Speeches

Madam President, President von der Leyen, the Romanian delegation from the S&D Group will vote for you and the College of Commissioners today, because we believe in a strong and united Europe, but it is not a blank vote, it is a vote conditional on meeting some very clear and precise criteria for us, but also important ones. We want a social Europe, we want to have energy bills that people can pay without giving up what they need, and we want to have well-paid jobs and a competitive European industry. And we want something else, Mrs von der Leyen. On Sunday there were elections in Romania and we want to know who brutally and rudely interfered in the presidential elections in Romania. Who are these foreign entities? Who are those companies that bought for a lot of money and brutally influenced democracy? This intervention by you and the College of Commissioners, many of whom I know, must show that democracy cannot be bought in the European Union, in Romania, and that we want to know who gave the money, because we know what they took. They took TikTok, Facebook and Instagram. But who are those who gave money? Because if the toughest measures are not taken now for those who have broken European laws – national laws are our business – then it means that in the European Union anything and everything can be bought, and democracy must never be for sale.

Madam President, Commissioner, you said that without steel nothing would be possible in the European economy. And then, when I go to Galati, to the steel plant there, I have to tell the 10,000 people why they are actually trying to survive. Why is this the case in all steel-making plants in the European Union? Because, on the one hand, we have energy, electricity and gas prices that fluctuate, according to the Draghi report, from simple to double in the course of a single year, because the European funding you mentioned (and which is superb, but completely lacking) for the steel industry – both those that would belong to the European Commission and those that belong to the European Investment Bank – is completely missing, so we cannot decarbonise, and on the other hand we are flooded by steel imports from countries outside the European Union, countries that have no respect for environmental rules, have high emissions of carbon dioxide, while in the European Union we are forced to comply with the rules and pay taxes, which leads to a 15% higher steel price. How can we talk about competitiveness and what do we do to respect the jobs of these people?

Madam President, Commissioner, why is European industry losing competitiveness? Let's take two examples: 1. Steel industry: in steel we have lost over 20 million tonnes of capacity in the last two years for a few simple reasons: 1. the price of energy, which is also much too high and very volatile, from simple to double in one year and, on the other hand, the import from countries outside the European Union, which are obviously cheaper, that they do not pay taxes, neither carbon dioxide nor any other kind of taxes. And then two products appeared on the market: the very cheap one, outside the European Union, and the one in the European Union, and obviously everyone buys the cheap one. This has led to an increase in steel sales and a bankruptcy of many of those working in this industry. In the automotive industry – exactly the same situation. On the one hand, we who work in the European Union, in the car industry, have to pay all these taxes, including these energy prices, which are unacceptably high and very fluctuating. On the other hand, it has to cope with the import of cheap cars from countries such as China, where these imports of cars are subsidized, and by the state, where it does not have to pay the respective duties either. And then two cars appeared on the European Union market: one produced in China, which is obviously cheaper in these conditions, and the one produced in the European Union, at which price that is. At that time, fewer cars were sold from cars produced in the European Union, which caused profitability to fall, which led to factory closures and job losses that were in recent times. We need to do something and the solution is not to make them pay EUR 15 billion, rather to make them invest in research, development and in increasing the capabilities and performance of cars in the European Union.

Mr President, Vice-President Šefčovič, we are discussing the competitiveness of European industry and I would like to draw your attention today to the situation of the steel industry in the European Union economy. We have lost more than 20 million tonnes of steel capacity in the steel industry in the European Union in recent years, for two reasons: 1. energy prices, which had an absolutely unacceptable fluctuation. The difference in one year between the minimum and maximum price was 65% in 2022, and this difference increased by a further 15% in 2023. No one can make a business plan or survive when there is such volatility, and I believe that this measure of intervening quickly in the electricity market and decoupling the price of electricity from gas is an emergency. And secondly, imports from outside the European Union: we import steel that is not subject to duties, nor to carbon dioxide, nor to other duties, and obviously the steel industry in the European Union is uncompetitive. If we do not take these measures to correct this situation immediately, unfortunately, we will lose an industry and jobs that will seriously affect the economy, and tens and hundreds of thousands of employees.

