Silvia-Adriana Ţicău (S&D). – (RO) In 2008 the European Union posted a record commercial deficit of EUR 242 billion, mainly due to the increase in the price of imported energy. The Nabucco project pipeline will pass through Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary and Austria and will provide the European Union with an annual supply of 30 billion cubic metres of natural gas from the Caspian Sea. The EUR 200 million allocated to the European economic recovery plan are insufficient. We call on the European Union to supplement the funds allocated significantly. Desertec will use solar power from North Africa and will also include the implementation of a Mediterranean plan for capturing solar power and the construction of an electricity transmission network, which will link the European Union with the Middle East and North Africa. The EU must invest more in the diversification of energy supply sources. As rapporteur for matters relating to the energy performance of buildings, I call on the EU to provide innovative financial instruments to boost the investments in the use of renewable energy sources and in improving energy efficiency, especially for buildings and in the transport sector.