"This is not a cabinet of standing still," was how Gert-Jan Segers opened his lecture to some ninety interested people in a full Publieke Zaken office on Wednesday, Jan. 31. In his speech, the Christian Union leader looked ahead to the Climate and Energy Agreement to be concluded this year.
Segers expressed his admiration for Minister Wiebes. "He has been able to get a stalled project back on track in a short period of time." Wiebes' political leanings do not stand in his way at all. "It is not liberal not to clean up your mess behind you," Segers said. "That way you can move forward together." He emphasized that Groningen is currently at the top of the cabinet agenda.
The second challenge is to ensure that people on a narrow budget can also participate in the energy transition. "I am concerned about energy poverty," Segers said. "The transition in the built environment is an enormous task, not least in the social domain." An administrative agreement has yet to be concluded for this. In response to the question of whether zero-on-the-meter is essential, he replied that new construction districts are built differently. "If zero-to-the-meter is a norm, everything and everyone must work to achieve it."
In addition to households, of course, we also need industry to meet the climate goals. Anyone reading the coalition agreement cannot get around Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS). "Why do we need another agreement when we already know the answer?", echoed from the audience. "This cabinet does not want to fall behind the Paris Agreement," affirmed Segers. According to him, the means to achieve the formulated climate goals are secondary to the goal itself. "WithoutCO2 storage, it will be difficult to realize the ambitions of ChristenUnie and D66."
Finally, Dutch innovative strength was discussed. "Offshore wind is developed through innovation," stated one visitor. "How do we realize more innovation if there are not enough technicians?" Segers indicated that the government has limited influence in getting young people to choose technical studies. "It is difficult to estimate where someone should end up in four years, in a technology that keeps advancing."
Still, the Christian Union leader closed with a positive message: "Innovation is in our DNA. The economy and society adapt quickly and entrepreneurs always see opportunities. That makes me hopeful".
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