Mr President, unfortunately, in Romania, in Galati, in one night, in five hours, seven people lost their lives, 7 000 houses were destroyed, more than in a day of war in Ukraine, tens of thousands of people lost everything. They ran out of clothes, nothing in their houses. All they had left was what they were wearing that fateful night. Floods, which some say have been unprecedented in the last 100 years, have brought about this disaster. They all mobilized: The Romanian government, the army, the gendarmerie, volunteers, people, companies, to help those who lost everything, everything, to be able to repair schools. Schools started in Romania on Monday. Many children were unable to go to school. My appeal is to the European Commission: money from the Solidarity Fund must be made available immediately. Flexible already existing European money! These people desperately need help now, and the magnitude of this disaster is far too great for a country like Romania and the possibilities that a government has. This response is the European response that we are all waiting for.

Mr President, Commissioner, how is the state of energy in the European Union? Let me tell you how it looks from Romania. Well, I had this: a period when prices, through 2022 and in 2023, went haywire. We found that this situation is almost general at the level of the European Union, that we are talking about an amount of tens, hundreds of billions of euros, which would have been money that was illegally taken from consumers in the European Union, from people who had to pay their bills at home, from companies that had to pay very high bills. I understand that afterwards, and with your support, but above all with the efforts of the European Parliament, we adopted a directive that punishes those who have stolen. There are seven hundred and twenty-nine cases, I think, in the investigation for about six months or eight months, and I want to know how many of these cases have been handled. What is the amount that was, according to the directive that we approved, confiscated from these firms that received illegal profits as a result of illegal practices of theft and deception? How many CEOs have been fined up to five million euros, as we approved the directive this spring? In addition, I want to know how we do so that we still have a market that operates on stock exchange criteria, because, as the report of the Financial Markets Supervisory Authority says, there are practices that are specific to stock exchanges, for example sales on shortWithout a stock exchange, let alone anyone who opposes the creation of an energy and gas exchange in the European Union is opposed to transparency, to knowing who the shareholders are, at what prices they sell, to whom they sell, how many profits they make. There's something else. These days, there was 700 euros a megawatt-hour of electricity in Romania. Well, Commissioner, there's something wrong. This is not a functioning market, that 700 euros for electricity is paid by someone, that electricity is consumed instantly. One paid for it at home, the man paid for it, the companies paid for it. So this non-functionality is something that we must continue to do, to deal with together with the new Commissioner for Energy. I want to thank you for listening to us every time we told you that certain things need to be done and we had a positive attitude from you and DG ENER, but things need to be put in order. Winter is coming again and we do not want to have those situations with energy prices, as the Draghi report said. The difference between the minimum price and the maximum price increased by 63% in 2022, in 2023 by a further 15%. Absolutely unacceptable!

Mrs Soşoacă, I want to tell you that I come from there – by the way, I changed my boots with my shoes so that I could come to Strasbourg – and I saw exactly what level of aid was granted from day one: water trucks because those people didn't have water, barracks, blankets, mattresses. Camps were brought in and set up so that people could stay somewhere because their houses had been destroyed. Today, the Government of Romania, Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, approved 10,000 lei, the first initial tranche for helping these people, and further the aids that are granted are for these people to be able to pass through this difficult period. There are dozens of inspectors from the State Construction Inspectorate who are doing the evaluation for these people to receive the necessary help to rebuild their homes. My request was to the European Commission and to you, dear colleagues. An effort of solidarity is needed. The Government of Romania alone cannot rebuild 6 000 houses, and there is no way, without European help, to do so.

