Roberto VANNACCI

Policy topics Roberto VANNACCI is active on

What Roberto VANNACCI has said (19)

• 2026-06-17 “(15:07:33 – 15:08:44): Clean energy, commissioner. The only thing we should be, cleaning or washing is our brain from dogma. Over the last 20 years in Italy, for the, trifling sum of €70,000,000,000, we've set up solar and wind farms, with a potential power of 60 gigawatts. Look at me, commissioner. This allows us to produce only 4% of the total national needs, just 4 percent. Now, of course, there are significant incentives to build them. And if people actually wanted to build them, they wouldn't need incentives. So let's give up on decarbonization. We need to produce energy in the best way possible without just paying into the pockets of multinationals for the green deal. Thank you. There's a blue card for you, mister Bannacchi. Go ahead, please.”
  Energy (green transition)
• 2026-06-17 “(15:09:41 – 15:10:36): It's unfortunate this energy independence that you refer to, it's not something we can get through renewable energies because if we just need wind and sun, for renewables, what aren't renewable is, the equipment to transform this into electrical energy. We need, metals and so on, and we import all of those from China, don't we? So do you prefer to move our dependency to just somewhere else? But if we invest in biomass, those are the real, independent biofuels. Or if we invest in, nuclear energy, continue to use those sources of energy that are best even if they come from abroad. We need to diversify our energy portfolio and not just move from depending on 1 country to another. Thank you. Madam Benova. Thank”
  EU approach to energy security (home-made vs import sources)
• 2025-11-26 “E-004708/2025 Answer given by Mr Síkela on behalf of the European Commission The EU has not provided any financial support to the ‘armed groups’ including Rapid Support Forces (RSF). EU-funded activities in Sudan are implemented by Member States’, the United Nations, international organisations, non-governmental organisations and consultancy firms, for direct benefit of vulnerable populations. Projects are subject to audits and evaluations. In the reference to the European Court of Auditors (Report No 17/2024), the Commission examines specific reported incidents on a case-by-case basis through an individual assessment of necessity and proportionality, based on substantiated evidence. On 20 November 2025, the EU High Representative/Vice-President denounced the atrocities in El Fasher and announced sanctions against Abdelrahim Hamdan Dagalo, RSF's second in command 1 . The Commission supports human rights organisations, including the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. These organisations monitor and report on human rights violations, particularly of vulnerable groups, such as religious minorities. Their work includes advocacy, protection and increasing access to justice. The EU urges all parties to uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law and human rights law. Under the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument-Global Europe the Commission supports vulnerable populations affected by the conflict within Sudan and to Sudanese refugees and their hosts in neighbouring countries, including job creation the return of children to schools; health, food security and the protection of vulnerable groups. The Commission also supports projects to manage migration, addressing trafficking of human beings and smuggling of migrants. 1 https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2025/11/20/sudan-statement-by-the-highrepresentative-on-behalf-of-the-european-union-20-november-2025/.”
  EU policy on Sahel and Sudan · EU engagement with Christian communities inside and outside the EU · Asylum & border control
• 2025-09-11 “E-003518/2025 Answer given by Mr Jørgensen on behalf of the European Commission Ukraine is at war, struggling to keep its energy system afloat. Since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia has deliberately targeted Ukraine’s civilian energy infrastructure with massive attacks. In 2024, Russia launched 13 major attacks targeting Ukraine's energy sector and the country lost 10 gigawatts of its power generation capacity, and a total of twothirds since the start of the war. In 2025, the attacks resulted in the need to import 4.6 billion cubic meters (bcm) of natural gas in preparation for the heating season. The latest attacks since early October will significantly increase the import needs further. The EU is the largest donor of energy assistance to Ukraine in face of Russia’s attacks against civilian energy infrastructure, with the main purpose to support Ukraine’s security of supply. With respect to EU guarantees supporting Ukraine’s gas purchases, there are explicit stipulations to ensure non-Russian supply. Ukraine halted direct gas imports from Russia in 2015 and began sourcing gas via reverse flows from EU countries. Since the beginning of the war, the Commission has also helped Ukraine diversify its gas supply, for example by opening the participation of Ukrainian companies to AggregateEU. The EU energy policy has been consistent: the Commission is committed to end Russian weaponisation of energy through the REPowerEU framework. The co-legislators are negotiating the Commission’s proposal to close the EU market for Russian gas, for both shortterm supplies and long-term contracts. This will contribute to strengthening the Union's energy and economic security. EU’s 19 th sanctions package introduced a ban on imports of Russian liquefied natural gas into the EU.”
