What Michael spoke about.

14 Mar

2023

EN Speech

Question Time (Commission) - How to ensure energy security in the EU in 2023

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We are talking about energy security, and we see that with the current legislation, the electricity market design and the RED, it will be in place in two years, and that leads to investors basically now waiting for two years for the more beneficial setting. So now, we need to bridge these two years. There is the idea of a renewable energy booster, a European-wide tender of 120 gigawatt – 60 gigawa…

13 Mar

2023

DE Speech

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)

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Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, The Green Deal is the key legislative package of this legislature. We have made a promise to our voters, to our children, to future generations, to contain the climate crisis, to comply with the climate goals and the Paris Agreement on climate change. That's what we're going to be measured against. But also in this House, and especially on the part of the Con…

14 Feb

2023

DE Speech

CO2 emission standards for cars and vans (debate)

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Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, Many thanks to Mr Timmermans, First Vice-President of the Commission, for making it possible for us to vote on this result today. We finally decide the end of the climate-damaging combustion engine. This is good for climate protection, and it is also good for the economy. In this way, we create clarity: From 2035 onwards, no new combustion engines will be all…

18 Jan

2023

DE Speech

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

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Madam President, Thank you, Commissioner, for announcing a European Net Zero Industry Act. That's right. We need to become leaders in the key green technologies of the future: Solar power plants, wind power, electricity storage and grids, heat pumps and hydrogen electrolysers. This climate industry must replace the dirty fossil industry if we are to save the climate and secure sustainable jobs in …

12 Dec

2022

DE Speech

Outcome of COP27 (debate)

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Madam President, Commissioner Timmermans! 2022 was a lost year for climate action. Why? We are breaking the Paris Agreement on climate change, and we are on a lethal 3-degree earth-heating path. That's why we said in Glasgow a year ago: This year 2022, we are raising all our climate targets to 1.5 degrees. And what has happened since then? Nothing. You, Mr Timmermans, then stated that the European…

24 Nov

2022

DE Speech

Revision of the Medical Devices Regulation – how to ensure the availability of medical devices (debate)

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Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, Commissioner! We want a transformation towards sustainability, and we want safe medical devices. But I get a lot of calls for help from companies from my constituency: Specialized products, such as scalpels for children with few runs and often manufactured by small companies, are thrown into a pot with mass-produced products from multinational companies. Manufac…

18 Oct

2022

DE Speech

UN Climate Change Conference 2022 in Sharm-el-Sheikh, Egypt (COP27) (debate)

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Mr President, ladies and gentlemen! There are only three weeks left until the climate conference, and so far it looks like it will end in disaster. The countries of the Global South demand justice. Europe's CO2 emissions are leading to devastating floods and climate catastrophes in countries such as Pakistan. We must finally acknowledge that. Loss and Damage is Real! At the same time, a year ago i…

17 Oct

2022

EN Speech

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

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Mr President, I wonder if the MEPs should now also get to triple the amount of speaking time, as she also got it. So maybe in this House we should also then give it to the MEPs. Herr Präsident, liebe Kolleginnen und Kollegen! Derzeit verursacht der Verkehr knapp ein Drittel der Treibhausgasemissionen in Europa. Und das muss und das wird sich ändern. Schon bald wird das Reisen mit dem Elektroauto v…

13 Sep

2022

EN Speech

Consequences of drought, fire, and other extreme weather phenomena: increasing EU's efforts to fight climate change (debate)

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It’s a funny question because I think you didn’t really understand what we are talking about. We are talking about droughts. We are talking about the destruction of the European biosphere, and if you are now trying to burn all of the wood, all of the forests, then it’s exactly what you get. You get more droughts, you get more problems for the people. You’ll get more firefighters that need to go in…

13 Sep

2022

DE Speech

Consequences of drought, fire, and other extreme weather phenomena: increasing EU's efforts to fight climate change (debate)

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Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, When I take the train from Stuttgart to Brussels, it's autumn outside, because the leaves of the trees are yellow and grey and sometimes have already fallen off. But it's not autumn. It is the driest summer in Europe in over 500 years. But for my daughter's generation, it's probably more of the wetter she'll ever experience. In this situation, the European Commi…

5 Jul

2022

DE Speech

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

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Mr President, ladies and gentlemen. I didn't think I'd stand here defending the financial industry. But that's how it is. Yesterday someone from the Federal Association of Public Banks told me that no one will take the green taxonomy seriously should nuclear power and gas be included. In other words: We have an excellent compass that is driving Europe's energy transition and are now punching it wi…

7 Jun

2022

EN Speech

Revision of the EU Emissions Trading System - Social Climate Fund - Carbon border adjustment mechanism - Revision of the EU Emissions Trading System for aviation - Notification under the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) (joint debate – Fit for 55 (part 1))

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Emma, let me recall what your friend next to you, Pascal Canfin, said here around two years ago: he said to Timmermans ‘I warn you, I warn you, don’t put an ETS tool’ – from the Renew Group. So I think you just have to calm down a little bit when you now put the blame on the Greens and S&D. But one thing is really important: we need to have a just climate transformation. Your idea is that we phase…

