What Henna spoke about.

17

Apr

2023

Speeches FI

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Revision of the EU Emissions Trading System - Monitoring, reporting and verification of greenhouse gas emissions from maritime transport - Carbon border adjustment mechanism - Social Climate Fund - Revision of the EU Emissions Trading System for aviation (debate)

Mr President, the emissions trading system under discussion is one of the most effective climate tools in the European Union. According to studies, it has proven to be a very technology-neutral and market-driven way to reduce emissions. At the same time, with the aim of reducing emissions by 62% by 2030 through this ETS, we must ensure that our companies are competitive and that this does not lead to carbon leakage outside the European Union. Emissions trading will also expand to maritime transport. Here I would like to thank Parliament for taking into account the specific circumstances of Finland. Due to winter navigation, Finnish shipping must always use ice-reinforced vessels that are heavier and consume more fuel. It is great that Parliament understood these special circumstances and that compensation is included in this calculation model. The emissions trading system, including for aviation, will be tightened, and for aviation, as well as for maritime transport, it is important for us to act at international level, because it is not only enough to tighten emissions trading within the European Union for these global sectors, but we must involve the whole world in this. In the future, road transport and buildings will also be included in emissions trading, and their revenues will be used to finance the Social Climate Fund. I have to say that I have been very critical of that Social Climate Fund and still am. We already have funds in the European Union to support the green transition, to support the just transition. It would be essential to use these funds efficiently and not to create new ones.

14

Mar

2023

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Data Act (debate)

Madam President, Commissioner, I want to thank the rapporteur and everybody who has been participating in these negotiations. This Data Act is an important piece of legislation, especially in promoting European rights and values in our digital world. Once successful, it will be boosting both innovation and also our data economy in Europe. We know that there is much unused potential with data: despite data being collected in vast quantities, the Commission has predicted that 80% of all industrial data produced is never used, so there is huge potential. I think it’s especially important that with this regulation we can also rebalance the SMEs’ negotiation power and make better access to data for our small, micro- and medium-sized enterprises. It’s particularly important for innovation and also in order to ensure their competitiveness. At the same time, it’s clear that trade secrets of corporations should be protected. And I think we have found a good balance in this regulation with these different sizes of companies. And from the consumer perspective, it’s essential that, as a generator of data, they have also better access to their own data. There must be a possibility for such data to be also transferred to another service provider. The negotiators of the Data Act have found a good, balanced compromise, and I think this is a solid foundation for continuing to the trilogue negotiations.

13

Mar

2023

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Binding annual greenhouse gas emission reductions by Member States (Effort Sharing Regulation) - Land use, land use change and forestry (LULUCF) - Revision of the Market Stability Reserve for the EU Emissions Trading System (debate)

Mr President, Mr President of the Commission, as negotiator of the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy, I would like to thank all those involved in the negotiations. This LULUCF outcome is very much in line with what the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) outlined in its own opinion. The main goal of the law is to increase Europe's carbon sinks by 15% by 2030. It is a very challenging goal and an ambitious goal, but it is possible to achieve it. It does, of course, require active sustainable forestry and, indeed, consideration of carbon sink farming throughout Europe. While carbon sinks play an important role in the fight against climate change, they must not dispel the idea that the most important thing is to get rid of all fossil fuels very quickly. That is the sustainable solution. At the same time, we need to become more active in increasing carbon sinks, develop carbon sequestration measures, invest in research in this area and also develop technological solutions. It is good that in this reform, the calculation method has also been renewed and clarified, and we can use more recent statistical data as a basis for this.

