Claude Turmes, Luxembourg's Minister for Energy;
Credit: © SIP / Yves Kortum
Luxembourg's Minister for Energy Claude Turmes participated yesterday in a video conference of European Union (EU) Energy Ministers, whose agenda was devoted to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the sector of energy and a possible recovery plan.
On this occasion, the EU energy ministers shared their views in order to provide immediate and effective support to the fight against the coronavirus pandemic and to limit its negative impact on the EU energy sector.
In this context, Luxembourg Minister Claude Turmes stressed the importance of establishing investment plans for a green recovery acting as accelerators of the transition to climate neutrality and healthy ecosystems. He explained: "By reinventing the industrial base of the European Union in the field of solar and wind energy we can not only contribute to a sustainable recovery and accelerate the energy transition, but also strengthen our resilience and our independence vis-à-vis countries like China or Russia and vis-à-vis -vis fossil fuel imports". The other energy ministers shared this perception of the importance of the Green Deal as a driver of the EU's recovery plan.
In addition, Minister Turmes emphasised the importance of teleworking both now and in the future: "Apart from the advantages of teleworking during the current health crisis, this tool is a building block for the work of tomorrow and can contribute to the reduction of road traffic and consequently to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions".
Finally, Claude Turmes recalled that the Chernobyl nuclear disaster occurred 35 years ago. He stated: "We must do what is necessary to avoid sliding from one disaster to another. This is why I am calling on the European Commission to introduce a '100% renewable' scenario in the European Climate Law”.