Madam President, Vice-President Šefčovič, in Galati, my region, there have been devastating floods these days that have destroyed more than 6 000 houses, dozens of roads and bridges and left tens of thousands of people with nothing, literally nothing. At this point, urgent financial help is needed so that we can bring these people back to life, send children to schools that have been devastated and show them that European solidarity is more important than anything. Also in my region is the largest steel production plant in Romania and in this part of Europe – and they are facing problems of so-called competitiveness. My message – and I know you feel the same way, Vice-President Šefčovič: how can you produce steel when you are in competition with those who come and bring steel into the European Union from countries outside the European Union and who do not pay carbon taxes? How can they be competitive when electricity and gas prices are rising from one day to the next without any justification whatsoever? All this shows how profound the transformation of our competitiveness and our policy must be in order for us to have an industrial future.

Mr President, today we are approving an important piece of legislation, one on zero-carbon technologies. Thanks to an extraordinary effort on the part of the European Parliament, we have succeeded in introducing, in this piece of legislation, the recognition of the steel industry as a strategic industry at European Union level. This will allow us to be able to finance the steel industry in the European Union, through the STEP programme, it will allow us to allocate the necessary funds for a more competitive, zero-carbon industry and stop imports from countries outside the European Union of steel, aluminium and other energy-intensive products that only contribute to increasing carbon emissions. I want to tell my colleague in Germany, who spoke before me, that I hope that the first project of Net - Zero Valleys, so of cluster, which would incorporate zero-carbon technology, would not be in Saxony, but would be in Galati, Romania. In this competition, I hope we will win, because it will be a win for us, for the European Union. At the same time, I want to tell everyone that the way in which we will succeed in applying this piece of legislation, which we approved today, thanks to an extraordinary effort, that it has not been easy to convince the Council and the Commission that it must be done, these measures must be taken, we will also be able to have better paid jobs, we will also be able to achieve the climate objectives, doing these things in a smart way and for the benefit of us, European citizens. I want to thank Christian Heller for a very good report, the shadow rapporteurs and committee rapporteurs who have worked for this programme, and for the fact that this extremely intelligent decision will bring extraordinary benefits to the steel industry in the European Union.

Mr President, one of the promises that has remained unfulfilled under the Green Deal is support for the European steel industry to produce clean, low-carbon steel. Instead of these measures, which we all expected, in addition to the lack of financing and the lack of money for this industry, the steel industry, and I mean the one that was most affected, with a decrease of 40 million tonnes last year in the European Union, we have seen an increase in imports from countries that are not members of the European Union and that produce carbon-intensive products. So, on the one hand, we managed to destroy in part a well-functioning industry, and on the other hand, we managed to increase carbon dioxide emissions and this against the backdrop of a lack of action by the European Commission. Last week, I sent a letter together with my other colleagues from the S&D group to the European Commission, asking it for a concrete action plan, money, measures that can help decarbonise the steel industry and, at the same time, measures to reduce or eliminate these imports from non-EU carbon-intensive countries. And I want you to know that no Commissioner will receive the consent of the European Parliament in the next term of office unless he comes up with this action plan for the steel industry.

Mr President, Commissioner, energy market reform in the European Union must mean a few things. It will mean some important things for European industry, which will finally have access to medium-term contracts at prices that are predictable and allow European industry, small and medium-sized firms to remain in the market and be competitive. This energy market reform also means something: that no one will have to give up food, medicine, clothes to be able to pay their energy bill, their gas bill, and that all these things are now in order. All those who have made extraordinary profits dishonestly, all those who have made these profits of tens of billions of euros through deception, through market manipulation, today are the subject of investigations. There are over 729 cases in the European Union, and this money must be taken back. This money must be given to industries that have paid unjustifiably high bills, whether it's steel, aluminum, cement, the chemical industry, small and medium-sized firms that have had to fire people and people at home who have had to pay false bills. All this money must be raised in a fund and given back to those who have paid unjustified and false bills.

