabilities. Coordination and not fragmentation is the path to go. We must be realistic. If we look at geography, we see that the Southeastern Europe is an essential link in Europe's energy system. Transit and the infrastructure in this region are critical, even if they are not mentioned explicitly in the final text. This must be a clear political priority. This vote is about our credibility and our capacity to act decisively when our independence is at play. I would like to raise the alarm in that now that we have here the Energy commissioner, commissioner here, I know he is a man of good faith. It's a very good to have climate neutrality, but we need to make sure that we don't replace dependence on Russian gas with a dependence on other states from around the area. Even if the price may appear to be smaller, our freedom and independence has no price.”
  EU approach to energy security (home-made vs import sources)
• “Thank you. Chair. Commissioner, I would like to draw your attention to a very important strategic project both for Romania and the EU that is Neptune, deep gas exploitation. 100,000,000m³ that cover more than the necessary for Romania and ensure regional security for the entire region and for the EU, without relying on imports. This year we have installed the drilling platform, but also issues have started to appear. Some of these are NGOs attack the government contesting the permits, um, authorization, archaeological permits. And I expect this to continue to have complaints to the EC, to DG Klima and to you. And I'm wondering who has an interest in this, so that the Black Sea gas should not enter the European transport system and not ensure our energetic security. I think that we should be together, stand together, and I invite you to work closely with the Romanian authorities and the Environment Ministry, because things are clear There. This is part of the hybrid war. No one in the EU has an interest in not allowing this gas to flow through our pipelines, as it is foreseen by 2027.”
  EU approach to energy security (home-made vs import sources)
• “We also. We should also be pragmatic in how we minimize environmental impact, prioritizing the reuse of renovation of existing industrial sites and already developed areas can help accelerate projects while limiting pressure on natural land. At the same time, we must ensure technology neutrality. All technology contribute to decarbonization should be treated fairly, including hydrogen, CO2 storage and other storage solutions, without creating unnecessary barriers. Turning to the rapporteur draft, we recognize the. The focus of. On environmental safeguards and public acceptance. They are important elements that should be part of a balanced approach. However, several of the proposed changes risk adding complexity and legal uncertainty and could ultimately slow down procedure instead of accelerating them. If we are not careful, we risk to replace it today. Delays with new procedural obstacles. If we want real results on the ground, procedure must become simpler and and not more complicated. This is why, for the EPP group, it is important to preserve the core elements of the Commission proposal and to focus on target improvements within the remit. In conclusion, we support the overall direction of the Commission proposal and remain fully committed to constructive engagement in the Committee. Our objective is to contribute to a balanced and pragmatic envy option for it. Thank you.”
  EU policy on permitting for renewable energy projects
• “Thank you. President. Madam Commissioner. Colleagues. It's high time we admitted a simple truth. Without modern electricity grids that are interconnected, our energy policies are just intentions. The green transition is not going to be successful in some regions are isolated from the point of view of the energy. I suggested and supported amendments that ask for concrete measures. Interconnectors where they miss like within this area between Slovak Slovakia and Hungary and Austria. And we need to have a clear compensation mechanism for those who are losing money out of these problems. We need to allow energy to flow freely when we need it and where we need it. And that also means solidarity between regions, especially with regions in Central Europe and southern Eastern Europe, which contribute to the security of our union. As a result of Russia's aggression, war against Ukraine and as a result of the bombing of the Ukrainian grid, Ukraine became a net importer of energy and until then it was a net exporter. The need for energy increased here, and the interconnectivity between Eastern Europe and Western Europe is very weak. There's a bottleneck in Austria. We do not have enough energy there and the prices are higher. I wanted everyone to understand what is going on on the border with Ukraine. I would like to appeal to the European Commission and the member states to give priority when it comes to interconnectivity, because without it, we cannot talk about decarbonisation. We Decarbonisation. We cannot talk about cohesion. We cannot talk about strategic autonomy or energy security.”