13

Mar

2023

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Energy performance of buildings (recast) (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, the energy efficiency of buildings can be significantly improved and it is a good goal that the building sector will also be climate neutral in 2050. Can improve the insulation of buildings, can renovate windows, change heating methods. There are many ways, but how can energy efficiency be improved? It should not be defined at European level. This is where the Commission went too far from the outset in its own proposals, setting out in detail how these reforms should be carried out in the Member States. We have such different conditions in different Member States, such different climatic conditions, different building stock, different forms of energy and heating, that it is most sensible to decide on the means at the level of the Member States or in the region. Often, property owners themselves decide what is the most sensible way to improve the energy efficiency of their property. It is a sensible goal in itself that all new buildings will be zero-emission by 2028. This is certainly possible, but how an emission-free building is defined here, i.e. that the heating method should be based on renewable energy sources, does not take into account the fact that we have countries, such as my own country, Finland, where energy production is mainly starting to be emission-free, either electricity produced with renewable energy sources or electricity produced with nuclear power. According to this proposal, electricity generated by nuclear power would not be counted as a zero-emission energy source and that building would not be a zero-emission building. This is not a reasonable starting point. We therefore need to make a number of changes to this legislation before I can think that it would be worth taking this forward as it is.

15

Feb

2023

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Access to strategic critical raw materials (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, Minister, the Russian invasion of Ukraine at the latest showed that Europe must not be too dependent on one producer. Dependence on Russian fossil energy must not turn into dependence on Chinese raw materials. At the moment, however, we know that both Europe's green transition and digitalisation depend very much on imports, and specifically on imports of raw materials from China. Last year, only 1% of the raw materials needed for solar and wind power production and less than 1% of the raw materials needed for lithium batteries and fuel cells were produced in the EU. Over the next few years, the need for both will increase. It is essential, not only for Europe's security and economy, but also for environmental and social sustainability, that we strengthen our own production and also build partnerships with the rest of the world. We have a lot of opportunities. The Commission has listed 30 critical raw materials where we rely heavily on imports. In my own country, Finland, there are 14 of these critical raw materials in the soil. We just need to speed up the permit processes so that we can start mining. This does not mean that environmental standards are compromised. There is also a need to step up training, research and development and, in addition to the extractive industry, to ensure that processes, processing and recycling in Europe also gain momentum.

15

Feb

2023

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One year of Russia’s invasion and war of aggression against Ukraine (debate)

Mr President, it will be one year since Russia's brutal and criminal invasion of Ukraine. During this war, the European Union, together with the Western Alliance, has shown unprecedented unity with regard to sanctions against Russia and assistance from Ukraine, but these efforts need to be intensified. Europe was far too dependent on Russian energy for far too long, and it slowed down the imposition of effective sanctions. I am very pleased that the tenth package of sanctions is already being prepared. These sanctions need to be strengthened. Similarly, arms assistance to Ukraine now needs to be stepped up, in particular heavy weapons and tanks, which many Member States have already made promises about. These are urgently needed to help Ukraine. The people of Ukraine are fighting for freedom and democracy and they need all our support. We must support Ukraine in this fight and support their path towards membership of the European Union.

14

Feb

2023

Speeches EN

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CO2 emission standards for cars and vans (debate)

Mr President, Vice-President, colleagues, if we want to be climate neutral by 2050, we have to focus on transport. We know that the transport sector is the only sector in the EU where emissions they have increased. That trend cannot continue. Maritime, aviation, road transport all have an important part to play in this regard. Today we are debating and voting about new CO2 standards for passenger vehicles and vans. And I have to say that I am not fully satisfied about the trilogue outcome. Yes, indeed, we have to cut emissions from road transport, but we should do it in a technology neutral way. We, as politicians, shouldn’t be choosing winners and losers in the industry. This regulation entails that from 2035 onwards, all new vehicles should be electric or hydrogen vehicles. This regulation would phase out internal combustion engines, and I don’t think that this is the right approach. Technology diversity is needed where all technologies, including electrification, hybridisation, hydrogen, but also sustainable and renewable fuels, can play a role. And we should also encourage those innovations. We should set the targets and industry should find out what is the most efficient and best technology to achieve this target. And we know also that for too long we have been focusing only on tailpipe emissions. So I think this is a positive step here that the new regulation will now introduce a common EU methodology by 2025 for assessing the full lifecycle of CO2 emissions of cars and vans placed on the EU market.

