EUSEW 2025 Highlights

It is morally unacceptable to continue to give money to a country that has attacked its neighbour. Showing up is important, talking about this is important, however the speed of the reaction has not been what it needed to be.

We need to ensure that our planning is not only for hydrogen. To integrate the system is really key. It is clear that in the beginning there will be a financial gap between the investment cost and revenues, but we need to evaluate more precisely what is the gap and which mechanism is most important.

Ukraine is a strategic partner that holds enormous potential in renewable energy equating to 860 GW of potential development. I don’t know any country in the European Union that could really name such a success. Please don’t exclude us from RePowerEU, because we need to be a part of it.

People need to be aware of how their behaviour affects the energy bill – this is something that I believe communities need to address. We saw that sometimes citizens were afraid to turn on the heaters or lived in darkness to reduce their living costs – not realising that often it is already part of the rent.

We visited 20 000 homes in Ghent and guided people through renovations, and our conclusion was that for every euro we invested in guidance, citizens invest 17 euro in energy renovations.

We need to make sure that the right information is distributed to the right people, in the right format, by the right messengers.

From a national perspective in Belgium, electrification is still too expensive. Despite electricity being more efficient and cleaner, it is three to four times more expensive than gas or oil and that discourages consumers from the shift.

Today the European Union has capacity to produce 11 million tons to meet the demand of 8 tons of hydrogen. This is 8% of the global hydrogen demand, and close to 80% is about ammonia. Only 1% of this hydrogen is based on clean energy sources. So, there is still a lot to do to increase this percentage.

Clean energy, green energy has a lower cost. It is home-grown, so it makes us more secure and more competitive. We do have an internal energy market, and we are well interconnected throughout Europe. If the sun is not shining in one place, then this place can import wind energy, solar energy from its neighbours.

We are the generation that will use AI technology, be shaped by it, and eventually lead with it. That means we have to take responsibility now; we have to ensure the policies and regulations we put in place today are strong enough to protect our future.

Data centre demands are expected to more than double by 2030 and almost triple by 2035. By 2035, it would be roughly 500 megatons, which represents 1.5% of total energy emissions.

As we move into the context of decarbonisation, decentralisation, and digitalisation, energy is no longer just about electrons. It is about flows of affiliation, trust, emotions and meanings; the energy transition is not only economical or technical, but also deeply relational.

Issuing permits for wind projects in Poland can still take 5 to 7 years, but the gaps lie not in the regulation - the law itself nor the ‘environmental bottlenecks’ - but in the implementation. Local authorities are under-resourced and digital solutions are lacking.

We know where critical minerals will come from, and many of those countries are at the bottom of any global development index. We must ensure that this new rush for clean energy transition minerals departs from the traditional exploitative model.

Our experiences vary significantly depending on factors like race, ethnicity, income, housing status, disability, and migration status. If urban policies focus only on environmental pillars without considering these social dimensions, they risk reinforcing existing social inequalities.

Investments in biodiversity are also investments into climate adaptation and resilience of the grid. Something that is essential for the secure operation of the grid. A euro we invest into biodiversity is a euro that goes into resilience of the grid.

We need each other, we need you all (Young Energy Ambassadors), and we need the willingness, the involvement, the creativity, and the energy of young Europeans. We owe you a sustainable, bright, and clean energy future.

To address the crises of security, climate change and competitiveness, we need to stay on track. Green transition is not the problem; green transition is the answer to these challenges.

In the European Parliament, we try to offer pragmatic solutions. The Green Deal was just the beginning, a necessary step to start talking about change. We must act now!

For the energy transition to be effective, we need three elements. Cheaper and affordable energy for the people and for the businesses. Second, we need technological neutrality: all low- and zero carbon technologies are relevant. Third, we need sustainable energy independence - let's bring as much of the energy value chain to Europe.

I really believe we need to put more emphasis on education, make sure that the university curriculum is truly responding to the market and regulatory needs.

My recommendation for the EU is to set country targets and stay as much as possible out of the details. As consumers, we also have a certain choice about supporting the energy transition.

Decarbonisation is about climate, competitiveness and independence, and all three will continue to matter a lot going forward. That is what is at the heart of the Clean Industrial Deal that we launched with the Commission in February this year.

We know that Europe is the fastest warming climate currently. The storms we saw are a demonstration of how energy security should not just be an add-on. If we are not able to ensure a stable energy supply to our industry and citizens. We need to also be ready for potential crises of the future, so that our systems stand the test of time.