Belgium’s De Croo: ‘It’s time for Europe to move away from a purely national approach on energy’
Flemish liberal Alexander De Croo, 47, has been leading a seven-party Belgian coalition government since 2020. On Monday, April 24, he is to host a summit of North Sea countries in Ostend with representatives of France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Denmark, Netherlands, Norway and Luxembourg. The European Commission will also take part.
What is the objective of this meeting?
The primary goal is to move from announcements to action, and from innovation to industrialization, in the field of renewable energy. This field is now of geostrategic importance. The nine countries concerned must agree on the objectives to be achieved, the standardization and the interconnection processes. It is time for Europe to use all the advantages of its size and to move away from a purely national logic in the field of energy.
Did the war in Ukraine accelerate this project?
The conflict has obviously turned energy policy into a major geopolitical issue. And, furthermore, securing energy infrastructure has become a key issue. The crisis we have experienced was caused by our dependence on fossil fuels produced by a country with which we have a fundamental disagreement. Exploiting Europe’s technological leadership is the only way to protect ourselves against exorbitant price increases: Renewable energy is one of our best weapons for this. In my country, which has a small maritime area and only 67 kilometers of coastline, it covered almost a quarter of consumption in February.
