In dieser Ausgabe von State of the Union geht es um die Hochwasserkatastrophe in Mitteleuropa, die Vorstellung der designierten EU-Kommissare und die Wirtschaftskraft des europäischen Green Deal.
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00:00Hello and welcome to State of the Union, I'm Stefan Grobe in Strasbourg.
00:09We don't normally start this program with the weather, but Central Europe was battered
00:14by so much torrential rain and deadly flooding that it pushed everything else to the back
00:19burner this week.
00:20At least 21 people were killed in four countries when Storm Boris dumped up to five times the
00:26average September rainfall on parts of Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia
00:34in just four days, turning entire regions into disaster zones.
00:39Towns and villages were devastated, hundreds of thousands were forced to evacuate.
00:44National authorities considered emergency funds for the affected areas and the European
00:49Commission in Brussels was also wondering how the EU can support them in repair and
00:54reconstruction, knowing that extreme rainfall becomes more common and intense.
01:01This topic will be of growing importance, so this is something where we really have
01:08together as Europeans to decide how we can manage and finance the growing need of adaptation
01:14and repair that we will see in the years to come.
01:18Working for environmental resilience and transforming Europe's economy into a competitive
01:23industrial might of the future will be the task of the new EU Commission that was La
01:29Fondalain presented this week.
01:31A large chunk of that task will land on the desk of one of her top nominees, Spain's
01:37Teresa Ribera.
01:39Her portfolio was named Clean, Just and Competitive Transition.
01:44I am very thankful for this invitation to get such a big responsibility that tackles
01:52the economic and industrial challenges for the European business community and the clean,
01:58the green challenges that do define how much, how well, how important is to take into consideration
02:08all the elements together.
02:10When Fondalain announced her new team of commissioners, she reassured reporters that climate change
02:16still dominates the Commission's agenda, together with competitiveness and security.
02:21To discuss all this, let's bring in Susanna Karp, Deputy Executive Director of Cleantech
02:26for Europe.
02:27Welcome to the program.
02:28Thank you very much, Stefan.
02:30Happy to be here.
02:31So at the core of the European economic power is the Green Deal, setting the framework for
02:37industries and jobs.
02:39Does the new composition of the EU Commission reflect that?
02:43Absolutely.
02:44If anything, the composition of the new European Commission confirms the policy objectives
02:49set by the EU Green Deal, but looks towards competitiveness as a compass in asking the
02:56question, how are we going to transform our European economy?
03:01And in the way the portfolios have been allocated, we can see quite a clear vision as to how
03:06this will happen.
03:07What's at the core of this vision is how are we going to turn our early leadership in industrial
03:14decarbonisation into long-lasting competitiveness and leadership for Europe on the global scene.
03:23So in that regard, I would say the portfolios are very telling.
03:29So indeed, where we are right now is moving from the if the Green Deal survives or not
03:36to how are we going to make it happen.
03:39And it's quite a comprehensive strategy, I would say, cutting across multiple portfolios.
03:45So effectively, the Green Deal has been mainstreamed into a new economic vision, a new economic doctrine.
03:52The centre of gravity of the new European Parliament has shifted to the right.
03:57Are you worried that the Green Deal could be undermined or at least watered down?
04:02No, I don't have this concern.
04:06No, certainly not after having read the mission letters, because what we're seeing is that
04:10the objectives are upheld and in some regards even strengthened.
04:15This is quite clear when the reference to the 2040 climate target for the EU is mentioned
04:21in the letter to Commissioner Hoekstra for climate to net zero and clean growth.
04:26So the direction is quite clear, I would say.
04:30I don't think there is any possibility of backtracking.
04:34The Draghi report was criticised by some for lacking the boldness to really drive the transition
04:41towards a green industrial policy. What's your take?
04:45Interesting. I thought the analysis of the report was extremely accurate and perhaps the boldness,
04:52the lack of boldness you're referring to is compensated by the bold vision of this European Commission.
05:00I guess and I think this was the original idea that the two go in tandem.
05:05What the Draghi report offers is an extremely sobering analysis of where Europe is situated
05:13vis-à-vis its global counterparts and it goes into the reasons for that.
05:19What's needed now, I think, is the Member States, the Council and the Parliament to endorse this bold vision
05:26and to also be committed to do what it takes for us to actually secure our long-term competitiveness with Europe.
05:34All right, Susanna Karpf, Deputy Executive Director of Clean Tech for Europe.
05:39Thanks for coming on the show today.
05:41Thank you so much.
05:43We started the show with an unusual segment about the weather and we want to finish it with another one, this time about sport.
05:52The 10th edition of the British Open in Speedgolf took place in Eskett.
05:57Speedgolf is an alternative golf format that adds a more athletic element to the normally easy-going game and it's getting increasingly popular.
06:06The tournament encapsulated the very essence of sport with an inclusive field of golf pros competing alongside amateur golfers, women and juniors.
06:17Players were set off at four-minute intervals with the aim of finding the sweet spot between pace and performance to maximize both.
06:25The fastest 18-hole round was under 24 minutes.
06:29The whole field of 56 players ranging in age from 12 to 58 got their rounds finished in under an hour.
06:37The winner was a 33-year-old amateur from London who later said he put in the best performance of his life.
06:45Getting interested?
06:46The next big event is the World Speedgolf Championships hosted by Japan in November.
06:53That's it for this edition. I'm Stefan Grober. Thank you for watching.
06:57Have an excellent week.