  EU-Ukraine relations · Russia-Ukraine conflict (10th term)
• 2025-06-13 “E-002391/2025 Answer given by Mr Hoekstra on behalf of the European Commission The Commission proposed on 16 July 2025 an update of the EU’s Tobacco Taxation Directive. In light of evolving public health challenges and significant shifts in the market, the reform aims at modernising this Directive in line with the EU’s health and economic priorities, while also ensuring the proper functioning of the internal market. The Commission is fully aware of the role of raw tobacco, which is entrenched both regionally and within the supply chain for manufactured tobacco. The Council conclusions of June 2020 requested the Commission to review the Tobacco Taxation Directive and notably the need for a system at EU level to control the movement of raw tobacco to address the risks of diversion to illegal circuit. Harmonised procedures for the movement of raw tobacco would be important for the Single Market, as well as for operators and enforcement authorities. With this objective in mind, the impact analysis conducted by the Commission takes a specific look at the impacts on the tobacco supply chain. The analysis for a revision of the tobacco taxation rules is based on Better Regulation principles, guaranteeing that any revision is based on a comprehensive impact analysis and stakeholder consultations to ensure evidence-based policymaking. The impact assessment takes careful consideration of public health and fiscal objectives while ensuring a smooth functioning of the internal market.”
  Smoking regulation · Heated tobacco products
• 2025-05-21 “E-002035/2025 Answer given by Ms Roswall on behalf of the European Commission The Commission is committed to implementing EU rules on deforestation in a spirit of close partnership, transparency, and open dialogue. Its aim is to reduce administrative burden for companies while preserving the goals of the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) 1 . The Commission will continue to work very closely with all stakeholders, to ensure that EU rules deliver on reducing global deforestation and forest degradation in the least burdensome way for companies that should not jeopardise EU competitiveness. On 15 April 2025, the Commission published a package 2 of measures ensuring further simplifications and reducing the administrative burden to facilitate the implementation of the EUDR. The package included a draft Delegated Act to provide further clarifications and simplification on the scope of EUDR. The draft Delegated Act has been subject to the mandatory 4-week public consultation. The Commission is currently reviewing contributions received from stakeholders, including those provided by the leather sector. 1 Regulation (EU) 2023/1115 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 31 May 2023 on the making available on the Union market and the export from the Union of certain commodities and products associated with deforestation and forest degradation and repealing Regulation (EU) No 995/2010, OJ L 150, 9.6.2023, p. 206–247. 2 https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/api/files/document/print/en/ip_25_1063/IP_25_1063_EN.pdf.”
  Trade impact on forests · Due diligence in supply chains (environmental and human rights)
• 2025-05-07 “E-001849/2025 Answer given by Mr Hansen on behalf of the European Commission Available statistics show a significant decrease of EU imports of Brazilian pepper either crushed or ground over the last three years. However, statistical data do not indicate the quantity of Brazilian pepper contained in spice mixtures imported into the EU from other third countries. A Commission priority is to ensure a strong and effective protection of human, animal, and plant health, which may comprise related aspects provided in the Commission Notice 1 on the evaluation of risks, on a case-by-case basis. Article 11 of Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 2 requires that food and feed imported for placing it on the market within the EU comply with the relevant requirements of food law. Regulation (EU) 2019/1793 3 lays down the list of food and feed of non-animal origin subject to a temporary increase of official controls or special conditions upon their entry into the EU, aiming to enhance food safety and thus public health by ensuring compliance with EU agrifood legislation. Black pepper (piper nigrum) originating from Brazil is listed in that Regulation due to possible contamination by Salmonella. When a consignment of pepper is declared as non-compliant due to a presence of Salmonella exceeding the criteria laid down in EU legislation, Article 66 of Regulation (EU) 2017/625 4 provides that the consignment must be destroyed, re-dispatched outside the EU or subject to special treatment. This is a safety measure to protect the health of EU consumers. The compliance level of Brazilian peppers observed in 2024 was satisfactory. 1 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=oj:JOC_2022_265_R_0001. 2 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2002/178/oj/eng. 3 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg_impl/2019/1793/oj. 4 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2017/625/oj.”
