(Finance) – “The EU will support the Ukrainians in the way they request and for as long as necessary. Swedish leadership will be vital to preserve EU unity and to keep the pressure up on Russia. In January we will disburse the first tranche of the 18 billion euro package for 2023”. That’s what she underlined President of the EU Commission Ursula von der Leyen at the press conference for the start of the Swedish presidency of the European semester in Kiruna. “Furthermore – added von der Leyen – we are preparing for the reconstruction of the country. Today it is important to combine the reconstruction process with that of reforms and investments”.
For the president of the EU Commission, the Kiev EU accession process it has to be done step by step. “Ukraine has impressive ambition and speed. To support that process – said von der Leyen – the college of commissioners will visit the country in early February, we will have a meeting between the college and the government. There are around 18 -20 points we are already working on. The visit will be a way to deepen and intensify the different topics that are on our agenda. It is important for us to progress with quality, speed and ambition together with the Ukrainian government, so that the report on “enlargement reflects all of this. And this of course then leads to hopeful and positive decisions by the Council”.
Speaking of energy situation von der Leyen said that “the Russia it exploited our energy dependence, it tried to blackmail us but failed: it cut 80% of its gas supplies but we were able to compensate without blackouts. Among the various measures – he recalled – we have introduced the gas price cap and increased the permits for renewables: this hard work has paid off and gas prices are lower than before the Russian invasion of Ukraine”.
The president of the EU Commission has announced a electricity market reform in the spring. “We would propose the reform of the electricity market in the spring and advance on joint energy purchases,” he said. von der Leyen. In December we already had a meeting with the stakeholders”.
The president of the EU Commission also confirmed her commitment to making Europe attractive for investments. “These days – said von der Leyen – we are working intensely with the US to reduce the negative effects of the Inflation Reduction Act. But even more significant is the fact that we face unfair competition from China. We want to reaffirm our determination to make the EU a globally attractive continent for investment”.
Finally, Von der Leyen spoke of solutions to maintain high-tech industry in Europe. “The changes to state aid will be temporary and targeted, but – said the president of the EU Commission – we also need to find solutions to help the most innovative sectors of our economy: we want to keep high-tech industry in Europe, we need it for the green transition”.