Uniper’s Post

It’s Europe Day tomorrow! 🎉 It’s a day to celebrate peace and unity. With the European Elections (6-9 June) around the corner, it’s also an opportunity to reflect upon the choices that will shape our future. We’ve been busy hosting election debates across the Nordic capitals in partnership with NFU - Nordic Financial Unions and Nordiska Handelskommittén. Why? Because we believe in the power of informed voting. Here’s what we’ve been discussing: 💠 #EnvironmentalSustainability: We’ve been talking about renewable energy, carbon emissions, and how we can safeguard our natural resources for future generations. 💠 #DrivingCompetitiveness: We’ve explored strategies to bridge the skill gap and prevent brain drain, ensuring Europe remains innovative and competitive. 💠 #ResponsibleTech: We’ve discussed the ethical use of AI and how we can balance enhancing security with safeguarding human rights and privacy. 🌐 https://lnkd.in/deJaAhCx The EU election is a big deal for all Europeans, and engineers and STEM professionals in the Nordics are no exception. Remember, every vote counts! #EuropeDay #NordicVoicesEU2024 #VoteforEurope #EUelections IDA Sveriges Ingenjörer [Engineers of Sweden] NITO - Norges Ingeniør- og Teknologorganisasjon Tekniikan akateemiset TEK Insinööriliitto | Union of Professional Engineers in Finland Verkfræðingafélag Íslands

In this #FridayRecap, I take a look at the elections to the European Parliament, which have been underway since yesterday. 🇪🇺🇪🇺🇪🇺 European integration is a success and has consolidated peace, freedom and prosperity in Europe. However, especially in times of crises, wars and conflicts, it is all the more important that the EU refocuses on its strengths in order to continue the European success story. An attractive business location and competitiveness are the basis for prosperity, growth and employment. The European industrial centre is currently confronted with both external and home-grown challenges. To ensure that Europe remains an attractive location for companies, there are five things that need to be done: ⭐⭐⭐ The European Commission should once again have the confidence to define an ambitious growth target - just as there is a target for climate protection. ⭐⭐⭐ Red tape must be rigorously cut. A high number of regulation, extensive reporting obligations and lengthy authorisation procedures are a brake on innovation and successful entrepreneurship. ⭐⭐⭐ A bold, active, and pragmatic EU trade agenda is needed. A dense network of free trade and investment agreements creates jobs and helps companies diversifying supply chains, securing raw material and energy supplies and reducing strategic dependencies. ⭐⭐⭐ Brussels and member states have to create the conditions so that climate-neutral mobility can be successful on European roads. This includes, above all, the EU-wide expansion of the charging and H2 refuelling infrastructure, but also renewable fuels. ⭐⭐⭐ The deficits in digitalisation must be overcome. This means expanding the digital infrastructure in Europe and creating a legal framework that gives new digital technologies room to develop and does not hinder the unfolding of innovation potential. Despite all the criticism levelled at many European decisions, one thing is beyond question: Europe is indispensable for peace, freedom and prosperity. To ensure that the EU can continue to help shape global climate and geopolitics in the European sense in the future, the continent's economic strength must be safeguarded. Populists on the left and right are coming up with ideas that jeopardise Europe's economic and political stability. These dangerous proposals must not be allowed to prevail at the ballot box! #UseYourVote #EUelections2024 🇪🇺🇪🇺🇪🇺

As the European summer rolls in, we've just witnessed some game-changing elections for the #EuropeanParliament. We at ANE, being non-political, want to give a big shout-out to all the newly elected representatives in the Nordics. We're super excited to pick up the discussions we started during our election debates in Helsinki, Copenhagen, and Stockholm. Our focus? The #GreenTransition. We're talking about industry and technology strategies to boost renewable energy, cut down carbon emissions, and protect our natural resources. Engineers and STEM professionals are the real deal when it comes to #innovation. We're keen to dive deeper into the representatives’ plans to tackle the #SkillGap and #BrainDrain in Europe. We believe that if we don't support all regions, we risk weakening the #SingleMarket and falling short of our green ambitions. We're all set to discuss the skills needed to drive this transition and can't wait to share our ideas with our new parliamentarians. We also put the spotlight on the role of engineers in creating and applying responsible tech. We asked the candidates about their views on the ethical use of AI. Let’s continue our talk on how we can protect workers’ rights, data, and privacy while pushing for responsible innovation and research in AI. We are looking forward to meeting you in Brussels after the summer break. #ListenToEngineers IDA Sveriges Ingenjörer [Engineers of Sweden] NITO - Norges Ingeniør- og Teknologorganisasjon Tekniikan akateemiset TEK Insinööriliitto | Union of Professional Engineers in Finland Verkfræðingafélag Íslands Magnus Kjellsson Fin Krogh Jørgensen Jussi-Pekka Teini Marit Stykket Sigrun Hafstein

