Watch highlights from Euronews’ live debate in the European Parliament, where we brought together experts from politics, policy and industry to discuss rolling out renewables, building new smart grids, and hitting net zero by 2050.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00 Hello and welcome to the highlights of our latest Euronews debate asking how to electrify Europe.
00:05 After the EU elections in June, Europe will need to oversee a radical rollout of clean energy
00:11 if it wants to meet its carbon emissions goals. So how is it going to be done?
00:15 If I look at where we stand as the EU, I think our climate ambitions are real
00:23 and I think one of the major issues should be in the next term, how can we accelerate?
00:28 How can we create funds, investments, start co-investing with industry to make sure that not
00:35 when will we, whether we will meet the climate targets, but more when will we meet them?
00:41 Are there genuine concerns about populist parties that don't like many of the, well,
00:47 this call for acceleration and speed that Mohamed is talking about?
00:50 I don't think there are big risks there because a lot of the, even if the geopolitics has changed a bit
00:55 and the motivations might change in emphasis, a lot of the things we actually have on the ground
01:00 in terms of implementation are going to deliver in terms of security and resilience
01:06 and in terms of international competition and so on.
01:08 So they're actually hitting the right buttons for whatever type of parliament comes out.
01:11 We have had a very difficult crisis right now. I think it is an obvious element that investments
01:18 have been on standby in a moment in which we need the acceleration of renewables.
01:25 Standby on investments? That doesn't sound particularly good, does it?
01:28 At the height of the crisis, we really saw when investments nosedive because there was so much uncertainty
01:34 with what national governments were going to do about soaring electricity prices, right?
01:39 We're seeing things pick up now.
01:41 Investors are there, that what they need is an environment in which they are confident with their investments.
01:47 What's the risk that we do run at the moment with the elections that are coming up
01:51 that some of those Green Deal laws, some of the rules that have been set down will get revised?
01:59 I believe that we have started a movement also with industry that some of the goals will be met
02:05 whether there is a progressive or conservative majority in this house. Why?
02:09 Because it's called technology, innovation, development.
02:13 Once certain technologies get below a certain cost, then people will invest in them because they will make money,
02:20 not because they care about climate or about energy transition. It's just an opportunity.
02:24 And I think that we have right now the real proof of the cost that it produces
02:29 when we are not developing our own autonomous energy sources.
02:34 We have had a crisis in which you were talking about what happens when there's no wind and no sun.
02:39 We have experienced what happens when there's no gas.
02:42 For all the reasons that colleagues have said, there isn't simply a matter of going back.
02:45 Going back to something as mythical as cheap, secure fossil fuels just isn't on the cards anymore.
02:51 It was a fascinating conversation and you can watch the full debate and further highlights on Euronews.com.
02:56 (upbeat music)