Virginijus Sinkevičius was invited to the 37th Congress of the European Green Party, held on 2 June in Vienna (Austria), to take part in a panel discussion on the green transformation of the EU’s energy systems. During his speech, the European Commissioner for the Environment highlighted the importance of considering the energy sector as a central element of the European Green Deal.
“Energy is part of this sort of web of interlocking problems and solutions”, he said.
And for good reason, according to Mr Sinkevičius, the renewable energy sector is one of the areas best placed to achieve the objectives of the European Green Deal. Renewable energies have proved to be “profitable, cheaper and can be rolled out faster thanks to technological advances”, said the European Commissioner.
However, while these technologies are helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and diversify energy sources, Virginijus Sinkevičius stressed the need not to compromise environmental aspects in the quest for energy.
“Some energy sources, which then deliver power, can introduce dangerous substances into the environment”, he warned.
The Commissioner also warned against over-reliance on dangerous autocratic regimes in the energy sector, as demonstrated by “Russia’s illegal and unjustified occupation of Ukraine”. This is true even though cheap contracts may seem attractive in the short term. “You can end up paying such a high price that is going to exceed any of the costs that you have had before”, warned the Commissioner.
Mr Sinkevičius continued his speech by rejecting the idea that renewable energies and nature conservation are opposed. “One year ago, the Commission adopted the ‘REpowerEU’ programme (see EUROPE 12955/4), which shows that energy and renewables are the key priority of this Commission. Several voices are now saying that protecting and restoring nature would hamper the fast deployment of renewables”, he said.
For the European Commissioner, these two objectives are complementary and can be successfully implemented. “Companies in the renewable energy sector support this vision and are concerned about the barriers being erected between the two areas”, he said. The European Commissioner nevertheless called for greater transparency and systematic consultation of stakeholders.
Finally, Virginijus Sinkevičius highlighted the issues surrounding biomass and the extraction of essential raw materials for renewable energies. To remedy this, he advocated “rationalised” use, to avoid excessive pressure on ecosystems and biodiversity.
To watch Virginijus Sinkevičius’ speech: https://aeur.eu/f/77z (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)