Looking ahead to the #EUelections2024, let's remember the economic benefits of EU membership: investment, growth, and choice! 📈💼 EU membership opens doors to growth opportunities and expands consumer choices. Together, we tackle inequalities, support innovation, and pave the way for modern, greener economies. #UseYourVote in shaping a prosperous future for all Europeans! #ShapeOurFuture

On June 6-9, 2024, EU citizens will vote in the European Parliament elections. We are alarmed that sustainability is portrayed by some parties as detrimental to the economy. But protecting the climate and strengthening the economy are not mutually exclusive. Actually, it is vice versa: https://lnkd.in/gC6V9TYv. Regardless of your ideology, the interests of national security, economic competitiveness, and job creation are best served if governments commit to industrial decarbonization and a circular economy. However, with the current forecasts for the EU election results, EU climate goals and policies are at a severe risk. That is why we are calling on everyone: ✅ Exercise your voting rights and support the parties that recognize sustainability as a powerful economic strategy ✅ Share with your network the #ChooseWiselyEU platform: https://lnkd.in/dmNBtphT created by the Solar Impulse Foundation to debunk common myths ✅ Share with your network your country's voting advice tools where people can compare different parties and encourage them to use their vote as well There is so little time left for bold climate action ⏰ Our actions today will determine the world for current and future generations. Please don't ignore the opportunity for a positive impact and do not hesitate to ask any questions or share any concerns in the comments. #choosewiselyEU #EUElections2024

The European Elections are taking place next Friday, 7th June. Eligible voters will elect Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) to represent them at an EU level. Chambers Ireland is calling on MEP candidates to: ◽ Deliver a robust EU Industrial Strategy for Renewable Energy. ◾ Ensure a globally competitive Europe that facilities trade across the world. ◽ Reduce the regulatory burden facing businesses. ◾ Ensure EU investment is identified and rolled out across the country for vital regional development. ◽ Eradicate obstacles facing the single market and the free movement of goods, capital, people and services. ◾ Develop skills strategies for growth in green and digital technology sectors. You can find out more details about our key priorities in our European Election Manifesto ➡ https://bit.ly/3Ov3cmh

Still early to say much, but some comments on the #elections #results regarding the energy and climate agenda: - The pro-European majority should allow for a sensible approach on the #energy and #climate agenda, recognizing low-carbon energy and clean technologies manufacturing and deployment in Europe as key for EU's strategic autonomy (but EP leaning to the right will reduce the overall level of ambition, as already seen on #chemicals, #nature protection and #agriculture issues in the past years). The implementation of the #GreenDeal depends a lot on the timely and thorough transposition of the EU legislation into national frameworks – it is worrying to see French and German governments deeply challenged by EU elections results, the French-German cooperation on energy issues was far from smooth in the past few years – could this further impact their capacity to compromise at the EU level?   - The #industrialpillar of the Green Deal will come at the forefront of the new agenda which is expected to be focused on #competitiveness of industries: ex. launch of a Competitiveness Strategy for Europe, a EU Competitiveness check on EU policies, European champions, #derisking from China, better infrastructures… The S&D and Greens will have to be very strategic in using every opportunity to instill social and green directions in future policies and will need to choose carefully their battles (ex. #2040target & framework, funding of the energy transition, pushing forward the nature protection / agriculture transformation agenda etc.).   - A “#MadeInEurope” and / or #BuyEuropean strategy has been generally supported by the main parties. Yet the key issue is #finance – EPP has offered little details on what they intend to push for on the issue of financing the energy transition and low-carbon technologies made in Europe, while the S&D and Greens have been pushing for European #investment capacity for the green transition. Indeed, with #stateaid rules relaxation coming to an end in 2025, as well as #NextGenEU in 2026, and a new #MFF to be negotiated, energy transition financing is a big topic for the next mandate. Will there be a successor for NextGeneration EU and how will the EU budget evolve? In this next mandate, the stakes for Europe are extremely high - we must prevent the worst-case scenario: high fossil fuel import costs, growing imports of low-carbon technologies, raw materials weaponization, incapacity to offset rising energy and economic costs on citizens and companies, shrinking R&D&I budgets. The Green Deal has made extraordinary progress, beyond the legislative framework, by becoming a key pillar of our response to the Russian war in #Ukraine. To enhance EU’s #energysecurity, we need to double down on #RES and clean energy deployment, deploying electricity #grids and #interconnections, #flexibility solutions, taking a #valuechain approach to our objectives, increasingly #coordinate national energy policies.

