Head of the European Commission in Gdansk: Green Deal – yes, but…

EC chief Ursula von der Leyen asserted on Friday 7 bcm in Gdansk that the EU will strive to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2050, but the path to achieve the goal must be ‘flexible and pragmatic’. She stressed that reducing energy costs must be a priority. The visit of the EU Commissioners took place to the accompaniment of a protest by Solidarity trade unionists.

The EU Commissioners, headed by the head of the EC Ursula von der Leyen, came to Poland because of our country’s six-month presidency of the Council of the European Union. Such a meeting is traditionally held in each country holding the presidency.

They arrived in Gdansk on Thursday evening and were welcomed by Prime Minister Donald Tusk and government representatives in Artus Court. Meanwhile, a meeting between the Prime Minister and members of the Council of Ministers and the College of EU Commissioners was held at the European Solidarity Centre on Friday 7 bcm. Discussions took place within the framework of four thematic clusters on security, defence and international affairs, the economy and competitiveness, prosperity, and democracy and the rule of law.

Speaking at a joint press conference with Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Ursula von der Leyen, speaking about security, assessed that it is strongly linked to competitiveness and a strong economy that makes countries resilient to ‘attempts at coercion or dependence’.

– ‘Last week we presented a competitiveness compass, these are strategic guidelines for the next years,’ the EC head said. The priority of the strategy presented is to be the need to close the innovation gap.

The EC head also stressed that the European Commission will present a ‘common roadmap for competitiveness and decarbonisation’, with the Clean Industry Agreement as its cornerstone.

– This is about supporting energy-intensive industries and supporting our start-ups, she explained, adding that in order to do so, it is necessary to reduce energy costs. – We are working hard to increase access to low-carbon energy, i.e. energy from renewable sources and nuclear energy.

According to von der Leyen, renewable energy will provide the EU with energy security and independence from Russian fossil fuels, among other things. The EC head also assured that the EU still recognises the goal of climate neutrality by 2050.

– Transformation is needed, but it is how we get there, what that way forward will be – we need to be flexible and pragmatic in this respect. In the coming weeks, the European Commission will present an Affordable Energy Action Plan, which will show how much more we can do together,’ von der Leyen said.

As she explained, if EU countries join forces on energy purchases, such as gas, they will be much stronger than each of them separately. She stressed that this gives the potential for lower prices.

During her visit to Gdansk, Ursula von der Leyen referred to the legacy of Solidarity.

– In fact, the shipyard workers led us peacefully to democracy. They stood up to Moscow so that their children could live in a free country. And that rooted Poland in democratic values – freedom, the rule of law, human rights. This is the cornerstone of the European Union,’ the EC chief noted during her speech at the ECS.

During the visit of the EU commissioners, a protest organised by the Solidarity trade union was taking place at the historic BHP Hall in Gdansk. Trade unionists opposed, among other things, EU climate policy.

According to President Piotr Duda, the climate policy put forward by the European Commission has nothing to do with environmental protection. ‘It is a fight against the Polish economy and the Polish worker,’ he said on Friday in Gdansk.

In his view, after the swearing-in of US President Donald Trump, ‘something has changed’.

– The situation has reversed. More and more politicians, including Eurocrats, are saying at Brussels level that the ‘Green Deal’ needs to be revised, that it cannot be rushed so quickly. Even Prime Minister Tusk is saying that this is harming the Polish economy, that it is undermining the competitiveness of the European economy. We have known this very well for many years,’ said Piotr Duda.

He further stated that ‘the so-called climate policy put forward by the European Commission is purely business and politics’. ‘It has nothing to do with environmental protection. It is a fight against the Polish economy and the Polish worker. Because we raise our heads and work hard and become very competitive with the economy, especially the German economy. That’s why they want to plough us over and we won’t allow it,’ he announced.

Appealing to Prime Minister Donald Tusk, he also stressed that the ‘S’ was completing the collection of signatures for a referendum on the ‘Green Deal’. Prior to the start of the protest, representatives of the NSZZ Solidarność laid flowers at the Monument to the Fallen Shipyard Workers 1970.

Source: PortalMorski.pl