  Import of agri-food products in the EU · EU policy on country of origin food labelling
• 2025-04-16 “E-001557/2025 Answer given by Mr Hoekstra on behalf of the European Commission 1. Installations producing ceramic tiles are covered by the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS). They receive free allocation on the basis of the spray-dried powder benchmark and of fall-back benchmarks for the processes not covered by the spray-dried powder benchmark. In this context, heat generated by means of combined heat and power (CHP) systems is rewarded by free allocation. In addition, operators of CHPs benefit from the ETS carbon price included in the electricity price, in particular as additional revenue for the electricity sold on the market. Therefore, the Commission does not see a need to change the current rules providing both, carbon leakage protection and incentives to invest into innovative low-carbon technologies including CHPs. 2. The ceramics sector is energy-intensive for the production processes as well as tradeintensive. Therefore, it is considered at risk of carbon leakage and therefore eligible to receive free allowances at 100% of benchmark level in line with Commission Delegated Decision (EU) 2019/708 1 for the period 2021-2030. Member States may award State aid to electrointensive industries to compensate for the cost of carbon emissions passed on through electricity bills (indirect cost compensation). However, the eligibility threshold set for this aid is an indirect emission intensity of at least 1 kg CO 2 /EUR, which was not reached for sector 23.31 (Manufacture of ceramic tiles and flags) when the eligibility was assessed as part of the 2020 adoption of the relevant Commission guidelines 2 . The sector is therefore not currently eligible for this aid. 1 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec_del/2019/708/oj: OJ C 317, 25.9.2020, p. 5–19. 2 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=oj:JOC_2020_317_R_0004.”
  Extension of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme · Carbon leakage support
• 2025-02-19 “E-000756/2025 Answer given by High Representative/Vice-President Kallas on behalf of the European Commission The EU remains a project for peace. At a time when the EU is facing war in Ukraine, to prepare for current and future threats and challenges, the EU needs to assume greater responsibility for its own defence, enhance its defence readiness and safeguard its sovereignty. To do so, the EU and its Member States agree that defence spending will be regularly increased in real terms to match the collective ambition in defence. Today, the twenty-three Member States that are also North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Allies, all together are spending 2% of gross domestic product on defence. On 4 March 2025, the President of the Commission announced the ReArm Europe plan 1 , which can generate up to EUR 800 billion in additional defence expenditure. The EU can support Member States in fulfilling their national and international commitments (including NATO’s). There is no competition: a stronger EU defence will make NATO stronger. Spending more, together and European on defence will allow a more effective, resilient and balanced approach to European security policy. It will enable those Member States in the Alliance, to act more effectively within NATO or autonomously, including within the EU. The ReArm Europe plan aims primarily at giving Member States more fiscal space for defence spending, through the activation of the National Escape Clause under the Stability and Growth Pact, providing EUR 150 billion in loans to Member States for defence investments (through a new instrument Security Action for Europe – SAFE), and mobilising private capital. By investing in the European Defence Technological and Industrial Base, Member States can boost job creation, research, and technological innovation within Europe, thereby fostering competitiveness and economic growth. Efficient use of resources by enhancing cooperation and channelling the resources into commonly identified capability gaps can also help free up funds for other strategic priorities. 1 https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/api/files/document/print/sv/statement_25_673/STATEMENT_25_6 73_EN.pdf”
  Defence spending · Relations with NATO · EU competences on defence
• 2025-02-13 “E-000683/2025 Answer given by High Representative/Vice-President Kallas on behalf of the European Commission The President of the Commission welcomed the proposal for a ceasefire which came out of the US-Ukraine talks in Jeddah on 11 March 2025, as a positive development that can be a step towards a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine. She declared that the EU is ready to take its full part in the upcoming peace negotiations 1 . Similarly, the High Representative/Vice-President, in the statement on behalf of the EU, welcomed the ceasefire proposal, as well as humanitarian efforts and the resumption of the United States’ intelligence sharing and security assistance. She reiterated that the EU’s objective is to support Ukraine to reach a comprehensive, just and lasting peace, based on the principles of the United Nations’ Charter and international law. She declared that the EU is ready to play its full part in supporting the upcoming steps, together with Ukraine, the United States, and other partners. She underlined that it is now for Russia to show its willingness to achieve peace 2 . 1 https://x.com/vonderleyen/status/1899538326438261074 2 https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2025/03/11/ukraine-statement-by-the-highrepresentative-on-behalf-of-the-european-union-following-the-ukraine-us-meeting-in-saudi-arabia/”
  Russia-Ukraine conflict (10th term) · EU-US relations · EU-Ukraine relations
