- 2026-03-11 “Answer given by Mr Jørgensen on behalf of the European Commission 20.5.2026 Written question The AccelerateEU Communication [1] outlines the Commission’s immediate response to help Member States protect consumers from price shocks (including the adoption of a temporary state aid framework), alongside measures to address all electricity retail price components ((a) cost of electricity, (b) network/grid charges, (c) taxes and levies and (d) carbon costs). To end structural dependence on imported fossil fuels and in line with our long-term objectives, the Commission’s strategy is focused on electrification based on homegrown clean energy, resilient grids, flexibility, interconnections and energy efficiency. To this end, the Commission will present in the coming months an Electrification Action Plan. The general escape clause of the Stability and Growth Pact can only be activated in the event of a severe economic downturn in the euro area or the EU. While risks to the EU economic outlook have increased over recent weeks, it cannot be concluded, at this stage, that this condition has been or will soon be met. The Commission will continue monitoring the situation. The Commission will continue efforts prioritising security of energy supply and affordability, including in the areas raised by the European Council in its conclusions of 19-20 March 2026. To date, there is no energy security of supply issue thanks to diversification efforts. The Commission continuously assesses the evolution of the situation and its impacts. The Commission has no plans to suspend the European Union Emissions Trading System (EU ETS), which will be reviewed by July 2026 notably to set out the emissions cap and decarbonisation trajectory beyond 2030, in line with the 2040 emissions reduction target agreed by the co-legislators . [1] https://energy.ec.europa.eu/publications/accelerateeu-energy-union-affordable-and-secure-energy-through-accelerated-action_en.”
EU approach to electricity market and prices · EU policy on gas storage targets · EU approach to energy security (home-made vs import sources)
- 2025-06-04 “E-002228/2025 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. The principles and scientific evidence used by the Commission to define the list of relevant commodities and relevant products covered by the EUDR are included in the Staff Working Document on the Impact Assessment accompanying the proposal for EUDR 2 . On 15 April 2025, the Commission published a package of measures 3 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 product scope of EUDR. The draft Delegated Act has been subject to the mandatory 4-week public feedback. The Commission is currently reviewing relevant contributions received from stakeholders, including those provided by the coffee 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://environment.ec.europa.eu/topics/forests/deforestation/regulation-deforestation-free-products_en. 3 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)
- 2025-05-30 “E-002176/2025 Answer given by Ms Roswall on behalf of the European Commission Prior to presenting the proposal 1 for the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) 2 , the Commission conducted an Impact Assessment to evaluate various policy options, including their environmental, economic and social impact. 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 EUDR. 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. In 2024, the co-legislators adopted a targeted amendment to the EUDR introducing an additional 12-months phasing in period before its entry into application. The new timeline provided economic operators, third countries, and Member States’ competent authorities with additional time for their preparations. The Commission is using the additional 12-months period to provide additional clarity and simplifications for EUDR implementation. To this regard, the Commission published in April 2025 a EUDR simplification package 3 containing additional simplified measures for economic operators on how to demonstrate that products are deforestation-free. The Commission considers that there continues to be a need for binding rules on deforestation in order to combat deforestation effectively and ensure a level playing field for all operators. 1 https://green-forum.ec.europa.eu/publications/proposal-regulation-amending-deforestation-regulation-regardsdate-application_en. 2 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. 3 https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_25_1063.”