18

Jan

2023

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An EU strategy to boost industrial competitiveness, trade and quality jobs (debate)

Madam President, Presidency, Commissioner, dear colleagues, I am pleased to say that we are discussing enhancing the competitiveness of Europe. However, I want to underline that the way of boosting Europe’s competitiveness is not done by relaxing the state aid rules – not at all. In order to be competitive on the global markets, Europe needs successful companies, industries and jobs. To achieve that, we need to have regulation that encourages investments and innovations in Europe. We have to cut red tape from our businesses, SMEs and industries. Here I find it very positive that Commission President von der Leyen has promised to perform a competitiveness check on all new regulations being introduced. This is an important step in the right direction. Secondly, Europe needs to invest more in research and development. In this regard, we have fallen behind the US and China. And thirdly, we need to ensure that Europe has a skilled workforce. We know that the lack of skilled workforce is a crucial issue, especially in the digital sector, which is a sector essential for increasing our productivity and economic growth.

17

Jan

2023

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Implementation of the common foreign and security policy - annual report 2022 - Implementation of the common security and defence policy - annual report 2022 (debate)

Mr President, High Representative, the European Union must intensify and strengthen the common foreign, security and defence policy. EU decision-making needs to be reformed. Certain foreign policy decisions need to move to qualified majority voting. Although over the past year EU countries have succeeded in imposing fairly effective sanctions against Russia, too often a Member State has blocked and blocked decision-making. At the latest, this war has also shown that the Member States of the European Union need to invest much more in security and defence. According to the Commission's calculations, in the last twenty years before the war, EU countries had increased investment in defence by only 20%, while at the same time Russia had increased its own investment by almost 300%. We therefore need to strengthen the European defence industry and increase joint procurement. Decisions on Ukraine's arms assistance are now also urgently needed. Ukraine needs heavy weapons, and decision-making now needs to be speeded up, especially on tanks.

17

Jan

2023

Speeches FI

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Presentation of the programme of activities of the Swedish Presidency (debate)

Mr President, Prime Minister Kristersson, I would like to wish Sweden every success in your Presidency. In my opinion, Sweden has chosen very good themes for its Presidency: of course, security, the rule of law, the green and digital transitions, but above all, I appreciate the fact that you have put competitiveness very strongly at the heart of the Presidency. We must ensure that Europe continues to thrive in the future, that we have successful companies and that we have work to do. It requires us to have a skilled workforce and legislation that encourages innovation and investment in Europe. I am very pleased that Sweden has made better regulation one of its top projects and that you will be hosting a conference next week in Stockholm in this regard. I hope that you will support all initiatives that promote European competitiveness. In the autumn, the President of the Commission made a commitment in this Chamber that the Commission will carry out a competitiveness assessment in all its legislative projects in the future. I hope that the Swedish Presidency, on the side of the Council, will certainly also take this theme forward. In this House, we attach great importance to this. We need to take care of Europe's competitiveness.

14

Dec

2022

Speeches EN

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EU response to the US Inflation Reduction Act (debate)

Madam President, President of the Council, Vice-President, I need to say that I am very concerned over the competitiveness of European industry. We have been far too dependent on energy supplies from outside of Europe, and now the energy crisis and increased energy prices are placing a heavy burden on our industry. At the same time, we know that the population of the EU is ageing and companies are struggling to have access to a skilled workforce. The Green and Digital Transition require a new type of skills. For that reason, we need to invest in education and skills as well as in research and development, much more than we have done. At the same time, we need to ensure that our regulations are encouraging innovations and investments in Europe. I am expecting the Commission to take this matter seriously and to abstain from introducing any new legislation that increases the administrative burden and costs for European industry and for our SMEs.

13

Dec

2022

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Renewable Energy, Energy Performance of Buildings and Energy Efficiency Directives: amendments (REPowerEU) (continuation of debate)

Mr President, Europe has been too dependent on imported energy for far too long and now we see what it has led to when there is a huge shortage of energy across Europe. It is imperative that we now step up investment and invest in all low-emission energy sources, including nuclear power, and step up investment in energy interconnections and storage. At present, the main obstacle to the rapid progress of these processes in all European countries is too slow permitting processes. It is therefore very good that this issue has now been addressed and that these core development areas are being proposed, where permitting processes should be taken forward very quickly so that we can speed up investment. This is a very welcome proposal. In addition, in my own country, Finland, citizens also have a very wide right to appeal against investment decisions, and it is therefore important that Member States also put sufficient resources in the judiciary so that the judiciary can quickly handle the various complaints and these necessary construction investments can be triggered, as energy is needed now.

