The European Commission must propose realistic solutions to real problems

The European Parliament’s plenary discussed the new updated Industrial Strategy, published by the European Commission. Fidesz MEP András Gyürk emphasized during the debate that this important document correctly recognizes the problems European industrial and energy sectors are currently facing. However, the proposed solutions remain insufficient. MEP Edina Tóth stressed the difficult situation of businesses in her plenary speech. According to MEP Tóth, the EU has not done enough to address the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic. “There is a need for a structured and predictable regulatory and supportive environment at local and international level, therefore the competitiveness of businesses needs to be improved,” she added.

In his contribution András Gyürk underlined that the coronavirus pandemic has led to unprecedented challenges for the European industry, including the energy sector. “The update of the industry strategy comes at a right time in order to be able to analyse the lessons of the previous year and draw the correct conclusions. Although the problems have been identified correctly the European Commission was not able to formulate a coherent vision and a corresponding set of policy measures,” highlighted the Fidesz MEP. 

“It is positive that the European energy market has been able to cope with the difficulties caused by the corona virus without disruptions. However, with the growing share of renewables in the electricity mix, transmission system operators have to face increasing regulatory difficulties. The updated Industrial Strategy does not address this aspect properly. The competitiveness of European energy intensive industries can only be preserved if sufficient electricity is produced in the EU. Therefore, all climate-friendly technologies, including nuclear energy are needed in the long run,” declared András Gyürk.  

In her plenary speech, MEP Edina Tóth expressed her concern that the revised Industrial Strategy did not adequately reflect the impact of the pandemic on small and medium-sized enterprises. According to the Fidesz MEP, European industry needs significant investment in research and innovation, so additional support should be provided for digitalization and the introduction of environmentally friendly technologies. “We need to support our businesses in overcoming the crisis, and we need to work to reconstruct European industry and, at the same time, to transform it due to the coronavirus pandemic. The planned investments are not enough for this, additional investments will be needed, especially in the financing of environmentally friendly projects,” MEP Tóth pointed out.