Mr President, Minister, Vice-President Šefčovič, I expect this Council to adopt and take a very tough measure to protect European Union agriculture. Today, when we talk, we had farmers on the street, we had protests, because there are many, many, many farmers who see their businesses in jeopardy. There are people who will lose their jobs and we are putting the food security of the European Union at risk. I want to see at this Council that measures are being taken to ban imports from countries outside the European Union, products that do not meet European standards, which are produced, whether we are talking about cereals, whether we are talking about fruits, or whether we are talking about vegetables, which are full of pesticides, are some of them genetically modified. We put on the vines the agriculture of the European Union, and the agriculture of Romania, but especially we poison the European citizens with these toxic products, I repeat. And the second issue: stop imports from countries that are not members of the European Union of steel products, steel, aluminium, cement and chemical fertilisers, because these countries do not meet any environmental standards, we increase carbon dioxide emissions and in this way we are hitting European industry hard.

Madam President, Commissioner, at last, speculation on energy prices is receiving a tough response, expected by all those who have been victims of these deceptive, illegal practices. I am referring here to companies - some of which went bankrupt - who had to pay unjustified prices, people who lost their jobs, people who at home had to give up what they needed to be able to pay their energy bills. And today they receive from us a powerful answer, an answer they were waiting for: at least to know that those who have dealt with these deceptive practices have stolen, manipulated the market, resorted to speculation. Today, we have decided to punish them - 15% of the turnover for firms that have engaged in such practices, 5 million euros for the CEOs of these firms who have resorted to deceptive practices. Commissioner, ACER, the European agency in the field, has 379 cases that have not yet started investigations. You must provide them with resources, money and immediately be able to take the necessary measures against these firms who have stolen and destroyed a large part of the European Union's economy and the lives and well-being of European citizens. I want to see the first CEO of the energy company who pays the fine of 5 million euros. Only then will this signal be understood correctly and no one will dare to steal, lie and cheat in the European Union.

Mr President, great news for European industry, which has been hard-pressed by the energy crisis, by the situation we have experienced as a result of Russia's aggression in Ukraine, and for the industries that have suffered the most, such as the steel industry in Romania. We now have provisions that allow Romania to adopt measures to support investments, to support the functioning of these entities, which are vital for Romania's economy and for what the reconstruction part that we all expect to start as soon as possible in Ukraine means. Today we have adopted these provisions that allow for support, in addition to industries that contribute to the decarbonisation of the European economy and industry, and we have this opportunity to support the decarbonisation of industries that are energy-intensive, steel-intensive, aluminium-intensive, let us also go to the cement area and other areas that allow for a reduction in carbon emissions and an increase in production, and that bring prosperity, economic growth and bring the added value that all European citizens expect from the European Union. For Romania, this is great news for my country. For Galati, my city, this is great news and this must be known by everyone.

Madam President, President Charles Michel, Vice-President Šefčovič, the Council conclusions are superb, but one element that is extremely important is missing. What is the action plan for European agriculture and farmers? When farmers in the European Union, from Brussels, from Paris, Strasbourg to Bucharest, are on the street, something is wrong, profoundly wrong. And then, in order to avoid a situation where, very likely, tens of thousands of farmers would go bankrupt, we will have an agriculture that will be completely affected in the European Union, there is a need for a concrete plan of measures, financial support measures. These people, in order to survive, need financial support from the European Commission to be able to go through this difficult period. They need tax exemptions, which you know can only be taken at European level, so that in these difficult times, with great market distortions, they can survive. President von der Leyen announced today that she is already moving away from reducing pesticides by 2030. So you can. We need a new plan, REAgricultureEU, which is a kind of REPowerEU with money and measures for European Union agriculture.

Madam President, Prime Minister De Croo, you said that the European single market is a priority for you and I want to tell you that today, in Romania, tens of thousands of carriers are on the street protesting because they want to enter the European single market. Austria decided - Chancellor Nehammer, that Romania should not enter the Schengen area, unjustified, without any motivation. But today, thousands of transport companies in Romania, tens of thousands of carriers, have huge financial losses. They are humiliated because they have to spend hours and days at the border crossing points. You must also put this priority on your side, and you, Vice-President Šefčovič, because this situation is absolutely intolerable and those funds must be found that are made available immediately and transport companies and carriers compensated. They have done nothing wrong and deserve to be compensated for the huge financial losses and humiliations to which they are subjected, without doing anything wrong, I repeat, but only because they want to be in the European single market, an obligation of all of us.