7 Jun

2022

DE Speech

Revision of the EU Emissions Trading System - Social Climate Fund - Carbon border adjustment mechanism - Revision of the EU Emissions Trading System for aviation - Notification under the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) (joint debate – Fit for 55 (part 1))

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Mr President, dear Mr Manfred Weber, ladies and gentlemen of the EPP Group! The last time you were in the Bavarian Forest, did you see the many trees standing there dried up? I ask you: How do you explain to your voters that forests are dying on their doorstep and that tomorrow you will vote against a climate policy that will curb this? Mr Stéphane Séjourné, dear Liberals, Pascal, France has just …

19 May

2022

DE Speech

The REPowerEU Plan: European solidarity and energy security in face of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, including the recent cuts of gas supply to Poland and Bulgaria (debate)

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Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, Putin's biggest fear is an energy-independent Europe. And with REPowerEU, a historic decision has been made: We use our European energy resources, solar and wind. We are moving towards 100% renewable energy. Our homes become our power plants, the solar obligation comes. 70 million solar roofs can replace all Russian gas imports. We will build solar panels in Eur…

3 May

2022

EN Speech

Question Time (Commission) Europe’s Energy Autonomy: The strategic importance of renewables and energy interconnections and efficiency

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Thank you very much. That was still a bit vague. I think you said we will do whatever it takes to bring solar energy production back to Europe so I hope that also means an IPCI. But I have another question. Currently, the Commission is proposing to go to 40% renewable energy by 2030. Our studies show that we can go to up to 57% and not be dependent on Russian oil and gas. So are you proposing to i…

3 May

2022

DE Speech

Question Time (Commission) Europe’s Energy Autonomy: The strategic importance of renewables and energy interconnections and efficiency

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Madam President, Commissioner, we are not free in Europe. We are clinging to Putin's fossil drip, and we need to move away from it, towards wind and solar power. Now, with REPowerEU, we have the opportunity – even a little late – to do so, which is why the specific question is: Are you proposing something like a European Solar Act, similar to the Chips Act? There must be three things in there: Fir…

4 Apr

2022

EN Speech

Revision of the Market Stability Reserve for the EU Emissions Trading System (debate)

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Madam President, the pictures of war atrocities in Bucha on innocent Ukrainian citizens are horrifying and at the same time, Putin is playing us with his coal, gas and oil. We must not be blackmailed by Putin. What we need for this is strong climate policies to move away from fossils and move to 100% renewables. I cannot understand those who call now for a stop or pause of Europe's CO2 trading sch…

24 Mar

2022

DE Speech

The Power of the EU – Joint European Action for more affordable, secure and sustainable energy (debate)

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Madam President, Yesterday I was able to speak to Ilies, a young refugee from Ukraine. He had a wish: Don't buy any more coal, oil or gas from Putin! Don't finance this war with your climate-damaged way of life! We transfer millions of euros to Putin every day for his war machine, and that's unbearable. But instead of all the energy now going towards expanding renewables towards lowering consumpti…

24 Nov

2021

DE Speech

State of the Energy Union (debate)

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Dear Mr President, Commissioner Simson! The year is 2021 and the climate crisis has arrived in Europe. We had 246 victims of the floods in the summer. However, 52 billion euros are still spent on fossil subsidies every year. This is actually a scandal. Citizens' money continues to fuel the climate crisis. We need this money for transformation, for low-income people to be able to insulate their hom…

24 Nov

2021

DE Speech

Outcome of the COP26 in Glasgow (debate)

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Mr President, ladies and gentlemen. After this climate conference, we have it black and white: We do not reach the climate targets of the Paris Climate Agreement, not the 1.5 degrees and not the 2 degrees. The European Union's climate targets are not enough either. Now the world has to sit down, now we have to sit down and present new climate targets at the climate conference in one year, so that …

20 Oct

2021

DE Speech

UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, the UK (COP26) (debate)

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Dear Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, Six years after Paris, we are going to the climate conference with climate targets and measures that do not even meet the 2-degree climate target. This is simply disappointing. It doesn't help to point your finger at other countries and say: They don't do it anymore. Let's come to our own front door! If we really want to be a global leader, it means: no new…

6 Oct

2021

DE Speech

European solutions to the rise of energy prices for businesses and consumers: the role of energy efficiency and renewable energy and the need to tackle energy poverty (debate)

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Madam President, Natural gas prices have increased tenfold in the last two years, and many are looking at winter with fear. The European Union must make the promise that no child will have to wake up in a cold room because parents can no longer afford the electricity and heat. In order to help people in need, immediate action is needed. For example, no one is allowed to turn off electricity or gas…

14 Sep

2021

DE Speech

Presentation of the Fit for 55 package after the publication of the IPCC report (debate)

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Mr President, ladies and gentlemen. Less than two years ago, we all declared a climate emergency. Unfortunately, this summer has shown that the climate emergency is a reality. We mourn hundreds of deaths in the EU, from floods and forest fires, from extreme heat. The report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has shown what a dramatic situation we are in. As early as 2030, the 1.5-deg…