• 2025-02-12 “E-000671/2025 Answer given by Mr Šefčovič on behalf of the European Commission The Commission regrets the decision of the United States (US) to impose tariffs on EU exports of steel and aluminium on 12 March 2025. The Commission’s priority is to avoid disruptions to EU-US trade and to seek negotiated solutions. Therefore, the Commission decided to delay the imposition of EU countermeasures, that were to come into force on 15 April 2025, for 90 days to allow for negotiations. Overall, the European Green Deal policies can have a positive impact on business competitiveness by driving efficiency improvements and thereby enhancing productivity 1 . For example, ecodesign measures have significantly reduced greenhouse gas emissions and in 2030 will save consumers EUR 125 billion and increase business revenues by EUR 31 billion. Recently, the Commission adopted its Competitiveness Compass 2 , the 2025 Annual Single Market and Competitiveness Report 3 and the Clean Industrial Deal 4 . These provide a strong foundation for the EU’s industrial strategy, promoting the EU’s competitiveness while maintaining the decarbonisation objectives. Concretely, the Commission proposes actions that will cut red tape, mobilise financial tools to support EU-made manufacturing and make energy more affordable. A dedicated action plan sets out specific actions for the steel and metal sectors. A new strategy to reinforce the single market is also foreseen and will aim at unleashing the growth potential of the single market. 1 https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/a5d385bd-8b67-11ef-a67d-01aa75ed71a1/language-en 2 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:52025DC0030 3 https://single-market-economy.ec.europa.eu/publications/2025-annual-single-market-and-competitivenessreport_en 4 https://commission.europa.eu/topics/eu-competitiveness/clean-industrial-deal_en”
  EU-US trade relations · Climate efforts
• 2024-12-08 “E-002821/2024 Answer given by High Representative/Vice-President Kallas on behalf of the European Commission Respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, including freedom of expression, constitutes a key element of EU-Algeria relations, as enshrined in the Association Agreement 1 and reinforced in the Partnership Priorities 2 . On this basis, the EU continues to follow developments and raise concerns on human rights issues with its Algerian counterparts, in line with commitments from both sides. In particular, the EU addresses human rights in the framework of the EU-Algeria Association Agreement, notably in the Political, Security and Human Rights Dialogue Sub-Committee, and through regular contacts with government officials at all levels, as well as with civil society representatives in Algiers and Brussels. These discussions include the case of the author Boualem Sansal that the EU continues to follow closely in full coordination with the French authorities as stated by the Commission on 27 November 2024 at the European Parliament 3 . 1 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/ALL/?uri=CELEX%3A22005A1010%2801%29 2 https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2017/03/13/eu-algeria/ 3 https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/CRE-10-2024-11-27-ITM-016_EN.html”
  EU-Algeria relations
• 2024-10-31 “E-002371/2024 Answer given by Mr Jørgensen on behalf of the European Commission The EU-Azerbaijan energy cooperation contributes to the EU’s aim, under the REPowerEU plan, to phase out its dependency on Russian fossil fuel imports, including gas. The Southern Gas Corridor that supplies the Georgian, Turkish, and EU markets is only connected to Azerbaijani gas fields, not to the whole Azerbaijan’s national gas system. Therefore, the Southern Gas Corridor does not transport Russian gas to the EU. Azerbaijan imported less than 1 billion cubic meters per annum (bcm/a) from Russia for its domestic consumption in the last two years, while it was exporting around 24 bcm/a in total, including about half to the EU market. The EU has a well-established Gas Security of Supply framework embodied by Regulation (EU) 2017/1938 1 , ensuring preparedness against any potential supply disruptions, whatever their source is. This framework has recently been successfully tested through a comprehensive exercise organized by the Commission in November 2024, involving Member States, Ukraine and Moldova, which demonstrated the EU's readiness to withstand the most severe scenarios. This framework will continue to play a key role in safeguarding the EU's energy security and in preserving the competitiveness of the European economy. The Commission has also been conducting a fitness check evaluating its energy security architecture and plans to review it under this mandate. 1 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2017/1938/oj”
  Energy (green transition)
• 2024-10-17 “E-002153/2024 Answer given by Mr Hoekstra on behalf of the European Commission While total net greenhouse gas emissions in Europe have decreased by 30% between 1990 and 2022, emissions from transport still exceed 1990 levels. Road transport causes 22.6% of total emissions, with passenger cars as the main contributors. The Regulation on CO 2 emission performance standards for new cars and vans 1 sets a clear framework for the transition to zero-emission vehicles, to deliver on the EU’s objective to reach climate neutrality by 2050. It creates certainty for manufacturers and investors, with sufficient lead time to plan for a fair transition. This also supports the EU industry’s competitiveness, in view of the trends towards electrification observed in global markets, and brings along new job opportunities. The Commission will prepare a progress report by 2025, notably covering impacts on employment 2 . Building on that report, the Commission will review the Regulation in 2026 3 . The Commission will also develop an EU industrial action plan for the automotive sector, covering the whole value chain. The EU has enacted dedicated measures and provides funding in order to ensure a fair climate transition. The European Social Fund+ supports projects related to skills and vocational trainings in the automotive industry. The Commission is also supporting the Automotive Skills Alliance, which aims to develop and implement training programmes, with the objective to upskill 5% of the workforce each year. The European Globalisation Adjustment Fund for Displaced Workers provides support to workers displaced in the event of a major restructuring. Lastly, the Commission will develop a Quality Jobs Roadmap to ensure a fair transition for all workers, building on the EU's Just Transition Policy Framework. 1 http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2019/631/2024-01-01 2 Article 14a(2)(f) of Regulation (EU) 2019/631. 3 Article 15 of Regulation (EU) 2019/631.”
