“The roadmap to a sustainable future in Europe has never been clearer nor more urgent” – as highlighted in a recent seminar organized by the European Democratic Party (EDP), in which European experts and prominent representatives of Basque industry and business have participated.
The seminar shed light on the pressing need for clean energy solutions, emphasizing that a sustainable future for Europe is contingent upon effective decarbonization.
The first panel was carried out by the MEP Izaskun Bilbao Barandica. Sandro Gozi, Secretary General of EDP, Iván Martén, president of Orkestra-Basque Institute of Competitiveness, MEP Christopher Grudler, from the EP committee on Industry, Research and Energy, and Christof van Agt Ross, director of the International Energy Forum in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia) debated the important role that Europe plays in supporting research and development of innovative energy technologies.
The EDP is committed to formulating policies that foster innovation, promoting investments in clean technologies and ensuring a supportive regulatory environment. Gozi has also assured that for the EDP “digital technology and the ecological transition are the essential pillars of 21st century Europe, just as coal and steel have been in the past.”
For instance, Grudler, who is working in the European Parliament on the preparation of a legislative text that aims to accelerate the production of clean technologies in Europe, stated that “we cannot afford to neglect a single source of clean energy, be it solar energy, wind energy, hydraulic energy or nuclear energy. We all need them.”
And in a second panel – focused on a more local example with the Basque Country, presented and moderated by the general director of EVE, Iñigo Ansola, “The energy transition of the Basque Country towards a public-private, competitive and sustainable cooperation model” was addressed. The speakers were Aitor Arzuaga, general director of ALBA (Repsol-Petronor Group); José Ignacio Hormaeche, general director of the Basque Energy Cluster; Jesús Valero, general director of Tecnalia; and Xabier Viteri, director of Renewable Business at Iberdrola.
According to Aitor Arzuaga and José Ignacio Hormaeche, the decarbonization of heavy industry, maritime transport and aviation represents a clear opportunity and lies in accessing significant market shares in planned investments. For instance, soon in the port of Bilbao, the local government will build the renewable hydrogen production plants for the production of synthetic fuels.
Striding towards these are crucial steps in accelerating the decarbonization process and fashioning a sustainable Europe for future generations. By focusing on these key aspects, Europe will not only accelerate its decarbonization efforts but also ensure a sustainable and prosperous future for all its citizens.
Related member(s)
Sandro
Gozi
Secretary General
France
Izaskun
Bilbao Barandica
Member of the Presidency
Basque Country
EAJ-PNV
Related news
EDP Hosts Transatlantic Dialogue on the Future of Centrist Politics
As part of our ongoing efforts to strengthen international cooperation between democratic forces, the EDP recently hosted a transatlantic dinner discussion in Paris, bringing together key figures from European and American centrist politics.
Joint statement on the 30th Anniversary of the Srebrenica Genocide
Thirty years ago, in Srebrenica, more than 8,000 Bosniak men and boys were murdered by the Bosnian Serb army. In 2007, the International Court of Justice ruled that the atrocities constituted genocide. The wider Bosnian War saw over 100,000 killed, thousands of women raped, and more than two million people forced from their homes between 1992 and 1995. On this solemn occasion remembering one of the darkest chapters in Europe’s recent history, the ALDE Party, LIBSEEN members in the region, ALDE in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, European Democratic Party, Liberal International, LYMEC, Renew Europe in the Committee of the Regions, Renew Europe in the European Parliament, and the Young Democrats for Europe are united in honouring their memory and issue the following statement:
The Democrats Pulse – May/June 2025
The outbreak of war between Iran, Israel and the United States has temporarily subsided, but the balance remains fragile.
Related theme