22

Nov

2022

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EU-China relations (debate)

Madam President, Vice—President, for decades Europe believed that strong economic ties and trade and multilateral cooperation would help to promote democracy and human rights in China. We now know that was not the case and that President Xi only used this to strengthen his own power. Europe must learn from the mistakes we made with Russia. We were far too dependent on Russian fossil fuels, and now when we are boosting our green transition and digitalisation, we must not allow ourselves to become dependent on Chinese critical raw materials. We must find alternative suppliers and develop our own production capabilities. This is why I welcome the Chips Act’s objective of doubling Europe’s share of semiconductors, and I look forward to the Commission’s upcoming proposal on critical raw materials. Europe can’t afford to neglect our own security of supply and resilience. Trade with China must be fair and also reciprocal.

22

Nov

2022

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Resilience of critical entities (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, the resilience of Europe's critical infrastructure needs to be strengthened, both in terms of cybersecurity and the physical environment. This legislation now being adopted, together with the Information and Network Security Directive (IS2), is an important step towards strengthening common European security. We have seen in recent months what kind of destruction Russia is sowing in Ukraine by destroying critical infrastructure and pushing people into distress. In the European Union, we have experienced the detonation of Nord Stream 2 and the sabotage of the German rail network. They demonstrate the importance of strengthening joint preparedness and response, and also closer cooperation with NATO, as proposed by the Commission in October. It is a good step that, in addition to energy and transport infrastructure, eleven very critical sectors have been included in this legislation, including digital infrastructure, banking, drinking water, health, food. We know that these are all very critical functions for society and for the lives of citizens.

10

Nov

2022

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A high common level of cybersecurity across the Union (debate)

Mr President, Vice-President of the Commission, thank you very much to all the colleagues who have worked on this important directive on network and information security, NIS2. This is a very important part of the legislation. We know that cybersecurity is a very central part of overall security in societies. And now that we have accelerated digitalisation, people, services and many critical functions have moved online, we are even more vulnerable. It is therefore important, from a technical point of view, to ensure that the processes in the various Member States are in order in these important sectors, which we are talking about here: energy, transport, health and digital infrastructure. We need certain common processes and minimum standards to ensure that we are prepared for cyber threats and attacks. Next, we will be dealing with the legislation on the cybersecurity of devices and software in Europe. Very important legislation, too, but it is at least as important now to pay attention to skills in this area. We know that one third of people in employment in Europe do not have sufficient digital skills. There is already a real shortage of cyber experts in particular, so it is important to invest in training in this area in all Member States, both in basic skills and in expert work.

17

Oct

2022

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Sustainable maritime fuels (FuelEU Maritime Initiative) - Deployment of alternative fuels infrastructure (debate)

Mr President, Madam Commissioner, Rapporteur and colleagues, in order to reach our climate targets, we must work to decarbonise the transport sector, as we know it is the only sector where emissions have increased. At the same time, it is important to remember that the maritime sector, like aviation, they are global industries, so unilateral changes that could hinder the competitiveness of European companies must be avoided. There are also challenges, as we know, regarding the availability of renewable maritime fuels. As such, I am glad that the Parliament’s position here is ambitious but also realistic. It is vital that we progressively increase the share of low-carbon fuels, respect technology neutrality and ensure necessary incentives for funding research and development in this area. While we are creating these Europe-wide regulations, we must take the special conditions of Member States also into account. For Finland, this included the compensation formula for ice navigation. I commend the rapporteur and my colleagues for taking this into consideration and including it in the final report.

15

Sep

2022

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State of the SME Union (debate)

Madam President, Madam Commissioner, dear colleagues, small and medium-sized enterprises are the backbone of the European economy. But right now, their situation is alarming. The fallout from the COVID pandemic and the war in Ukraine, together with increasing administrative burdens, means that the situation for SMEs is only getting worse. Simply put, our SMEs are not getting the support they need. This is why we need a dedicated SME envoy in the Commission to defend SMEs and make sure that all new legislation is SME—friendly. We also need to implement the one-in, one-out principle like the Commission has promised many times, so that SMEs are not overburdened by new rules and regulations that would hinder their growth and innovation. It’s regrettable that the Commission has dragged its feet for so long in this matter. While I also welcome President von der Leyen’s proposed SME relief package, it is simply not enough. It is the time for the Commission to bring forward a comprehensive SME package that addresses these issues. Strong SMEs are key for new innovations, economic growth and the green transition in Europe. Now the Commission must get to work and act for our European SMEs.

