During a meeting of the Committee on Industry, Research, and Energy (ITRE), a structured dialogue took place with Thierry Breton, the Commissioner for the Internal Market. Zdzisław Krasnodębski, a PiS MEP, spoke during the discussion.
Professor Zdzisław Krasnodębski asked Commissioner Breton about the future prospects for industrial policy within the framework of the Green Deal and added that much has been achieved in this area so far. He noted, however, that the Green Deal was established in 2019, before the pandemic and before the war in Ukraine, and therefore not all of its provisions remain relevant today. “We are seeing a great many protests by farmers, and there are also many ongoing discussions with industry representatives, as well as widespread skepticism regarding the implementation of the Green Deal policy,” the MEP noted. The Polish politician highlighted statements made by MEPs from various political groups suggesting that the priorities of the Green Deal need to be reformulated.
The Polish politician agreed with Commissioner Breton that the energy transition cannot take place without an industrial policy. “We should start with industrial policy so that we can address climate policy,” the politician emphasized. The MEP also asked whether the European Sovereignty Fund was still on the table and what its sources of funding would be.
Commissioner Breton, thanking the professor for “excellent cooperation, which has helped resolve many issues,” said that measures accompanying the Green Deal must take into account the voices of those who would like to participate in it, as well as its opponents. As he noted, in some sectors this opposition is significant, especially in the agricultural sector. “We need to organize our work for the next term so that the Green Deal is properly implemented,” Breton said, emphasizing that many improvements are still needed. In this context, he mentioned additional financial support to make information available as quickly as possible, even in real time. “This is one of the most important tasks for the next term,” he noted. Furthermore, the commissioner stated that the EU should have a European Sovereignty Fund to build an industrial base that manufactures in Europe and avoid dependence on others.
