Speeches

Mr President, Commissioner, I have listened very carefully to your speech. Yes, we must learn from the mistakes of the past. All the crises that have passed have shown us that dependence on fuels, on imports from elsewhere is not good. But have I learned this? We go forward, we go with renewable energy and we continue our dependency. We continue our dependence on imported technology, this time. Where to import technology? From countries that are not our allies, from countries that may, at some point, do something and will not be able to close the Strait of Hormuz, but they will be able to close a production, they will be able to close the production of solar panels, they will be able to close the production of components. And we have a very clear example. Maybe it was a test that microprocessor for the automotive industry that disappeared for the moment and we found ourselves with a crisis in the very large arms of production. Is it good what we have done, that we only look at the price, we only look at the fact that if we produce in Europe it is more expensive? Are we forgetting that maybe we should teach the Europeans, teach the population, that there is also a security cost? Perhaps, however, we can wake up in the 13th hour and make as much technology production as possible for our energy, that it is renewable, that it is nuclear, that it is of another type, inside the European Union, because only in this way we can say that we have learned from the mistakes of the past and we will not repeat them.

Madam President, Commissioner, dear colleagues, Europe is talking here today about the energy potential of the North Sea. This is a legitimate and necessary discussion. But European energy security is not only being built in the north, it is being built in the south, and in the east, and in the west. I come from an Eastern country and that is why I am very interested in the Black Sea area. Romania plays a strategic role in this effort. Project to extract natural gas from the Black Sea, Neptune Deep, This is not just a national project. It is a European energy security project. Without the new volumes of natural gas in the Black Sea, the European energy transition risks being more unstable, costly and vulnerable to external shocks. Moreover, the Romanian Black Sea Plateau has a huge wind energy potential, over 70 GW. The reality is simple: we cannot build an electrified, digitalised and decarbonised economy without stable energy sources and resilient infrastructure. In recent years we have seen attacks on energy infrastructure, sabotage and the use of energy as a geopolitical weapon. Protection of infrastructure offshore, whether from the North Sea or the Black Sea, must become an absolute European priority. At the same time, we must remain faithful to a fundamental principle: technological neutrality. Renewable energies are essential and need to be accelerated, but alongside them we also need nuclear energy. Romania already demonstrates that it can be a provider of energy stability across the Union. We invest in offshore, in the Black Sea and regional interconnections. If we want a credible energy transition, we need to build a real Energy Union, where all regions and resources contribute to the common goal. Europe needs a green transition, but also a secure, competitive and consistent geopolitical transition.

I really don't understand your question, but I can tell you that, from my point of view, what I talk here, it's about prosumer – that we have to encourage in Europe prosumer. And we started at the end of 2021 in Romania. We modified the law to encourage them. Until now, we have more than two gigawatts – or more than the two reactors that we have in Romania. This is a part of the solution, not the whole solution. I do not intervene in your internal political problems, but I can intervene in European energy policy. So don't ask me about other colleagues of yours, of mine; ask me about energy, about energy security, and I'll gladly answer all your questions.

Mr President, Commissioner, the energy crisis has taught us a very clear lesson: Europe's energy security depends not only on imports or infrastructure, but also on our ability to produce energy closer to citizens. Therefore, the role of the prosumer is essential. Today, millions of Europeans are already investing in local renewable energy production. In Romania, over 300,000 prosumers, with an installed capacity of over 2 GW, have been placed in the last 4 years. This shows that citizens are ready to actively participate in the energy transition. But for this model to work, we need to have the right rules. In many cases, prosumers face complicated administrative procedures or even discriminatory practices from supplying or distributing companies. Why? Because I'm losing customers and revenue. This is not acceptable. Prosumers are not a problem for the energy system, they are part of the solution for Europe's energy security. Local energy production, self-consumption and energy communities can reduce bills for citizens, reduce pressure on grids and increase the resilience of the European energy system. That is why, Citizens Energy Package It has to send a clear message. Citizens must be at the heart of the European energy system, because the energy transition will only be successful if citizens are part of it.

Mr President, Commissioner, dear colleagues, Europe's energy transition must be accelerated, but not in any case. We need a strategy that combines decarbonisation with energy security and industrial competitiveness. For me, this means strengthening investments in nuclear energy, stable renewable capacities and emerging technologies, from small modular reactors to hydrogen production and energy storage. The European Union is obliged to support these efforts through a sound financial framework, an ambitious industrial policy and recognition of the diversity of energy mixes. Romania can become a regional hub for clean energy development, actively contributing to Europe's strategic autonomy and reducing external dependencies. And when it comes to dependence, we have to be very careful not to replace dependence on Russian gas with dependence on so-called green technologies in China, for example. We have to be consistent. Without clean technologies, we will have neither competitive European industry nor sustainable energy security.