  EU energy infrastructure integration
• “Thank you very much, chairman and Commissioner. I. Our commission proposal to phase out the Russian gas is very welcome, but I have a question. Is there the political will to do it? Let me give you just one example. In 2021, when the price of natural gas started increasing. I asked the question, as a minister of energy in the Council of ministers. I asked the commission, isn't the price going up because of an impression of the price? The commission ordered the report from Acer and two months later the report returned. The market is free. There is no manipulation at all. Everything goes perfectly because of the marginal price and market design. That is why the price of energy is going up. Either we really want to do it and we do it, or we turn around the bush and we will never succeed because people continue importing LNG from Russia to Europe.”
  EU approach to electricity market and prices
• “I really don't understand the question, but I can tell you that from my point of view, what I talk here is about prosumer that we have to encourage in Europe, prosumer. And we started in the end of 2021 in Romania. We modify the law to encourage them. Until now, we have more than two gigawatts. So more than the two reactors that we have in Europe, in Romania. So this is part of the solution, not the whole solution. So I don't intervene in your internal political problems, but I can intervene in European energy policy. So don't ask me about other colleagues of yours of mine. Ask me about energy, about energy security. And I gladly answer you to all my questions. Thank you. **Nicolae ȘTEFĂNUȚĂ @Chair: Thank you. Mr. Niels Fuglsang is next.”
  EU approach to energy security (home-made vs import sources)
• “And we're talking about over €500 billion. That will have to be invested and then recovered. So what is the Commission's strategy? Um, how do you think that this plan should be implemented? And is there any way of coercion? Have you thought about any means of coercion? Because there are different ways to interpret this, and I don't know what the commission has in mind for this top down approach. I don't know what discussions in Parliament would will lead to, but here in the committee, we are all aware that we have to do something in order to consolidate, strengthen these grids, digitalize the grids, and improve the production of energy in the EU so that this leads to a drop in prices for the population and for the industry. This is to support competitiveness. Thank you.”
  EU energy infrastructure integration
• “Chairman. Commissioner. The energy crisis has taught us a very clear lesson. Europe's energy security does not depend only on imports and infrastructure, but also on our capacity to produce energy closer to the citizens. That is why the role of the prosumer is essential. Today, millions of Europeans already invest in the production of renewable energy at local level. Over 300,000 consumers with an installed capacity of over two gigawatts have been installed in the last four years. Things, um indicate that um citizens are ready to actively become involved in energy production. But for this to work, we need correct rules. In many cases, prosumers face complicated administrative procedures and even discriminatory practices from the part of supplying or distributors distributing companies because they lose income and they won't accept that this is not acceptable. Prosumers are not a problem for the energy system, but part of the solution local energy production. Self-consumption and all the other measures can reduce the price of bills for Europeans and can make the European system more efficient. That is why Citizen Energy Package should send a clear message. Citizens must be at the center of the European energy system, because energy transition will only be successful if citizens are part of it. Thank you.”
  EU approach to energy security (home-made vs import sources)
• “Chairman. Commissioner. The energy crisis has taught us a very clear lesson. Europe's energy security does not depend only on imports and infrastructure, but also on our capacity to produce energy closer to the citizens. That is why the role of the prosumer is essential. Today, millions of Europeans already invest in the production of renewable energy at local level. Over 300,000 consumers with an installed capacity of over two gigawatts have been installed in the last four years. Things, um indicate that um citizens are ready to actively become involved in energy production. But for this to work, we need correct rules. In many cases, prosumers face complicated administrative procedures and even discriminatory practices from the part of supplying or distributors distributing companies because they lose income and they won't accept that this is not acceptable. Prosumers are not a problem for the energy system, but part of the solution local energy production. Self-consumption and all the other measures can reduce the price of bills for Europeans and can make the European system more efficient. That is why Citizen Energy Package should send a clear message. Citizens must be at the center of the European energy system, because energy transition will only be successful if citizens are part of it. Thank you. **Nicolae ȘTEFĂNUȚĂ @Chair: Mr. Popescu. Will you accept a blue card from Mrs. Vandenberg? Yes.”
  EU approach to energy security (home-made vs import sources)