🌍 The European Council has just unveiled its strategic agenda for 2024-2029! 📄✨ Discover it here: https://t.ly/pjZqq This agenda, crafted collectively by the European Council right after the Parliament elections and before the Commission's appointment, sets the Union's priorities for the new mandate. This crucial 8-page document outlines the directives for Commission officials and frames the debates for MEPs. Key highlights: 🌱 Environment: While the agenda touches on environmental concerns, it embeds them within a liberal and technological framework. This approach, centered on economic growth, might fall short of the urgent results we need. 📈 Economic Growth: The agenda champions economic growth, promising a more liberalized single market encompassing energy, essential goods, services, finance, and telecommunications. It also pledges to bolster the World Trade Organization. 🔍 Critical Question: Are we risking our political stability by pushing for an even more open market, despite physical growth limitations? 🏭 Industrial Ambitions: The Union aims to become a technological and industrial powerhouse. Yet, history and global competitors like China and the USA show that achieving this requires robust national policies and a less open economy. 📝 Bureaucracy: The promise of "less procedures and bureaucracy" seems at odds with the Union's role in creating standards and regulations. 💡 Green and Digital Transition: Why combine green and digital? Digital advancements often increase our carbon footprint, challenging the sustainability narrative. 🔄 A New Vision Needed: We need a "pro-business, pro-environment" stance, recognizing that the economy cannot thrive without a sustainable environment. Growth isn't infinite, especially on a planet with finite resources. Let's hope for a future where economic and environmental priorities harmoniously coexist, driving sustainable progress for all. 🌍🤝💚 #EuropeanCouncil #StrategicAgenda #Sustainability #EconomicGrowth #EnvironmentalPolicy #FutureOfEurope Matthew Bell, Gus Schellekens, Jean-Marc Jancovici (thanks for the inspiration)

The future of Europe is in our hands - a future where businesses can thrive, innovation can flourish, and societies can prosper. As the upcoming EU Parliament elections approach, we stand at a crossroads, with the power to shape a united, democratic Europe that paves uncharted avenues for progress. At DQS, we firmly believe in the transformative potential of a strong, collaborative European Union. With a headquarter in the heart of the European Union and offices all around the continent and all over the world, we witness firsthand the benefits of harmonized standards that enables seamless market access, workforce mobility that facilitates cross-border operations, and a commitment to sustainability, environmental protection, and consumer confidence. We invite you to cherish the democratic rights we enjoy within the European Union, where every vote carries weight and the power to shape our collective destiny. From 6-9 June, it is time to seize the opportunity to actively participate in the democratic process and cast our votes, ensuring that the voice of responsible, forward-thinking businesses and citizens resonates loudly. Together, let us embrace the privilege of living in a democratic Europe and work towards a future that upholds the values of unity, prosperity, diversity and progress for all! #EUElections2024 #EveryVoteCounts #VoteEU2024 #EuropeUnited

🥁 And that's a wrap! Thank you for joining us today for our #StartTalking webinar. Be sure to catch up on the event summary below, and remember, you can rewatch the webinar anytime by clicking here 👉 https://lnkd.in/eA5ypnNm Are people thinking about the EU or their own country when voting? 🗣 "People genuinely experience a blend of both European and national aspects. There is a growing understanding that the interaction between the national sphere and European decision-making is very strong." Brando Benifei MEP, Social and Democrats, European Parliament 🗣 "We see a lot of desire among European leaders, largely reflected in the people of Europe, to shift away from the Green New Deal. There is potential for a move towards a 'brown deal' that would completely alter the political priorities of the Union." Alberto Alemanno of Law, HEC Paris and Founder, The Good Lobby 🗣 "It's also a matter of incentives. Currently, there are still a high number of subsidies going to polluting industries. Why should I have to pay more for a sustainable lifestyle while these companies continue to pollute and receive subsidies?" Augustín Reyna Incoming Director General of BEUC - The European Consumer Organisation 🗣 "In the end, what matters is the concrete impact on our daily lives. It's crucial for us that these rights are recognized as benefits of being part of the European Union. Understanding the impact that voting has on shaping EU policy is also essential." pérignon isabelle Director Consumer Policy, DG JUST, European Commission We #StartTalking, but you continue the conversation 😉 Thank you to everyone who joined us! #consumers #euroconsumers #EUelections #EUelections2024, #UseYourVote, #EP24