Overall simplification of regulation in the EU · Trade impact on forests
- 2025-04-09 “E-001448/2025 Answer given by Ms Zaharieva on behalf of the European Commission 1. The Commission is fully committed to improving health outcomes for cancer patients through innovative therapies 1 . Under the EU4Health programme, the Joint Action on Personalised Cancer Medicine 2 will address the effectiveness of therapies. The European Cancer Information System 3 provides relevant data. 2. For primary use, the European Health Data Space will ensure citizens’ right to access and control their health data in an electronic format, and for secondary use, it will facilitate the access for research, innovation and policy making, contributing to optimise treatment and improve delivery of care. 3. The Horizon Europe 4 Cancer Mission 5 supports pragmatic clinical trials to test the effectiveness of therapies, including on surgery-centred technologies 6 . The Euratom Research and Training Programme 7 addresses research in the medical applications of ionising radiation, notably novel uses of radionuclides for the screening and treatment of cancer. 1 For example, through Health Technology Assessment (HTA) Regulation (EU) 2021/2282, applicable since January 2025, which includes assessment of new cancer treatments, and the CAN.HEAL project developed common protocols to assess effectiveness of new cancer technologies. 2 https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/eu4h-2024-pj03-4. 3 ECIS https://ecis.jrc.ec.europa.eu/; ECIS provides comparable statistical indicators and trends of cancer incidence, prevalence, mortality, and survival to monitor outcomes. 4 https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/funding/funding-opportunities/funding-programmes-and-opencalls/horizon-europe_en. 5 https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/funding/funding-opportunities/funding-programmes-and-opencalls/horizon-europe/eu-missions-horizon-europe/eu-mission-cancer_en. 6 E.g. HORIZON-MISS-2025-02-CANCER-03, HORIZON-MISS-2025-02-CANCER-04; https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/how-to-participate/referencedocuments;programCode=HORIZON?programmePeriod=2021-2027&frameworkProgramme=43108390. 7 Council Regulation (Euratom) 2021/765 of 10 May 2021 establishing the Research and Training Programme of the European Atomic Energy Community for the period 2021-2025 complementing Horizon Europe – the Framework Programme for Research and Innovation and repealing Regulation (Euratom) 2018/1563 (OJ 167I, 12.5.2021, p. 81, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2021/765/oj).”
Processing of health data · Pharmaceuticals regulation in EU
- “As a result of European rules, how many factories are closing their doors in Europe and opening up in China? In 2024, more than 100,000 people lost their jobs in the forecast. For now, in 2028, another 80,000. Our industries are having to pay huge prices at the expense of investment and employment. That's not the Europe that we want. We talk about social, economic, environmental transition, but it has to be affordable and not penalized. We need a technologically neutral transition. As of now, protections are made of Italy and a revision of the deadlines. The commission proposal, I think, needs to be carefully reviewed. What we want is to protect the car manufacturing industry in Europe, because protecting it means protecting thousands of jobs, millions of families, research, innovation, strategic competence, in other words, the economic and social future of Europe.”
Powertrain choice: EV-only pathway vs. equal support for hybrids, e-fuels, H2
- “Thank you. Chair. I will speak in Italian. Thank you. Thank you to the European Commission for this presentation. We appreciate and we think that the delegated act is crucial, as well as the implementing act for giving a concrete manifestation to the important initiative that is making Europe a leader in the area of clean tech. Now, we received the list just yesterday, as it were. Therefore, I should like to thank the Commission for having included technologies, for example, heat pumps, biomass and suggest ways to heat systems for recovering heat from industrial processes. And also thank the commission for including a magnetic reactors. I think that in addition to fusion and having a plan for fusion, I think that would be important for Europe. I also think it is good to recognize and products and essential components of magnetic systems and super high temperature superconductors. Including others, these are currently commercially available in Europe and they are specific for fusion and used for that purpose. They are important for building reactors and are a huge portion of investment in fusion projects, sometimes beyond the 5% of the overall cost of the reactors. Europe has been a uh, has been spearheading fusion in. It would be a shame for Europe to lose any ground in fusion, in nuclear fusion, because the US is really insisting on that with a lot of start ups, we don't have as many at this time. We have very few. So it would be important to continue to, uh. Uh, and make sure that we maintain this leadership by enhancing the, the, these specific components. Thank you.”
Nuclear energy
- “Dependence and deindustrialization are not a threat for the future. It's the future of Europe. It's the present of Europe. We've got manufacturing as less than 15% of GDP, and we are more dependent than ever for raw materials and key technologies. Internal barriers have set up duty fees of over tariffs of over 40%. Some green policies are a brake on growth. Carbon tax represents up to 20% of bills, reducing competitiveness but not emissions. This is not a transition, it's outsourcing. We need urgent choices on work and growth. We need to rapidly adopt a strengthened or enhanced cooperation partnership, single market of goods and the 28th regime. The roadmap before March to build a strong Europe that defends its own productive base and connected jobs. Cohesion and welfare.”
