Christian EHLER (EPP, DE) gives a press conference on the Net-Zero Industry Act negotiations following the trialogue negotiations with Council in the European Parliament during the plenary session in Strasbourg.

Strasbourg

effort sharing regulation (T)

press conference

EHLER, Christian (EPP, DE)

European Green Deal (T)

Fit for 55 (T)

Press conference by Christian EHLER (EPP, DE) on the Net-Zero Industry Act negotiations following the trialogue negotiations with Council

https://api.multimedia.europarl.europa.eu/documents/20125/74549711/1707153834837_I252667Chapters%5BSD-EN%5D.srt

SOUNDBITE (English), Christian EHLER (EPP, DE), Rapporteur, Thank you very much. There has been a political agreement found, but I think what is the overarching message is that for the first time, Europe is reacting on the IRA. It might not react proportionally because the means of the European Union are of different nature as it is for a budget deal in the United States. But what we could have done in terms of what is the strength of the European market and the strength of the European idea had been done. So what is the highlight?

SOUNDBITE (English), Christian EHLER (EPP, DE), Rapporteur, On the one hand, we are delivering for the first time on the Green Deal. So we are now contributing to the question what is actually the business case for the industrial decarbonisation and for decarbonisation technologies and net zero technologies in Europe by contributing in a way which is fairly revolutionary, although it might be hidden into in between a lot of lines. We are dramatically changing the nature of permitting in Europe in two ways. In the European values, we grant practically a reverse kind of permitting system which is going to be taken up by the Member States in a lot of regions in Europe.

SOUNDBITE (English), Christian EHLER (EPP, DE), Rapporteur, Then secondly, we are somehow reducing the permitting time in general terms for a number of net-zero industry. You might have seen for the connoisseurs opt in following the discussion, we have one list, so we do not have this politically instrument of having to list and strategic lists and a strategic list. We have one list with a range of industry which is very much related to the question. What is the supply chain? So this proposal had been originally a proposal which wanted to boost the establishing of manufacturing.

SOUNDBITE (English), Christian EHLER (EPP, DE), Rapporteur, I think we had been brought in or underpinning that kind of logic by simply adding the supply chain to that, you are not going to see a lot of manufacturing when the underlying supply chain is not going to work and you have to boost to also the supply chain. If you really want to have production in Europe, the wind industry, the solar industry, other net zero technologies, they are highly dependent on the supply chain. So I think we had been somehow making this proposal much more plausible as it had been before.

SOUNDBITE (English), Christian EHLER (EPP, DE), Rapporteur, We had been including the energy intensive industry. So I think that is also a signal that we want to help them in terms of decarbonisation. I think we have new rules for procurement which are also referring to the need for resilience and that we don't take or buy that all in China. Although it is not blindly a project touristic bill, it is just defining the needed right resilience criteria. Referring to cybersecurity, a lot of issues which are related to resilience and I think are promising aspects for establishing really production in Europe and securing also the safety and I think broader intentions in terms of manufacturing in Europe as it is also some social aspects, we are referring to skills.

SOUNDBITE (English), Christian EHLER (EPP, DE), Rapporteur, So I think that is now around package and for a first time a substantial answer to the question what is in practically done for the Green Deal besides a regulatory framework? And I think it's even more important because you have to see that in the context not just of the IRA. We have to see that in the context of a lot of challenges we are going to see by competitors specifically in China and the United States. But even more, if you see that we are in midst of a discussion this week about the 2040 targets.

SOUNDBITE (English), Christian EHLER (EPP, DE), Rapporteur, And I think what we have been establishing here might make that scenario much more plausible that beyond the 2030 ambition, we are going to establish the needed capacities in terms of net zero technologies that we will be able to achieve the 2040 goals. And I would like to highlight one aspect which is added to the agreement, and this is CCS and CCU. I mean, there had been a proposal by the Commission on injection obligation, but that doesn't make any sense if you don't refer to transport, to sequestration and also to CCU.

SOUNDBITE (English), Christian EHLER (EPP, DE), Rapporteur, Basically it's a political agreement with some substantial practical obligation as it is on injection. But we expect now from the Commission that they are going to change the delegated act on CCS. We have to really then establish a framework because we are going to need that for the 2030 ambitions, but also beyond in the 2030s in order to achieve something which is described as the 2040 goals and had been agreed in the Doha Agreements. Thank you very much.

Q&amp;A, Questions on the agreements achieved on the pre-qualification criteria and auctions and about if more money is needed.

SOUNDBITE (English), Christian EHLER (EPP, DE), Rapporteur, -

Q&amp;A, Question on how the agreement is regarding to auctioning criteria.

Q&A, Question on the permitting times agreed.

Q&A, Question on the sustainability and resilience criteria for 30% of auctions.