Madam President, Commissioner Breton, another file on European industry, which we have taken very seriously in the European Parliament, and I congratulate both the rapporteur and those who have been shadow rapporteurs, because the naive period of not talking about European industry would seem to be over, and now we are all dealing with serious things. I want to refer to something that I found extremely important in this legislative proposal: establishing development hubs for zero-carbon industries. That we are talking about batteries, that we are talking about hydrogen, that we are talking about solar panels, that we are talking about the processing and use of critical or strategic materials that contribute to the industry that has zero carbon dioxide emissions, is something that is extraordinary and it must work as quickly as possible. In STEP, Commissioner, we were able to introduce funding and we said - we did mirroring, so we mirrored, the list in this file with the STEP - and we said that these things are funded by STEP. So here is a very serious approach that shows that Europe has understood and we are taking the necessary steps so that everything that is important to us can be achieved - these steps - and that we have a European industry capable of helping us achieve our climate goals for the 2030 targets for 2050. This is an extraordinary thing! Once again, congratulations to you, Commissioner, and to our colleagues in the European Parliament who have done an extraordinary thing.

Madam President, Commissioner Simson, there have been some good things that have been achieved lately, because after the lesson learned after a complicated, hard, almost catastrophic winter in the European Union, we have managed to correct some things. The fact that there is an obligation to store natural gas is a plus, but people ask: Will this winter be the same as last winter, when they looked at their gas and electricity bills to see what they had to do? To pay his bill, he has to give up food, he has to give up clothes, what does he have to do? And above all, the fact that there was no such predictability disturbed a lot. And at the same time the same people, small and medium-sized companies, large companies in the European Union, who saw: There are some companies that have made billions and billions of euros in windfall profits. And I was telling you then and I am telling you now, Commissioner Simson, that when there are windfall profits, something is flawed, something is profoundly wrong. The rule must be medium- and long-term contracts, there must be a predictability of these prices, because electricity is not like an agri-food market. And there's one thing that's missing: What does energy-intensive businesses mean in the European Union? Steel, aluminum, cement, gas, chemical and agricultural fertilizers, chemicals. They can no longer produce because they are obviously uncompetitive, because at the price at which they can buy both gas and electricity, they are no longer on the market. And then I want to ask you what future do we want in the European Union? Take steel, aluminum, cement? Where'd it come from? From China? If we do not succeed, you do not understand that prices are twice as high as those that are not in the European Union, and this also causes us to lose jobs, but to lose strategically. On the one hand, we have declared these products strategic, and on the other hand, we are watching them die. 40 million tons of steel last year, closed capacity, and one of the main causes is the price of electricity and natural gas. So these things need to be corrected in order to have a peaceful winter.

Mr President, Vice-President Šefčovič, High Representative Borrell, Minister, we are here to say one thing very clearly, Hamas terrorism must stop. We've all seen the horrors that the cameras presented. I saw pictures of the massacre they committed in Israel. We have seen from babies who were killed, burned, women mocked, killed, to elderly people, even people in wheelchairs who fell victim to Hamas terrorism and reminded us of a time we all thought we would never see again in this life. This has happened in a horrific and totally unacceptable way. There's something else we need to say. The moment there are hundreds of people who have been taken hostage, the moment I remind you of one thing, that Israeli father who, with tears in his eyes, said so. His daughter had been killed by Hamas terrorists and he said one thing: “Thank God my daughter is dead. If it was taken by Hamas, it was mocked, it was subjected to torture. This did not deserve to happen to my child.” Through the eyes of that parent, we have all seen what terrorism means, what families are being destroyed, families that are being unjustifiably attacked, and that is why we need a strong response. Terrorism must stop! Hamas terrorism must stop, terrorism in Brussels must stop, terrorism in France must stop and all those who are complicit, directly or indirectly, in paying.

