– We want to have cheap energy, we want to compete with the rest of the world, we want to have a truly competitive economy. We want people to feel safe in Poland when it comes to energy prices, said Prime Minister Donald Tusk on Saturday. – I asked the Minister of Finance to urgently present the method of freezing energy prices – added the head of government.
Donald Tusk At Saturday's press conference, he was asked, among other things, about the appeal of local government officials who sent a letter to the Prime Minister and ministers regarding plans to close coal-fired power plants. The content of the letter was obtained by RMF FM journalists. Local government officials warn that closing coal-fired power plants may mean the layoffs of thousands of people involved in the energy industry and problems with heat supplies to residents.
– The change (of president – ed.) in the United States may also mean, at least initially, an even greater competitiveness of the American economy, mainly due to energy prices – said Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
– We have a problem. I told myself that I would not talk about my predecessors here, but it is worth being aware of how many tens of billions, or actually hundreds of billions, of zlotys were wasted and not used for a faster transformation of the Polish energy sector – he added.
Donald Tusk pointed out that in Europe you have to pay on average 2.5 times more for energy than in other countries USA. Moreover – as he added – Poland is among the countries with the highest energy prices.
– Without exception, everyone said (at the meeting of EU leaders in Budapest – ed.) how can we even talk about the competitiveness of the European economy, including the Polish one, if we have the most expensive energy in the world – said the head of government.
– I thought for a long time whether to say it directly, but I will say it directly. Some CO2 emissions assumptions are disarming the European economyeven in such obvious issues as hydrogen energy – he said.
As the head of government said, this issue was also discussed during the summit of the European Political Community (EWP) and the informal European Council in Budapest, where – as Tusk said – the meeting participants pointed out that hydrogen should be produced not only with zero emissions.
Prime Minister on freezing energy prices
The head of government emphasized that everyone in Europe is currently looking for answers to the question of what to do with the “excessively strict environmental criteria in the European Union.”
– We cannot pretend that we do not face this dilemma. We want to have cheap energy, we want to compete with the rest of the world, we want to have a truly competitive economy. We want people to feel safe also in Poland when it comes to energy prices. We must build a system that gives us a chance to compete, at least with the United States on this issue, said the head of government.
– I asked the Minister of Finance to urgently present the method of freezing energy prices, also for next year – said Donald Tusk. These prospects are not the worst for the second half of next year, but to avoid a sense of uncertainty, the ministers have committed to presenting me in the coming days a specific project to freeze energy prices for individual consumers, but we are also thinking about producers, he said.
– I will not allow Poland to do badly in this game because of energy prices. Here, ministers know what to do. I will also talk to local government officials, I have read this letter. We will take acceptable and responsible steps. Coal will not be sustainable in the long run because we have more expensive energy – concluded the Prime Minister.
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