"Check against delivery"

Honourable Members,

Dear Christian, dear Fatih,

Good morning, everybody.

Let me start by thanking the Turkish Wind Energy Association and WindEurope for organising today's conference.

It's a very good time to discuss wind energy prospects in Türkiye and the EU.

Both the EU and Türkiye have net zero target dates.

Both of us are ambitious on renewables deployment.

And both of us know that making all of this happen hinges on working together on sustainable global technologies manufacturing capacity.

Zooming in on the wind industry, as you know, the EU has significant ambitions and sees it as crucial to our energy security success.

Last year, we deployed 16.2 GW of wind, a record increase of 47% compared to 2021.

This is just the beginning.

We're planning to deploy much more to achieve our renewables ambitions.

In 2030, wind energy will be the largest electricity source in the EU.

And according to projections, it will double its current share of gross electricity generation to 34%.

At the same time, wind power is a technology born in Europe and our success story.

But it faces a number of different challenges, which require us to be on high alert.

Today, most of the world relies on a single supply source for solar PV manufacturing: China.

And neither Türkiye nor the EU want to see history repeat itself.

Add to that a combination of other factors also hitting our industry.

Factors like supply chain disruptions, increased cost of components, rising interest rates, slow permitting processes and unharmonised auction designs.

With all this in mind, yesterday, the Commission adopted a new Wind Package.

I'll take the opportunity today to talk more about the package and the opportunities for closer cooperation with Türkiye as we go forward.

The package sets out six categories of action to provide relief, support and boost the wind industry.

First, we want to speed up projects by easing permitting constraints.

This requires us implementing relevant legislation faster, providing training, putting more focus on digitalisation, and helping Member States with best practices.

We will also give government plans for future auctions greater visibility to help manufacturers scale up.

The Commission will set up a special IT tool with all Member States' deployment plans in one place.

And we will support the necessary build-out of electricity grids with a Grids Action Plan next month. 

Second, we want to improve auction systems.

We propose that Member States use pre-qualification criteria, such as environmental, sustainability and cybersecurity requirements, to select qualified contractors for participating in auctions.

Third, we will work together with the European Investment Bank to improve access to finance.

The EIB has agreed to set up, within six months, a special counter-guarantee instrument to help manufacturers access loans.

We will also double the next Innovation Fund call for clean technology manufacturing projects in November to 1.4 billion euros.

And in the overall call worth 4 billion euros, wind projects will be prioritised.

Fourth, we will ensure a level playing field and help facilitate access to foreign markets.

This includes using our trade defence instruments and trade agreements to make the EU wind industry more competitive.

Fifth, we will focus on skills.

We will enhance mapping to better direct our reskilling efforts to best benefit the sector. 

The Net-Zero Academies will train a hundred thousand learners annually.

Sixth, we invite Member States and industry to agree on an EU Wind Charter. 

Because everybody has a role to play in making our wind industry stronger.

And this brings me to the many opportunities for closer cooperation with Türkiye as we go forward.

Turkish companies are one of our main partners for EU turbines manufacturers.

They supply key components such as blades, nacelles and towers, making our companies more competitive globally and strengthening security of supply.

Türkiye has ambitious plans for domestic wind development, including offshore, and the Turkish market is very important for EU manufacturers.

Most of the wind turbines installed in Türkiye as well as those to be installed on wind farms under construction are produced by EU manufacturers.

The EU very much hopes that the support we're giving EU wind manufacturers will also benefit Türkiye.

You know you can rely on a solid manufacturing base from a reliable partner.

We stand ready to work with our Turkish partners to overcome existing challenges, facilitate the deployment of wind energy and scale up manufacturing capacity, ensuring that our supply chains are well integrated and complementary.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

For years, the EU wind industry has been a European success story.

It's a strategic sector for the energy transition, and our security of supply.

We want our neighbours like Türkiye to benefit from this success story, because this will generate more trade and investments.

Yesterday's Package shows just how far this Commission will go to ensure the wind sector grows and helps us deliver the energy transition.

I look forward to working with Member States, industry, and international partners like Türkiye, as we forge ahead towards a more secure, affordable, and clean energy system long-term.

Thank you for your attention.

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Speech at Turkish Wind Energy Association & WindEurope event

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