Madam President, Commissioner Schmit, 10% of European citizens pay 40% for housing, so that they can live in a decent house. These are worrying figures. These are the figures of despair that show why there is a need for a European policy that is adequate and that has as its main purpose the elimination of these situations that worry us all. What can we do concretely? For example, to remove the Maastricht criteria for all public investment that would be directed towards housing with decent prices and social housing. Only with this, for example, in my country, in Romania, the First Home program would allow us to have several tens of thousands of homes in the coming years for young families. All these vulnerable groups, whether we are talking about families that are young, single-parent families, families that are made up of elderly people, need support. And what more can we do? The European Central Bank should intervene so that these interest rates can be kept at an acceptable, decent level. And what more can we do? Your colleagues, Commissioner Schmit, could oblige a share of the European funds allocated to each Member State to be used to increase energy efficiency for these categories of vulnerable people. This would make the situation bearable for many European citizens, for many Romanian citizens living in very difficult conditions.

Mr President, Commissioner, great news for the millions of European citizens who have decided and dared to apply and want to put solar panels at home. With this directive we say: that within three months, if you have not received the approval, the approval is automatic, positive silence, tacit approval. For the current situation, for years. How many? For some solar and wind projects, waiting time: Nine years. So... all this reform, all this revolution that I can call in the field of renewable energy comes up and says that if we're serious and we want renewable energy, we can. Permits for large capacities, reduced to a year, a year and a half, two years, so it can be done. It can and especially this signal, in the situation we are in, we have 80 gigawatts, wind energy, waiting for these projects to come into operation. Under construction? Very little. All this has led us to take these steps, and I thank those who have contributed to this report, and I thank the Commissioner for being very proactive in the discussions.

Madam President, while the EU Chips Act will not ensure the EU’s independence in relation to chips, as no single player can be independent in relation to this, we want the EU Chips Act to establish Europe as an important player in the global semiconductors arena and we want to ensure that the EU is leading in research and innovation, that it has a business-friendly environment, a fast-permitting process, and that it invests in a skilled workforce for the semiconductor sector. Our goal is to ensure growth in Europe, to prepare for future challenges and to have in place the right mechanisms for possible crises. Thank you so much, dear colleagues of the European Parliament for your very strong support. Thank you so much, Commissioner Breton, for your very strong support. Thank you so much to all of you, to the shadow rapporteurs, to the advisors and assistants. You did a great job.

Madam President, Commissioner Breton, it’s a pleasure to see you again after long days of negotiations. On 18 April, after a swift and effective negotiation period and only after one month a half of negotiations, we have finalised a strong deal for the European Chips Act with the Swedish Presidency. The European Parliament pushed for a strong deal, with the Council showing a strong level of ambition for plans to secure the EU supply of semiconductors by boosting production and innovation, setting up emergency measures against shortages. The negotiations outcome is a clear example that if there is a will, there is a way. And I say many thanks to all my colleagues, shadow rapporteurs and our teams, advisers and assistants for their excellent work. Thank you so much, Commissioner Breton. You are an honest broker. You did a very good job. Thank you so much to you and to your team because it was a very helpful exercise. Thank you so much for being so supportive. Why do we need a new Chips Act? The pandemic has revealed longstanding vulnerabilities in global supply chains, and the unprecedented shortage of semiconductors is a prime example. These shortages have led, among other issues, to rising costs for industry and higher prices for consumers, and have been slowing down the pace of recovery in Europe. Our aim is to fortify the EU position in the global semiconductor landscape and to address the vulnerabilities in supply chains exposed by the pandemic. We strive for more influence and leadership in research and innovation in this sector. We have secured EUR 3.3 billion for research and innovation. We aim to boost technological capacity and we are implementing measures to combat potential shortages. With the Chips Act legislation – which is to be in place already at the end of the summer – we expect to generate private and public investment that will go over EUR 100 billion. This is a clear statement: Europe is prepared to face the future challenges in the semiconductor industry, prioritising strategic autonomy and security in a favourable business environment. Some of the important points of the Chips Act are that we managed to secure EUR 3.3 billion for research and innovation related to chips. We increased the EU’s technological capacity, production and innovation. The EU Chips Act will strengthen Europe’s strategic autonomy and security. Businesses will benefit from a favourable environment for investment in Europe, both in terms of fast-tracking permit granting procedures and recognition as highest national significance status where such status exists. The ecosystem of semiconductors and the semiconductor value chain will be supported as the spillover effect is recognised in different sectors in countries. The network of competence centres that should be created will address the skills shortage and attract new talent for research, design and production. New production facilities will also play an important role in investing in and boosting the skilled workforce in Europe. SMEs are recognised to have an important role and will benefit from increased support, especially under the design part. In this sense, under the revised framework for State aid rules for research, development and innovation, maximum aid intensity up to the level of 80% may be allowed for aid for research and development projects of medium-size companies, and up to 90% may be allowed for those of small companies. Furthermore, in order to maximise synergies, competence centres established under the initiative that focus on state-of-the-art chip designs may apply to receive the label ‘design centre of excellence’. A crisis response mechanism in case of shortages will be set up, with the Commission assessing the risks to the EU supply of semiconductors and early warning indicators in Member States that could trigger an EU-wide alert. This will allow the Commission to implement emergency measures, such as prioritising the supply for products particularly affected or carry out common purchasing for Member States. The mapping mechanism will help to identify possible bottlenecks in the semiconductor sector. The measures under the toolbox, like the priority rated orders and the common purchasing mechanism, will be used as last resort measures and with enough guarantees that they will be triggered only when a semiconductor crisis, as defined in Article 18, is taking place. Intellectual property rights are also strengthened in order to have the right competitive advantage and protection for the sector.