13

Sep

2022

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EU response to the increase in energy prices in Europe (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, many European countries were far too dependent on Russian energy, and now we see that it is not easy to replace it. Today, energy demand is much higher than supply in the EU, and that is what this crisis is all about. The most important thing now is to be able to reduce consumption, just as the Member States have already committed themselves to gas. We also need to be able to reduce consumption peaks and reduce the entire electricity demand in order to get more capacity. At the same time, we need to encourage investment in all our own low-emission energy sources. The idea put forward here by many colleagues that the sustainability criteria for forest energy or hydropower are now being tightened up and questioned, on the one hand, and that we are now discussing yield caps for different forms of energy, on the other, is quite ill-suited to that. This is not very inspiring and encouraging for investors. It is precisely these investments that should now be mobilised. As far as the electricity market is concerned, it would now be essential to be able to separate gas from the rest of the electricity price, because that is the problem. And Germany should keep the third nuclear power plant running.

12

Sep

2022

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Deforestation Regulation (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, deforestation is a very big problem worldwide. We know that the world's forest area has decreased considerably over the last decade, and the main cause of deforestation has been population growth and the consequent expansion of agricultural production. EU countries import around 10% of the world's deforestation-causing products, which is why we can do a great deal here to combat deforestation. The EU is a big market with global influence. We are currently in the process of having a very large number of legislative procedures at EU level aimed at influencing the use of forests. And now the most important thing is to ensure that these are consistent and that we avoid excessive duplication of regulation. What is very important is that everything is now based on a careful impact assessment – all the actions we propose. And, just as the rapporteur, Mr Hansen, said here, we must be very critical of the proposal that, for example, the financial sector should now be included in this legislation, because it is not part of this deforestation legislation. The concern here is that the financial sector could not possibly provide services to the wood industry at all. Similarly, excessive burdens on SMEs must be avoided.

7

Jul

2022

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Developing an EU Cycling Strategy (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, colleagues, audience, it’s a great pleasure to speak about cycling here. Not only because, personally, I like cycling very much, but also because I see that cycling has great potential in our transport system and especially in urban mobility. When we speak about decarbonisation, we know that cycling can contribute to significant reductions in CO2 emissions and air pollution and help also reduce dependence on fossil fuels, contributing to our climate goals. In addition, it has many other benefits, such as less road congestion, and it improves health for individuals too. So cycling can therefore greatly improve the quality of life in our cities. Cycling-friendly infrastructure, including street design and parking facilities, is key to increasing cycle use in urban areas. So cycling should be recognised as a transport mode at EU level. Including cycling in the revised Trans-European Transport Network and sustainable urban mobility plans could help to increase the share of cycling in EU cities. When we speak about digitalisation, cycling and public bike-sharing are also generating lots of data and various services. Therefore, cycling data should be integrated into the standardisation and harmonisation of multimodal and real-time transport data.

6

Jul

2022

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The Three Seas Initiative: challenges and opportunities (topical debate)

Madam President, Minister, Commissioner, the Three Seas Initiative is a great example of cross—border cooperation in the areas of transport, energy and digital infrastructure to achieve interconnections. It is now extremely timely and important for Europe to invest in modern and mass connections that combine digitalisation, clean energy and transport. We know that this is crucial for both an efficient single market as well as the international competitiveness of the Union. Like it was said here already by my colleagues, the Russian attack on Ukraine has highlighted the importance of connectivity and infrastructure for the security of supply and public security. EU funding should be directed more towards the building and maintenance of cross—border infrastructure in the European Union. Therefore, I am regretting that the Connecting Europe Facility funding did not receive more funding from the Member States. In particular, I want to mention the military mobility part, because the war in Ukraine highlights how military troops and equipment should be able to move more efficiently across the EU. This, in turn, requires more investments for infrastructure from the European Union.

