The Executive Vice-President of the European Commission for a Clean, Just and Competitive Transition, Teresa Ribera, has emphasized the need to respect international law and strengthen multilateral cooperation as "the most important element in a project of peace and progress consolidation on a global scale."
Ribera is making an institutional visit to Donostia-San Sebastián and Bilbao this Monday. In the Gipuzkoa capital, she participates in the VI edition of the EHU Summer School, in the inaugural session dedicated to the major current challenges of the European Union, and later has a visit planned to the LIFE Wetlands project in the Plaiaundi Ecological Park. In the afternoon, she will travel to Bilbao to meet with the Lehendakari, Imanol Pradales.
Before speaking at the summer course, she stated to journalists that "it is a pleasure to be in San Sebastián at this course that is becoming a classic and emphasizes the importance of respecting the rule of law, the norms as the central axis of the European project, on how to continue advancing in European integration in a complex world, thanks, among other things, to respect for the norms."
She highlighted that this reflection takes on special relevance "particularly important this year as we mark 50 years since Spain and Portugal joined the European communities," in an international context "where in a troubled, turbulent world, voices are raised against respect for international law and multilateral cooperation, despite the fact that it remains the most important element in a project of peace and progress consolidation on a global scale."
Regarding her stop at the Plaiaundi Ecological Park, she recalled that it is part of "the great program of Spain for the recovery of various wetlands in national territory, in collaboration with autonomous governments, local administrations, and civil society actors."
She detailed that this initiative has partial economic support from the LIFE program, "perhaps one of the most iconic programs at the community level for the protection, restoration, recovery of biodiversity in line with that great regulation as important as the nature restoration regulation."
About this community regulation, approved two years ago, it has indicated that "it highlights or tries to respond to the need, not only to preserve ecosystems, but to restore degraded ecosystems and in particular wetlands, which are part of one of the most important contributions to prepare us, to resist against the effects of climate change, but also to guarantee the enormous biodiversity they harbor."
In the afternoon, it has advanced that it will have the opportunity to meet "briefly" with the Lehendakari, "a visit that will allow us a quick update on initiatives in the community framework that are being implemented from Euskadi," it has indicated.
Europe, common rules, and shared project
In her presentation at the course, Teresa Ribera has emphasized that, in the European sphere, "together we are better than each one separately" and that "seeking complementarities makes it a little easier." In this sense, she has highlighted the weight of "the principles we respect and the rules we establish for ourselves."
For this reason, she has stressed the urgency of "continuing to build a project in which today more than ever we have to trust and face the challenges because "we cannot take for granted that what has been done so far will remain unscathed." "It is our obligation to continue building and it is stimulating in these turbulent times," she has added.
The executive vice president of the European Commission for a Clean, Just, and Competitive Transition has brought up the "three main axes" set by Ursula Von der Leyen in the European framework: "respect, updating and defending values, security, and competitiveness," emphasizing the relevance of each of them, despite the fact that "none of these chapters is particularly novel."
Climate change, security, and inequality
In this context, focusing on the climate crisis, she has had a remembrance for the 13 fatalities of the recent fire in Los Gallardos, in Almería, and has warned that the notion of security now extends to "different physical realities."
He mentioned the third heat wave announced by Aemet and has asked to make visible that climate change "is not just an environmental issue that affects fauna and flora." In his opinion, "the richest continent in the world is not prepared," and he gave concrete examples: "hospital services collapse with more than 37 degrees for several consecutive days as well as the railway system, mortality rates soar, hospitals and schools in Europe do not have adequate air conditioning, fires spike and electrical systems are not prepared for these temperatures."
In light of this scenario, Ribera considers it essential to have a "greater commitment to anticipation and preparation to reduce damage and respond better." He has also called for "intelligent use of resources," warning that Europe "cannot be competitive if energy continues to be imported from other countries."
"Prices will continue to be higher as long as gas and oil are fundamental sources," the former minister indicated, emphasizing the urgency of increasing electrification rates in Europe, "which have been stagnant at 32% since 2015 compared to other economies like China."
At the same time, he has warned of a "reduction in the share of labor income," which causes "wealth to become concentrated," something he considers "worrisome due to the inequality" it generates. He has also warned that "in a ground fertilized by fear and hatred" the "lack of responses finds a way to feed the lack of trust in democracy."
For all these reasons, he has defended the need to maintain "respect for the rules, for people" and to have "a governance system in which everyone can express agreements and disagreements but not throw the laws at each other's heads." In his words, "we must be ingenious to continue advancing because Europe is a two-wheeled bicycle and we must keep pedaling."