On 3rd October, Virginijus SINKEVICIUS, from Lithuania, Commissioner-designate for Environment and Oceans, is heard by the Committee on Fisheries (PECH) and the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) of the European Parliament in Brussels to test his general competences, European commitment and specific expertise related to his portfolio. On this occasion, Virginijus SINKEVICIUS has the opportunity to make an opening statement. The following transcription is the result of an automatic process. Check Against delivery.

Brussels

Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety

hearing

Committee on Fisheries

hearing of Commissioners

2019 Commissioners' hearings (T)

SINKEVIČIUS, Virginijus (LT, EC)

hearing of Virginijus SINKEVIČIUS 2019 (T)

Hearing of Virginijus SINKEVICIUS, Commissioner-designate, Environment and Oceans: Opening statement by Virginijus SINKEVICIUS

https://api.multimedia.europarl.europa.eu/documents/20125/16631506/I178021Chapters%5BSD-EN%5D.srt

SOUNDBITE (English) Virginijus SINKEVICIUS, Commissioner-designate, Environment and Oceans: Honourable Chairs, honourable members, Good afternoon and thank you for this invitation to share my vision for my coming mandate. It's a great honour for me to be here as the first commissioner designate, born after the fall of the Berlin Wall. It's a sign of trust in my generation, a generation with a European ideal in its DNA. To me Europe means freedom and fairness, openness and opportunity. At the same time it means taking responsibility.

SOUNDBITE (English) Virginijus SINKEVICIUS, Commissioner-designate, Environment and Oceans: The latest wave of climate strikes shows that Generation Y and generation Z are ready to take responsibility. Being a tiny part of this young generation and a father I am determined to take this path. For us 2050 it's not just a target on a piece of paper, we will have to live it. Now I will turn to my mother tongue to address you in my native Lithuanian.

SOUNDBITE (Lithuanian) Virginijus SINKEVICIUS, Commissioner-designate, Environment and Oceans: Thank you very much. My political career began with my election in Vilnius as a member of the Lithuanian parliament and chairman of the Economic Affairs Committee. I have been a finance minister and I have learned to serve my country and to get to grips with its problems as you will have done where you come from. And I would like to thank my home country, my member state for the opportunities that they have afforded me, an environment between the digital economy and industry between innovation and social wealth.

SOUNDBITE (English) Virginijus SINKEVICIUS, Commissioner-designate, Environment and Oceans: That is not my belief. The path of challenges is a path of opportunity. It leads to a more sustainable healthier and more prosperous society. Our journey to green climate neutral planet has started. It will be hard. As a commissioner, I will do everything in my power to take us down that road. We are many on this journey. We see this from climate protests, European elections and the Eurobarometer. Ninety two percent of Europeans want a climate neutral EU by 2050.

SOUNDBITE (English) Virginijus SINKEVICIUS, Commissioner-designate, Environment and Oceans: We need to listen. And by presenting the green view as your first priority President elect von der Leyen has done exactly that. My greatest ambition if confirmed would be to make the Green Deal a reality on the ground. A deal that works for oceans, for the environment, and for our citizens. Who should be front and centre throughout.

SOUNDBITE (English) Virginijus SINKEVICIUS, Commissioner-designate, Environment and Oceans: Honourable members, some of you were surprised to see oceans in the name of my portfolio. I understand your concern. You want an assurance that the new commissioner will have the well-being of our fishermen and women in mind. I can give you that assurance now. We live on a blue planet; fisheries and the oceans have to remain a cornerstone of our policies and those policies have to deal with many things the future of our fishermen and women of course but the environment as well.

SOUNDBITE (English) Virginijus SINKEVICIUS, Commissioner-designate, Environment and Oceans: We have to deal with climate change as we saw from the recent IPCC report. We have to deal with plastic pollution that affects the entire food chain. And we have to deal with nutrient runoffs from agriculture that cause dead zones in our seas. My portfolio brings all these things together. Healthy oceans means healthy fish stocks and a healthy fish stocks means a thriving community of fishermen and women. And healthy environment mean healthy citizens with a lower burden of disease. I would strive for a joined up approach throughout my mandate in a close cooperation with you.

SOUNDBITE (English) Virginijus SINKEVICIUS, Commissioner-designate, Environment and Oceans: For the environment the president elect has asked me to lead on three key initiatives in the European Green Deal. I will do this under the leadership of the executive vice president Frans Timmermans whose experience and support will be vital. These areas are biodiversity, the circular economy and zero pollution.

SOUNDBITE (English) Virginijus SINKEVICIUS, Commissioner-designate, Environment and Oceans: Biodiversity is disappearing. The sixth mass extinction has already begun. If confirmed as Commissioner for Environment I would represent Europe at the convention for Biological Diversity in China next year. That conference will be a critical opportunity to turn the tide. I would like to return with three things. The first is the development of biodiversity equivalent of the Paris one point five degrees climate goal. Secondly I believe that national commitments on on ways to meet the overall objectives would help to deliver on that. Thirdly, we need a mechanism for measuring progress.

SOUNDBITE (English) Virginijus SINKEVICIUS, Commissioner-designate, Environment and Oceans: Our partners are looking at us for enhanced support and a more focussed development cooperation in the fight against biodiversity loss. But our international credibility will also depend on the progress at home. We need to lead by example with concrete measures. This requires action on pressure points like forestry, soil, the food system, energy and climate change. It's time to show how these problems can be solved with solutions designed for the future, not borrowed from the past.