6

Jul

2022

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Conclusions of the European Council meeting of 23-24 June 2022 (continuation of debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, it was an important step from the summit that Ukraine and Moldova, as well as Georgia under certain conditions, were granted candidate status. These countries have shown a strong desire to join the European Union. Ukraine is currently fighting for freedom and democracy. It must be supported by all means. We must also support the path of these applicant countries towards membership of the European Union, as well as the path of the countries of the Western Balkans. It is clear that membership as such requires major reforms and major progress from all sides, but the European Union also needs to reform. We will soon have a dozen applicant countries and it is clear that the European Union must strengthen its economic structures, strengthen the rule of law and increase its own foreign policy decision-making capacity in order to be ready for this enlargement. It is a great pity that the Member States have not taken up this Parliament's initiative, which calls for reforms in the European Union.

5

Jul

2022

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Objection pursuant to Rule 111(3): Amending the Taxonomy Climate Delegated Act and the Taxonomy Disclosures Delegated Act (debate)

Mr President, Commissioner, in order to get rid of fossil energy, Europe needs to invest in all low-emission energy sources, including nuclear power. Already today, half of Europe's zero-emission electricity comes from nuclear power and we know that the need for electricity will only increase in the future. It is therefore appropriate to support the Commission's approach here, which considers that new investments in nuclear power, as well as extensions of operating time under certain conditions, are sustainable investments. That is the right line to take, but I also understand well those colleagues who are concerned about the final disposal of nuclear waste in countries where it has not been solved, and it should also be solved. In my own country, Finland, is the first country in the world to arrange the final disposal of nuclear waste. It was decided 30 years ago. Nuclear waste will be buried in the bedrock, and that area will be taken into use in a few years' time. The Commissioner has also visited. These solutions are needed.

4

Jul

2022

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Digital Services Act - Digital Markets Act (debate)

Mr President, dear colleagues, Commissioners, as the ITRE rapporteur, I would like to thank all the colleagues for their excellent cooperation on this DSA. The DSA sets landmark standards for a safer and more transparent digital space for users, and also a level playing field for businesses. We can also say that it puts Europe to the forefront in regulating the online world. As ITRE rapporteur, my focus has been especially on the ICT industry innovations and small and micro—enterprises. It is important for European businesses, especially for our SMEs, that we ensure that they have now a level playing field and fair competition. And we have to make sure that European values and rules are also respected in the online world. At the same time, we should encourage companies to scale up, innovate and invest in Europe. Our SMEs and start-ups play a crucial role in creating Europe’s digital competitiveness and growth. Regulating the digital market should not set obstacles for growth. So that’s why we must ensure that the smallest enterprises are not faced with too heavy an administrative burden. Necessary flexibility and legal certainty is needed for SMEs to operate and grow. So I think we have now a very balanced outcome of two regulations here, DSA and DMA. On behalf of the ITRE Committee I would like to thank all the colleagues and rapporteurs and shadows and all the institutions for this work.

7

Jun

2022

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Binding annual greenhouse gas emission reductions by Member States (Effort Sharing Regulation) - Land use, land use change and forestry (LULUCF) - CO2 emission standards for cars and vans (joint debate – Fit for 55 (part 2))

Mr President, it is good that Europe is ambitious in climate policy. It is the only way forward. We should be ambitious, but also realistic. Carbon leakage must be avoided to preserve European competitiveness. Environmental, economic and social sustainability must all be taken into account. If implemented correctly, the Fit for 55 package can both reduce emissions and also generate growth. We need technology-neutral legislation which encourages investments in all kinds of viable clean energy solutions, such as nuclear and bioenergy. The ETS should remain as a market based tool to guide these investments. The main focus of the package should stay on stopping our dependency on fossil fuels. This is the most efficient way to reduce emissions. Carbon sinks play an important but limited role in the process. LULUCF targets should be supported as proposed by the Commission. At the same time, we must enable sustainable use of forests and recognise also the possibilities of bio-based solutions in replacing fossil based materials.