Debate: Conclusions of the European Council meeting of - October
Date: WEDNESDAY, 9 NOVEMBER 2022
Speaker: Ursula von der Leyen
Language: EN

And I think we should not forget where we came from. We have made more progress than we thought ever possible because we should not forget that since the beginning of this war, Putin has cut 80% of the pipeline gas supply to the European Union – 80%. And in only eight months, we have managed to replace most of it. We have more than doubled, for example, the imports of LNG from the United States – from 22 bcm last year to 48 bcm this year so far. This has, among other things, made it possible for us to fill our storages by 95%. And, at the same time, we have reduced our gas consumption by 15%. I have not forgotten how at the beginning of this war Putin tried to put pressure on us through energy and how some feared that we would have blackouts in Europe when the war started. So, honourable Members, not only did this dark scenario not materialise but now we are fully prepared for the winter. And, crucially, gas prices have dropped by roughly two-thirds compared to the peak that we had in August. So Putin really tried everything to bring us down to our knees. He completely failed. We have all played our part to make this happen, and I think we can be proud of this.  Meine Damen und Herren Abgeordnete! In den zurückliegenden Wochen haben wir ein ganzes Bündel von Maßnahmen erarbeitet, um die Preise zu drücken; zum Beispiel eine Preisbremse im Gasmarkt, die auf dem Weg ist. Wir haben den Mitgliedstaaten ermöglicht, Zufallsgewinne von den Energieunternehmen abzuschöpfen, um einkommensschwache Haushalte und besonders energieintensive Betriebe zu unterstützen. Wir haben inzwischen eine gemeinsame Plattform für den Einkauf von Gas, und natürlich haben wir die Arbeit an einem besseren Design für unseren Elektrizitätsmarkt. Das ist alles gut, das ist alles wichtig, und das bringt uns in eine gute Position für den kommenden Winter.  Dennoch ist es mir wichtig, dass wir heute einmal diskutieren, weil schon absehbar ist, dass die nächste Füllperiode für unsere Gasspeicher eine mit Sicherheit noch größere Herausforderung wird als dieses Jahr. Denn wir müssen spätestens ab nächstem Frühjahr mit drei weiteren Faktoren rechnen, die zu unseren Ungunsten gehen: Zuerst ist da natürlich das Risiko, dass Russland die letzten 20 % der Gaszuflüsse auch noch stoppt. Zweitens steht heute schon fest, wenn wir uns die Investitionen in Flüssiggaskapazitäten anschauen, dass die zusätzlichen Flüssiggaskapazitäten, die nächstes Jahr auf den Markt kommen, nicht ausreichen werden, um diese Lücke zu füllen. Und natürlich müssen wir drittens damit rechnen, dass Asien – wenn die Wirtschaft wieder anspringt – den Löwenanteil dieses zusätzlichen Flüssiggasangebots aufsaugen wird. Das heißt, im Ergebnis können diese drei Faktoren dazu führen, dass wir ein erhebliches Risiko haben, dass Europa am Ende des kommenden Sommers etwa 30 Milliarden Kubikmeter Flüssiggas fehlen, um die Speicher auf die aktuellen Füllstände dieses Winters zu bringen – wie gesagt, wenn diese drei Risiken sich materialisieren. Aber wir müssen handeln, und wir müssen darauf vorbereitet sein. And therefore, honourable Members, as I was describing these three risks, we are now getting prepared to tackle these potential risks but we should not forget that in doing so we are also setting the right course for the future. Because our choices today will determine whether we have the right energy we need for 2023 and beyond.  This is why today I would like to focus on two topics that are crucial. First, renewables. It is no exaggeration to say that we stand at a crossroads. We can decide right now either to ignore the lessons that we have learned in this crisis and fall again into the trap of a carbon lock-in for the future or we can use this crisis to leapfrog into clean energy. This is not only good for our climate but it is also good for our security and our independence, especially in times when gas is and will stay a scarce commodity.  The good news is, in this scenario, that we are ready to accelerate. By the end of the year, we will have achieved the largest growth in renewables in the history of the European Union. This is almost a further 50 gigawatts that we will have additionally as renewables in the market, which is double what we had added last year.  And we could accelerate even more. There are countless renewable projects that are just waiting to be approved. Some could deliver cheap energy immediately in a matter of weeks or months. I’m thinking, for example, of solar panels on existing buildings, or I’m thinking of repowering of wind parks. But we know that far too many of these projects are stuck because of long, long permitting procedures.  Now, our new Renewable Energy Directive that you have already voted on in plenary addresses this topic. But it will take time – well over a year – before this directive is translated into national law by all Member States.  With these extraordinary circumstances our citizens and industries are facing, we do not have the luxury of time. And this is why today we are proposing a new emergency regulation under Article 122, to immediately speed up permitting for renewable energy projects with a rapid impact. This proposal will be limited in time and scope. It will be in line with what you have voted on and it will bridge the gap until the new Renewable Energy Directive comes into force. And by doing so, we can unlock a myriad of renewable projects already in the next 12 months. So this is a very decisive move right now. According to the calculations by the International Energy Agency, we could replace 14 billion cubic metres of gas already next year, and that’s almost half of our potential gap I was just describing, just by speeding up the permitting of these projects. This is realistic and we can all pull this off together and I think we should grab the opportunity right now. Madame la Présidente, Mesdames et Messieurs les députés, mon deuxième point est que nous devons sauvegarder la compétitivité de l’industrie européenne. Ce travail commence chez nous, ici, en Europe. Nos industries intensives en énergie, comme la chimie, l’acier, le verre, ont besoin d’un accès sûr à une énergie bon marché.  Mais, dans ces temps exceptionnellement durs, les prix ont augmenté considérablement par rapport à ceux de nos principaux concurrents. Beaucoup de nos entreprises sont en grande difficulté, et c’est pourquoi nous avons réactualisé notre encadrement temporaire de crise en matière d’aides d’État et avons augmenté les plafonds d’aides d’État pour les PME et les industries intensives en énergie.  Mais, si tous les États membres ont besoin d’augmenter et d’accélérer leurs investissements pour réduire la demande en énergie et accroître la production de renouvelables, ils ne peuvent pas tous se permettre d’accorder des aides d’État. Et c’est là que REPowerEU entre en jeu. […] Honourable Members, this is where REPowerEU comes into play. Because if we boost the financial firepower of REPowerEU, we will ensure that all Member States have the possibility to realise these critical investments. In other words, this would give every Member State the same opportunity to prepare for the future and at the same time some fiscal space to support vulnerable households and businesses. So let’s go for it.  And this work is also helpful against the backdrop of an intensifying global clean tech race because it will keep Europe attractive for industry. Let me be very clear: I do welcome global competition. This drives innovation, enhances efficiency and ensures progress. At the same time, in order to be effective, this global competition has to be fair. We need a level playing field. We do not want to see market distortions or discrimination against our companies. So let’s make sure that this is not a race to the bottom, but this is a race to the top for our climate and for our industry. That’s what Europe stands for. And I know that’s also what this Parliament stands for. Long live Europe.