Madam President, Commissioner, dear colleagues, it is time to recognise a simple truth: Without modern and interconnected power grids, our energy policies remain mere intentions. The green transition will not succeed if some regions are condemned to energy isolation, high prices and low competitiveness. We have proposed and supported amendments requiring concrete measures, urgent investments and interconnections where they are missing, as is the case between Austria, Hungary and Slovakia, a realistic assessment of network bottlenecks and a clear loss compensation mechanism for developers of projects affected by congestion. Europe needs infrastructure that allows energy to flow freely where and when it is needed, and this also means solidarity between regions, especially those in Central and South-Eastern Europe, which actively contribute to the Union’s energy security, including in support of Ukraine. To be precise, following Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and the bombing of Ukraine’s energy grid, it has turned into a net importer from an energy exporter. Where does this energy come from? From the Eastern Europe area, from the surrounding area. The demand for energy has increased. The interconnection between Western and Eastern Europe is very weak. There is a necklace in Austria, so it is clear that there is not enough energy and prices are higher. I wanted everyone to understand exactly what is happening on the border with Ukraine. I call on the European Commission and the Member States to prioritise interconnection, because without it we cannot talk about decarbonisation, cohesion, strategic autonomy or energy security.

Madam President, I don't know how many remember, Commissioner, but you and I certainly remember, because in 2022, when I was Minister for Energy, we worked together and we were able to approve the Gas Storage Regulation. It was a tough time, a time when we were struggling in the energy council to get rid of our dependence on Russian gas. Today we have learned from the lessons of the past and today we are bringing flexibility to this regulation. Today we are dropping the intermediate targets, which also gave predictability, but also brought even speculation to the market, and yes, we are also lowering 90% of the stockholding obligation to 80%, even 75%. Basically, we are flexible, because we are in another market and we are close to getting rid of dependence on Russian gas. I believe that today we are doing a good job in the European Parliament and together with our colleagues in Parliament we will approve this.

Madam President, Mr Vice-President, yes, the Competitiveness Compass shows very clearly the European Commission's concern about the competitiveness of European industry. We have a European industry which, unfortunately, is currently suffering from competitiveness in battles with other industries. If in the Draghi report it appeared that European energy is three times more expensive than that of China and the United States, then we really have a problem. I saw very clearly what President Donald Trump said: Drill, baby, drill! Yes, except that they have something to pull out of the ground, they can pull out gas and oil. Does Europe have that possibility? No, it's not. I liked President Macron's statement: Plug, baby plug! But we have to have the energy to plug something into that socket. plough. And then, let me ask myself: I believe that Europe's main problem must be to increase energy production, increase interconnection and digitise networks, and obviously a well-functioning market, because at the moment, I tell you with all responsibility, there is no well-functioning energy market in Europe. Energy does not flow freely from North to South, from East to West. There are bottlenecks, there is a clear rift between Austria and Hungary and Austria and Slovakia, and the whole area of Eastern Europe, the area with the border with Ukraine, is devoid of energy that occurs elsewhere. We need to increase energy production, we need to interconnect more and obviously we need to create a well-functioning, much better energy market.

Mr President, dear colleagues, in recent days, Romania and Europe have been hit by devastating floods. More than 20 people lost their lives, 7 of them in Romania, in the affected areas, and many more are still missing. Thousands of people were evacuated and houses, roads and critical infrastructure were destroyed. The material losses are enormous, but the human losses are the ones that hurt us the most. These tragedies show us how vulnerable we are to extreme events. It is time to show solidarity and mobilise quickly to support affected communities. We also need to act to improve disaster prevention and management, investing in resilient infrastructure and addressing the causes of climate change, which are intensifying such events. Europe must be united in the face of these challenges. Let us stand by those affected and make sure that we do everything possible to prevent such tragedies in the future.

Mr President, Commissioner, dear colleagues, the State of the Energy Union Report 2024 shows that we have made significant progress in the clean energy transition, with 50% of electricity in the European Union coming from renewable sources. However, to achieve the 2030 energy and climate targets, we must continue to improve our energy efficiency, accelerate electrification, especially in the heating sector, and increase hydrogen production. This means increased energy consumption. In this context, nuclear energy and small modular SMR reactors are of particular importance. As we move forward in the energy transition, the question arises: how can we balance the expansion of renewables with the development of nuclear energy, in particular SMRs, to ensure the stability and sustainability of our energy supply? My belief is that we need nuclear energy to achieve these decarbonisation targets. Decarbonisation without nuclear energy is not possible. The report also highlights the European Union's efforts in managing high energy prices and securing supply in the face of global challenges. Natural gas has played and is playing a role as a transitional fuel, especially when renewable sources have not been sufficient to stop demand and the removal of Russian gas from supply sources has reached a minimum of 18%. However, the debate remains on the role of gas in the European Union's long-term energy strategy. Should we continue to invest in natural gas infrastructure as a bridge between a low-carbon energy system or focus exclusively on accelerating the deployment of renewables and other clean technologies? These are key questions that we need to ask ourselves as we shape policies for the future, balancing energy security, accessibility, sustainability. I wouldn't want to end without raising a topical issue: high electricity prices on the Day-Ahead Market in the countries of South-Eastern Europe, including Romania. I read the letter of our ministers from Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary. We, the Members of the European Parliament, have also sent a letter to the European Commission. One thing is certain: the interconnection between Western and South-Eastern Europe is not sufficient. It is not possible to allow 20 kilometres of non-existent network between Austria and Hungary to influence prices throughout the region, and if we add that there is no interconnection between Austria and Slovakia, the picture is complete. Something needs to be done and the Commission needs to do something. Let's increase the interconnection between our states and let energy flow from north to south and from east to west.