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Buzek: "We need a new European Energy Community"

Bruges -
04/11/2009
Jerzy Buzek
Jerzy Buzek

Opening the academic year of the College of Europe in Bruges, European Parliament Jerzy Buzek made a keynote address on the need for a European solution to the questions of energy and climate change.  The full speech can be found on the President's website.

Speaking in Bruges, EP President Jerzy Buzek said (selected quotes from speech):

- All of us insure our cars, the chance of having an accident are very small, yet we spend money on insurance. Shouldn't we spend money to reduce the risk when we have a 90% certainty that the accident will happen?


Copenhagen summit:

- We are less than a month away from the Copenhagen conference on climate change. Last week's European Council meeting allowed Europe to have a common position, based on solidarity, not just with the less developed countries in the world, but also at home.

- The outcome of the Copenhagen conference must be a new, legally binding agreement based on the Kyoto protocols. If we do not slow global warming to 2 degrees Celsius, the consequences will be catastrophic. Just by way of an example, the sea will be at Bruges again.

- We need to cooperate on a global scale, and to help those who do not have the funds to invest in new technologies. The costs for developing countries by 2020 can be as high as 100 billion Euros annually; the international community will have to provide the bulk of the financing.


EU Energy policy:

- For some in the EU, energy policy is the fight against climate change, for others it is about energy security. It is both. Without energy security, and a comprehensive energy policy, we can not address climate change.

- Winter is coming. Europeans may not understand geopolitics; they do understand that the heating is turned off in their homes, their hospitals, their schools. Last January we saw what the lack of a proper Union policy can do. Slovakia and Bulgaria had no gas for two weeks.

- This can happen anywhere. Ask your Italian colleagues about the great black out of 2003.


We need a European Energy Community:

- Today we need a new Schuman declaration, no longer because we fear war among ourselves, but because we need a new sense of solidarity in production, purchase and consumption of energy.

- Why an Energy Community?  Because we need new financial instruments to build an energy infrastructure for the 21st century. We have to extend the network of pipelines so that we are not dependent on any one state, any one source, and we have to build greater interconnectivity of our gas and electric grids.

- We need a decision on common purchases of gas and petroleum which will create a real common energy policy.

- We should accelerate the work on the mechanism for energy solidarity.

- We need to continue with diversification of energy sources by investing more in renewables such as wind, water, biomass and solar power. Let us also be brave and say it, that nuclear energy has to remain available to the mix.  We need to invest in energy savings and in energy efficiency.


Conclusion:

- This is the 60th promotion of the College of Europe, an institution which is almost as young as I am!

- By having two campuses, in two parts of Europe, the College was one of the first institutions which reintegrated the Europe we have now reunited. Learn from each other, share your experiences, because this is what makes our Europe united.


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For further information:
Inga Rosińska, Spokesperson
Mobile: +32 498 981 354