Speeches 2007

Can Do - Youthful Energy for Europe

26/03/2007

Speech given by Jeroen van der Veer, Chief Executive of Royal Dutch Shell plc, at the Café Crossfire Evening Debate 'Europe’s innovation-driven future. Do we have a road map?', 26 March 2007 in Brussels

Speech given by Jeroen van der Veer, Chief Executive of Royal Dutch Shell plc, at the Café Crossfire Evening Debate 'Europe’s innovation-driven future. Do we have a road map?', 26 March 2007 in Brussels

The European Union has wisely given itself until 2020 to meet its ambitious energy and emissions targets. Our economies need time to adjust. Reaching a cleaner energy future will involve painful choices and trade-offs. These will have to be made by all EU member states in a coordinated and disciplined way. Europeans also need to come to terms with the reality that, even if the 2020 goals are met, Europe will still be importing energy, including from Russia. That is why Europe and Russia must work for mutual dependency by mutual investment. With the right “can do” mentality, Europe can turn its energy vision into reality.

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