EPP Group calls for a solution to avoid being held hostage by energy suppliers

Without one energy policy for 28 Member States, “we will remain dependent on, even hostage to, energy suppliers situated in unstable regions. And these same energy suppliers are ready to use energy as an economic weapon. This dependence cannot continue,” said EPP Group Chairman Joseph Daul in the debate on the preparations of the European Council (20-21 March 2014).

“Europe has to be united to be strong. In political, energy, competitiveness and European Semester terms, the decisions the Council will take are quite rightly drivers to further our ambition for Europe," he added.

The Chairman of the largest political group in the European Parliament underlined that, in the aftermath of the economic crisis, Europe is better equipped, but efforts for growth and jobs must continue: “Today, the crisis has shown us, everything is linked. So with more transparency, shared supervision, better coordination, we are strengthening sovereignty, European sovereignty. The European Semester protects us against risks, attacks on the financial markets. But putting national public accounts back in order is not an end in itself. We must also ensure the right investments to support growth across Europe.”

Joseph Daul concluded by outlining the role of SMEs in fighting unemployment and restoring economic growth: “Our citizens are concerned about unemployment. We have to act responsibly, not play with slogans, using words like ‘austerity’ to install fear in people. There are 20 million unemployed in the Eurozone alone. We have to concentrate our efforts so that they can find a job. There are 20 million SMEs in Europe today. By optimising their competitiveness, with a supportive environment and less distortion of competition between Member States, we can be effective in helping SMEs. We can promote hiring. And if each SME in Europe hired someone – even just one person – there would be no more unemployed in the Eurozone. There is an urgency to act here.”