Madam President, President von der Leyen, President Michel, I want to welcome the Council conclusions and I want to ask you not to forget one thing: You talked about competitiveness. It is the electricity prices that either people or industry pay that overwhelmingly determine the competitiveness of the European Union's economy. Unfortunately, two elements are missing: an exchange on which methane gas and electricity are traded to ensure regulation. We have regulation all over the European Union, but to see what, we don't regulate either the gas market or the electricity market. And this leads to something else – a lack of transparency. No one in the European Union knows why they pay these huge gas or electricity bills, because there is a lack of almost total transparency – and this needs to be regulated urgently. You mentioned that this was introduced. Net-Zero Industry. It's very good. But don't forget one thing: we cannot promote European industry as long as from tax money, from European funds, we do not grant that provision that existed and was wrongly eliminated, I say, that in the acquisition, 50% of the products purchased from tax money that European citizens have paid to be produced in the European Union. There is no way to make mass production unless we introduce this provision. And last but not least, critical materials – let go of regulation that allows exploitation on all parts of the production chain, including refining in the European Union. There are Member States, there are from Romania, 16 materials from the list of critical materials are in Romania, out of 31. All the requests to start using these critical materials, some of them very rare and very valuable, unfortunately, have not received a favourable response and I believe that this should be corrected immediately and I believe that Vice-President Šefčovič will take care of this.

Madam President, First Vice-President Šefčovič, dear Maroš, President Charles Michel, we welcome the Council conclusions of 9 February, but I draw attention to the fact that if we do not come up with sources of cash, fresh money, existing resources, existing financial instruments are insufficient for what we have to do, including for the field of semiconductors. In the field of energy, the European Union's energy security means stopping market manipulation - this is the key element -, using renewable energy from own resources and increasing energy efficiency - another point we care about very much - and lowering bills for industry and citizens. Given the instability of the financial system, and I am referring to the bankruptcy of Silicon Valley Bank, once again, it shows why we need to take care of an energy system that has stability, so as not to create additional pressure on companies or citizens, because situations will only be very difficult or very complicated. And, above all, we must protect those who have low incomes, young families, with many children, or pensioners, and who cannot afford to bear this pressure of bills. Unfortunately, the Commission's proposal for the introduction of a new electricity market model is insufficient, it does not address any of these things that I have mentioned, neither the manipulation of the market properly, nor a predictable system of energy bills and prices, and we need to correct this and we will do it in the European Parliament.