What Niels spoke about.

Mr President! Have you ever tried to get a job done by your boss without a deadline or a deadline far, far in the future? Such a task you just have to solve when it fits in. We all know what could happen to such a task. It's being downgraded. Every time the boss asks if it's on the stairs, you just have something else, and the task may end up not being solved. COP26 shows, unfortunately, that a part of the world's countries treat the climate crisis as such a task. Russia and China will be climate neutral by 2060, India by 2070. But it is our efforts over the next 10 years that will determine whether we are able to keep the temperature increases to a maximum of one and a half degrees Celsius. These are not targets for 2070. With the current effort, we are moving towards a temperature increase of 2.4 degrees. It is a world of floods, droughts, hundreds of millions of climate refugees. This must not become a reality. The EU was a very positive actor at the COP and a model. But the EU should use its economic muscles as the world's largest trading bloc in the coming years to push those countries that do nothing. We both know that we are leading by example, but we also know what we are saying. We are imposing a climate tariff on those countries that do not act, and so we must spend the next time pushing those countries that do not act. That is our most important task.

Mr President! Dear colleagues, Commission! The COP 26 meeting in Glasgow is the most important meeting in the world. This is now our chance to increase our level of ambition, to do more to reduce CO2 emissions. We know that the current efforts are totally inadequate. With the current efforts, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, we will end up with a temperature increase of more than three degrees by the end of this century. That would have disastrous consequences, and that is why we need to use this opportunity. One of the first things we need to do – and an outcome that I think is absolutely necessary at COP 26 – is to phase out fossil fuel subsidies. We know that, according to the International Monetary Fund, every minute – every minute – is given EUR 9 million in support of coal power, in support of fossil energy. In 2018, it was €50 billion that was given to fossil energy in subsidies. We need to phase that out. The EU must take the lead. We need to push for an end to this coal bullshit.

Mr President! In 1991, the world's first offshore wind farm was established. It was called Vindeby and it originated off the coast of Lolland – a small island in Denmark. At the time, many people thought it was crazy to support such projects. There had to be massive state aid, it could not run around financially without help. Today we have come much further. We create offshore wind farms, even energy islands in the North Sea, and offshore wind can compete with fossil energy, and in many cases it can put fossil energy on the price. But when you develop new technology, it requires support and help in the beginning, and therefore it is a long-term investment to support energy, sustainable energy, so we can live up to our commitments to the climate. Today, we need new technologies in particular, such as renewable hydrogen and carbon capture and storage. Renewable hydrogen, which enables us to fly and transport in a sustainable way, and carbon capture and storage, which enables us to reduce CO2 emissions from, among other things, heavy industry. I think it makes sense for the Commission and the Commissioner to present new rules on state aid for renewable energy and energy efficiency. As rapporteur on the Energy Efficiency Directive, this means that it is also really important to support a significant source of CO2 reduction. But I would also like to point out to the Commission and the Commissioner that it is very important that we do not support fossil energy. Low carbon, hydrogen – rather encountered renewable hydrogen. Don't fall into the trap of shutting ourselves down, locking ourselves into a fossil energy system that will cost us dearly in the long term. It hopes that the Commission will take this on board.

Madam President! Rising energy prices, and gas prices in particular, are hitting consumers across Europe. The Spaniard who bought an electric car and put it in the charger. The Romanian, who is to have his house warmed up. The Dane, who turns on the meat pot. We are in a situation that can be fatal, and in some cases this means that you have to choose between heating up your house or having hot dinner. This, of course, is completely untenable. We have a market, but it is not self-evident that everyone plays fair in the market. I believe that the European Commission must have a serious talk with Russia, because why do Russian gas imports fall when we need it most and when we are willing to pay for it? The EU must make greater demands, strengthen market rules and ensure that those who produce the gas do not use it politically. First of all, I believe that this crisis shows that we need a strong green transition. This crisis is not due to too much greening, it is due to too little. That is why it is absolutely crazy, I think, to listen to those colleagues who accuse the Green Deal of being to blame for this situation. On the contrary. We need to increase renewable energy, because it is cheaper, and we need to increase energy efficiency. Every time we increase energy efficiency by one percent, gas imports decrease by 2.6 percent. So let's take this as a sign that we need to make a strong agreement on the Fit for 55 package under the Green Deal.