Debate: State of the Union
Date: WEDNESDAY, 14 SEPTEMBER 2022
Speaker: Ursula von der Leyen
Language: EN

And yes, we know time is of the essence. But when I look at Madam Aubry, the bills you have shown to us – yes in French, you would say  I have a plea to this Parliament. We all, you all rightly so, say: speed, speed, speed. Time is of the essence. You’ve done phenomenal things with the Digital COVID certificate. Please do that again with REPowerEU, because you are all – rightly so – calling for investment for renewables, also cross-border projects. Here there are more than EUR 300 billion that could be invested in cross-border projects. You are calling for the permitting process, that it has to be sped up. Well, the permitting process, the reform is in REPowerEU. You are calling for stabilising the ETS prices. It’s in REPowerEU, and EUR 20 billion fresh money. So please speed up. I have the same call and plea to the European Council and the Member States: please speed up because we really need you to do again a miracle like in the COVID times. Now, Stéphane Séjourné, you’re right, we must call out Putin’s lies. And I want to look at the issue of food. Nothing, nothing in our sanctions prevents Russia from exporting food and fertilisers to vulnerable countries. We have to say that over and over again because it’s the truth. And Russia just says the opposite, which is a lie. Russia has blocked Ukrainian harbours, a very simple truth. And our solidarity lanes, together with the UN deal – that was really helpful – have now enabled that more than 10 million tonnes of grains have left Ukraine. Today, 30% of Ukraine’s grain exports are going to low and middle income countries in Africa, Middle East and Asia. So it’s Ukraine’s grain that has made prices drop again. Prices for maize and wheat have decreased by 20%. They are almost back to pre-war levels.  So, we should be very clear in our messaging. The fact is that Putin has created the food crisis. Europe and the United Nations are working to put an end to that. That’s the truth.  And on agriculture: Europe is a top agri-food producer and exporter. And that’s a great pride. And it gives a special responsibility in times when so many countries simply don’t have enough food. This is why, as you know, we have decided to allow the cultivation of any crops on set-aside land for the next harvesting season. We know that farmers are also coping with high prices for energy and for fertilisers. And, therefore, less than a month into the war, we triggered for the very first time the crisis reserve under the common agricultural policy. This frees up to EUR 500 million for the most effected farming sectors, and Member States can top this up with another EUR 1.4 billion for European rural development funds.  Keep in mind, Member States can also use the revenues from the solidarity contribution we just put on the table as a proposal of the oil and gas companies to support fertiliser production in Europe.  But finally – and again, this goes for the whole energy crisis – there’s one simple truth that applies to both energy and fertilisers: the more we save, the less we pay. And the less fossil fuel based fertilisers we use, the less dependent we are on fossil fuel imports.  In the last month, globally, but also across Europe, each and every one of us felt more clearly than ever before the immense impact of the global climate crisis. And you’ve mentioned it all, the heat records, the heavy rain events, the floods, the devastating droughts destroying crops and livelihoods. They urge us to move more swiftly than ever together. We need a resilient and sustainable agriculture that preserves biodiversity and, above all, the healthy, fertile soil. And that can cushion all the aforementioned disasters.  Therefore, our discussions on chemical pesticides and mineral fertilisers are crucial, using the natural resources entrusted to us in a careful and preserving way.