Αρχική σελίδα Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS

In order to uphold Europe’s high standards of living, sufficient safety, future viability, the EU has been undertaking the necessary measures for encouraging technological advancements. In doing so, the EU has demonstrated an enormous potential for global leadership in this field. The report highlights the degree of Europe’s ambition in global competitiveness, decarbonization, and economic resilience, which remain highly contingent on biotechnology and biomanufacturing sector. Regardless of the high potential of the latter, the biomanufacturing sector keeps facing significant challenges including but not limited to slow authorization procedures, limited access to capital, outdated regulations, and complexities in translating academic research into market-prone products. In order to address these issues, the report recommends creating a Chief Biotechnology Officer within the European Commission calling for globally justified regulations factoring sectoral needs. Keeping that in mind, I voted in favor of this report.

In April 2025, China imposed export restrictions on seven rare earth elements and magnets used in defense, energy, and automotive industries, requiring exporters to obtain additional licenses in response to the US tariffs on Chinese goods. Given China’s near-monopoly in these materials, I voted in favor of the resolution calling for the EU to identify and strengthen its critical advantages over China in essential goods and technologies. Furthermore, the resolution calls for immediate implementation of the Critical Raw Materials Act to safeguard diversified and sustainable access to raw materials, as well as incentivizes domestic mining projects upon assessing strategic stock levels. It is also crucial to raise these issues before the upcoming EU-China Summit, which will focus on discussing the disparities in trade flows, high sustainability standards and respect for and observance of human rights.