EU Single Market harmonisation
- “President. Commissioner. Colleagues. Science is one of the most powerful instruments available to us to improve the lives of our citizens. It is thanks to studies, research skills and excellence in Europe. It is thanks to that that we have innovative treatments for cancer and that we have vaccines for polio and for Covid. A is opening up new frontiers. As we proceed with research, we become more globally competitive. Science is not an abstract concept. It is something tangible. It's making solutions. It's giving us answers. So technological development in Europe is a priority, but we're lagging behind. We have excellent researchers, but we don't always manage to translate research into social and economic value. Public investment in research in the EU is a fundamental instrument. It's 2.2% of GDP, but we need 3.5%. Like the US, private investment is also lagging behind 1.5% of GDP as compared to 2.2% in the US. So we need to fill that gap. We need to have spin offs and start ups linked to universities. We need public private partnerships. We need to create a favorable ecosystem to bring in investment at pace so that we can have technological development and therefore attract the best talent in terms of researchers. We should be at the forefront in EU for free science, not just discovering things, but building things for the benefit of our own citizens. What this means is we need to give support for industry and the economy more generally. We must meet this challenge.”
EU research funding
- “Mr. president. Commissioner, €25 billion is the value of steel products that Europe exports every year. Today, our competitiveness is at risk because our producers are the only ones who have to deal with the cost of energy and coal, whereas external producers are exempt. 30% of our steel is going to be exposed to unfair competition. If we allow international players to undermine the environmental legislation that is imposed upon our producers. We have to act urgently. The, um. This plan is a first step to improve the competitiveness of the steel industry. Um, metal scrap is a key here. Europe has to work to recognize it's important and prevent its export during the energy crisis. We saw that at some point there were peaks whereby energy was 80% of the total production cost. There's going to be a new increase in costs in 2025. We have to reform the energy markets. This is in the interests of all of us. We have to decouple gas prices, including renewable prices, from, um, um, from production prices, and ensure that prices are less exposed to speculation. We have to also look at production from biomass, for example. Steel production is key for our continent, and we need to ensure that this can contribute even more to the growth of Europe. Thank you.”
Carbon leakage support
- “Thank you chair. The extension of the emission trading system to buildings and transport risks increasing consumer prices by thirty to forty percent by two thousand and thirty. Although the cost will formally fall on energy and fuel suppliers, they will in fact be passed to the most vulnerable households and to SMEs, which will also face the administrative complexity of the system.
In the building sector, the measure would effectively act as an indirect energy tax, hitting hardest the owners of older and less efficient homes who often lack the means to adapt. This creates problems for countries with the oldest housing stock, undermining the solidarity of Europe. Added to the risk, the ETS will increase fuel prices, threatening supply chains and intra-European trade.
Added to this are the risks of allowances price instability and the inflationary effect on the entire economy, which have a regressive impact on lower incomes, particularly in the event of external shocks such as sharp increases in gas or oil prices projected for twenty twenty-six. The system could have severe consequences on household purchasing power.
Given the limited capacity of the Social Climate Fund, and given the provision that in the next European budget the ETS revenues will go into the overall budget and not to the sectors, I ask the Commission whether it intends to carry out a new assessment that takes into consideration the real economy and social impact. If necessary, will it suspend the measure to ensure that the transition does not become an unsustainable burden for citizens and businesses? Thank you.”
Extension of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme
- “(16:55:33 – 16:55:38): Please. Thank you, Chair. I will speak in Italian. I would very much like to thank Mister Radutsky. Thank you very much for participating in our committee meeting today. Today, as the European Parliament, we have honored Ukraine, and we are proud to stand beside men and women, youngsters and the less young, the courageous people who have shown to the whole world how you can defend democracy over the course of four years of an unjust war, a ferocious war launched by an aggressor, Russia.
Today, the words that you've said, looking at things from health care, health, health care perspective, we are proud to be able to hear how extremely courageously and efficiently you have been able to deal with such a dramatic situation, such a deep crisis. In spite of all this, you've been able to provide health care services and support to your compatriots. We have a lot to learn from you.
I was listening very attentively to what you were saying about your objectives—increasing your budget even against such a dramatic backdrop in the health care sector, parliamentary oversight to ensure that funds are correctly allocated, and providing care and support for your veterans.
I was listening very attentively to the objective that you have of working towards a health single market together with Europe, and I think this should also be our objective. I think that on the one hand, we can learn from you as to how to manage dramatic crises, and at the same time, we can try and provide support harnessing the experience that we've chalked up for a multilevel project—the EU member states, regions, and cities.
So I too would like to say that I'm ready and willing to work together with you to give hope to all of the Ukrainian people because that is what they deserve. Thank you.”
Russia-Ukraine conflict (10th term)