Participation of Secretary of State Melania-Gabriela Ciot, as special representative of the Romanian Government during the Romanian Presidency of the EU Council, in the debate of the ENVI Committee on climate change

Secretary of State Melania-Gabriela Ciot participated on Tuesday, April 16, 2019 in the ENVI Committee’s climate change debate. In her speech, the Romanian dignitary thanked activist Greta Thunberg for raising awareness on the need for action in this area, noting that “a rapid and comprehensive social and economic transformation is mandatory.”

The Secretary of State pointed out that in preparing EU’s long-term strategy, discussion is going on regarding the Communication presented in November 2018 by the European Commission, “A Clean Planet for All”, which analyses solutions that would reduce greenhouse gas emissions between 80%-100% by 2050.

Secretary of State Melania-Gabriela Ciot also emphasised that the European Union needs to take into account the specificities of each member state and each region and to ensure that new jobs are created in sectors where they have been lost.

In this context, she stated that the transition to a green economy offers the potential for economic growth and enables new jobs to be created in areas such as renewable energy, construction and refurbishment, which is why investment in innovation needs to be boosted by protecting the industry against the pressure of global competition.

The Secretary of State concluded by thanking the European Parliament for organising the debate and Greta Thunberg for her actions, which inspired both the younger generation and previous generations.