SOUNDBITE (English) Virginijus SINKEVICIUS, Commissioner-designate, Environment and Oceans: The president elect is demanding new standards for biodiversity, wide ranging standards for trade, industry, agriculture and the economy. I am determined to deliver. But here again, Honourable members, I need your help in mainstreaming biodiversity across EU and national policies.

SOUNDBITE (English) Virginijus SINKEVICIUS, Commissioner-designate, Environment and Oceans: My second priority would be the circular economy. I want to raise the profile of circularity. I want to make sure it is not only a word but also an action. If we ensure the circular use of just four materials: steel, aluminium, cement and plastic, we cut their industrial emissions in half. Going circle makes sense. I believe the action plan could involve three major strands. It could start with a look the way we produce and consume goods, with action on eco design and focus on reuse and repair. It could also take the circularity to new sectors like textiles, construction, food and ICT.

SOUNDBITE (English) Virginijus SINKEVICIUS, Commissioner-designate, Environment and Oceans: The second strand is helping consumers to make informed choices. When they see a product claiming to be green they need to believe it. And thirdly we need to move beyond recycling. We don't just want to minimize waste. We want to prevent it completely wherever we can in textiles, in construction and many other areas.

SOUNDBITE (English) Virginijus SINKEVICIUS, Commissioner-designate, Environment and Oceans: My last action area is zero pollution. As a father, as a citizen and as a European Commissioner I want to make pollution a thing of the past. I want Europe of free clean air, clean water, clean earth and safer chemicals. Zero pollution will demand a wide ranging approach. It will mean specific initiatives in key areas and reinforce measures to address the main sources of pollution. For chemicals, it will mean looking at hazardous substances and endocrine disruptors. For water, it will mean tackling new and harmful pollution sources like nutrients, micro plastics and pharmaceuticals.

SOUNDBITE (English) Virginijus SINKEVICIUS, Commissioner-designate, Environment and Oceans: And it will mean a new approach to pesticides in synergy with the work of the Commissioner for Health on the Farm to Fork strategy. Sorry it's high to stimulate take up of more chemicchal alternatives. Our policy has always been rooted in rigorous science. That approach must continue under the eighth Environmental Action Program which will help to mainstream the Sustainable Development Goals.

SOUNDBITE (English) Virginijus SINKEVICIUS, Commissioner-designate, Environment and Oceans: I turn now to my aims for oceans. The first will be full implementation of the Common Fisheries Policy. We must try for balance wherever we fish sustainably, fishing profits raise. By 2022 I will evaluate the Common Fisheries Policy to indemnify how address issues not sufficiently covered in the current policy because we need policy that works for our fishermen and women, our coastal communities and our environment. It must also deal with many differences. What works in the North Sea may not apply in the Mediterranean. Every sea bassin is unique and we must take that into account.

SOUNDBITE (English) Virginijus SINKEVICIUS, Commissioner-designate, Environment and Oceans: Our efforts for sustainable fisheries and healthy productive oceans must not stop at our borders. They use a global leader in ocean governance. I would use that leadership to enforce our sustainability principles worldwide to make sure that we can deliver on Sustainable Development Goal for life below water. I will work with the trade commissioner designate Phil Hogan to reach a global agreement on ban harmful fishery subsidies. I will push for more marine protected areas and for more effective management in our waters. On the high seas and pristine areas like the Antarctic. We need new rules for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity on the high seas.

SOUNDBITE (English) Virginijus SINKEVICIUS, Commissioner-designate, Environment and Oceans: And I will continue our fight against illegal unregulated and unreported fishing. This problem threatens responsible fishermen and women in particular those working o a small scale who suffer from unfair competition and deplete its resources. Fishing is a noble profession. Everyday our fishermen and women do hard and risky work to supply us with the highest quality protein. We must stand by their side. The well-being of our coastal communities is at risk. Our policy against illegal unreported and unregulated fishing is considered to be the best in the world. But these rules are useless without effective implementation. I want to work with you to make sure that our fisheries control system is fit for purpose and ensures a level playing field. I will address shortcomings wherever I find them.

SOUNDBITE (English) Virginijus SINKEVICIUS, Commissioner-designate, Environment and Oceans: Third I want to invest in potential of sustainable seafood to deliver Farm to Fork strategy on sustainable food. European sea food plays a major role in our diet; our fishing fishing fleets lands over 5 million tons and aquaculture brings one point four million tons on the market. I will also lead to develop a new approach for a sustainable blue economy. This should bring together everything from marine knowledge and research to maritime spatial planning, marine renewable energy, blue investment and regional maritime cooperation.

SOUNDBITE (English) Virginijus SINKEVICIUS, Commissioner-designate, Environment and Oceans: Three point five million people work in the blue economy. To some of you that may sound a small number. For me it's more than the number of inhabitants in my home country. As the president elect reminded us legislation is only good as its implementation. I would work closely with the members states to improve that implementation in all policy areas. Using every tool at my disposal that includes dialogue, the environment implementation review, infringement proceedings and the EU court. We need laws that work for our citizens, for environment and for Oceans and Fisheries and for businesses across the EU.

SOUNDBITE (English) Virginijus SINKEVICIUS, Commissioner-designate, Environment and Oceans: Honourable members, we face new challenges. Success will depend on our working together. You will see me regularly in your corridors and meeting rooms. I will be here for bilaterals, debates and trialogues. We need more direct exchanges. I will visit your countries not only the capitals but also the regions and the coastal communities as well. My thanks for invitations I have already received. As I said at the beginning we have to be close to our citizens. You are the legitimate representatives. I would plae my trust in you. I would relish the opportunity to work closely with you for the next five years. Thank you very much and I look forward to your questions and I will answer the best I can.