Dear Prime Minister,
It is a pleasure to welcome you here at the Berlaymont for this first working meeting. Together, we are facing unprecedented challenges, with the war in Ukraine and its consequences at every level. I am very grateful to France for its unswerving support for Ukraine and for the sanctions against Russia. I remember with admiration the crucial role that the French Presidency played in Europe’s response immediately after the invasion.
Climate change is the second major subject that we are going to discuss. Its repercussions on our societies are becoming ever greater. We already have a very clear roadmap, and now we have to work together to implement it, in France and in the European Union. This will call for changes to our energy systems and our legislation in these sectors, such as that on electric cars adopted yesterday at the European Parliament. Only close collaboration between European and national levels will lead to the expected results.
Finally, the international economic situation is becoming tougher, calling for new responses and appropriate responses on our part. That is the objective of our industrial plan, in the context of the Green Deal. In that plan, we have large areas of convergence. I know that France shares the broad outlines of our proposals, be it, for example, in reducing red tape for clean technologies or – in the area of financing – in State aid or European funding.
To conclude, let me thank you, Prime Minister, for your ongoing commitment to all these issues. France is a driving force in our discussions. I am delighted to be able to address all these subjects with you now during this hour-long working meeting.