Papastavrou: Realism is required in energy transition

Realism is indispensable successful the vigor transition, Environment and Energy Minister Stavros Papastavrou said connected Friday, speaking astatine the Delphi Economic Forum XI successful a treatment with the Executive Vice-President of the European Commission for a Clean, Just and Competitive Transition, Teresa Ribera.

“For years, decarbonization was treated arsenic a beatified grail, not lone successful Brussels but besides successful galore different countries, and was interpreted arsenic something that took precedence implicit κοινωνικά cohesion, competitiveness oregon deindustrialization. Now we each realise that it is not an extremity successful itself. We understand however important it is that, without sacrificing biology extortion and the request to trim emissions, we determination guardant — but successful a realistic way and successful a technologically neutral manner,” Papastavrou stressed.

Asked astir the vigor crisis, helium underlined that successful '22 it took much than a year for Member States to admit the request to take enactment and statesman discussions. “This clip it took lone two weeks. Europe does not person cleanable reflexes, but it has proven that when a situation comes, it has the strength and maturity to take measures,” helium noted, adding: “It is wide that we indispensable follow targeted measures that support κοινωνικά cohesion and bash not undermine fiscal balance, but astatine the aforesaid clip bash not make inequalities. At the aforesaid time, we indispensable determination towards a unified European vigor market.”

The curate referred to Greece’s advancement successful its vigor mix, noting that successful 2005 the state covered implicit 65% of its energy needs from lignite, while successful 2025 lignite has fallen beneath 8% and renewable vigor sources person reached 55%. “The stock of renewables successful Greece’s vigor premix places the state 7th globally. And if we comparison greenhouse state emissions implicit the aforesaid period, they are down by much than 50%. This shows that biology extortion is not a luxury. It is something society tin support, arsenic agelong arsenic it is pursued successful realistic terms and takes into relationship economical competitiveness and κοινωνικά cohesion,” helium said.

Referring to the EU directive connected vigor networks, helium noted that galore countries openly opposed it. “We fought a large battle. I anticipation that developments successful the Middle East will pb to the support of the web bundle successful June,” helium underlined.

On her part, the Vice-President of the European Commission noted that the EU is much resilient to situation than successful 2022. “We are successful a amended position. We cognize however to respond; we cognize we indispensable enactment jointly and swiftly. That is why the interaction is not arsenic large arsenic during the Ukraine crisis,” Ribera said.