  Flexibility for 2030 CO2 Targets for Cars
• “Thank you, president. Mrs. von der Leyen. What an honor to have you here. We don't see you all that often. I quite honestly imagined that you'd be on the phone with Trump trying to decide the outcome of the war, but actually, it was Putin who was on the phone to Trump during this war. You've done absolutely nothing so far. Mrs. von der Leyen. You said that you were concerned. Now, Clearly it's not Mrs. von der Leyen who talks about this kind of thing, but, uh, some people are irresponsibly, uh, applauding this war because they're talking about exporting democracy. But Europe, as a result of this war, has fallen into an even greater crisis. So let's ditch the Green Deal. Let's reopen the, uh, oil, gas and fertilizer taps from Russia, and let's act in our own interests because those who launched and are running this war are looking after their own interests, and you just simply have no contact with them.”
  EU-Russia relations (from March 2022)
• “Commissioner Labib. Hi. Nice to see you again. You are an expert in survival. And in your backpack. You've got something that's going to save us from the Russian invasion. And today you're going to bring out a defibrillator to revive this proposal on anti-discrimination, which has been dead for decades. It's since 2008 that it's been going on. It's not needed. It doesn't protect these minorities because, um, what we do need, in fact, is a different directive, one that would protect publishers who are being prevented from taking part in book fairs because they are accused of defending far right ideas or to defend people like the jackboot who yesterday was sanctioned without any, um, case or any court by the European Commission, which blocked the accounts, froze assets, and that is just because of his opinions. Uh, they were arbitrarily decided to be Kremlin propaganda. If we keep going on like this, Commissioner Labib, when will we be burning these heretics like a what about callous? And then what else do you have in your backpack here? Well, we need a good fire extinguisher. Thank you.”
  EU policy on integration and ethnic, racial and religious discrimination
• “Colleagues. Miss von der Leyen has left. Have you seen her face? She looked ill. She's truly worried. Well, she can't really do anything else. Putin received the Iranian foreign minister and Vice President Vance has gone to Islamabad. President von der Leyen instead is just looking on. The 20th sanctions package against Russia is approved. They've had six over the last six months increasing. In fact, six countries have increased gas imports from Moscow. And then they start thinking about the strategy for the crisis in the Middle East lockdown. They are actually just playing musical statues, just or just freezing when the predator approaches. It could be a good strategy, but it's applied to the wrong subject. If they had applied it to themselves and to the commission that president von der Leyen guides, then we could have avoided a lot of damage to Europeans. Thank you.”
  EU-Russia relations (from March 2022)
• “To commission this Commission presents today to us a program which is emblematic of its failure over the past six years. The Green Deal has destroyed our economy, and we have a migration policy which is inadequate and that has eroded our social state. And, you know, has put the old continent in a difficult position. Now we have rearm Europe. That goes along with what international finance and the US wants. But there's this absurd dictatorship of obscure rules from the Commission instead of assisting, uh, the welfare of our citizens and countries. Enough with the Green Deal. Enough with this unbridled immigration and the islamification of our societies. Enough with this progressive erosion of national sovereignty. It's the only way to save Europe, which is sinking in an ocean of poverty, authoritarianism and bureaucracy.”
  EU political integration
• “Mr. Nadella is always playing the violin, and he's doing so today. And he doesn't remember much because I did blame Trump. I said I'm happy with the Trump as a sovereign leader, not as one who goes around being the sheriff of the world. What I said was that president von der Leyen is who, thanks to your support for her commission, has negotiated a €700 billion of natural gas with Trump, and she also negotiated a €600 billion of investment in the American economy. That's your Europe, not mine. I want to change it. And it's not me who's giving €700 billion in natural gas and investments in European in American economy. To Mr. Trump.”
  EU-US relations