Bucharest, January 21, 2025 – RBJ – The Romanian Minister of Energy, Sebastian Burduja, immediately reacted to the decisions of the new American President Donald Trump, who, yesterday, in his inauguration speech announced the US exit from the Paris Agreement on climate change, the reconsideration of pro-renewable energy policies and, implicitly, the much-trumpeted Green Deal promoted by the European Union.
Sebastian Burduja announced that he will present to the Government, in Bucharest, a detailed report on the negative effects of the “Green Deal” policies on the Romanian energy sector and the valorization of all energy resources available to Romania.
and I commit, as always, to act in the interest of my country, wrote the Minister of Energy, Sebastian Burduja on Facebook.
Below is the full message from the Romanian Minister of Energy:
“Romania has demonstrated throughout history that it knows how to face challenges, but today we are going through a critical moment for the future of our energy and Europe. The “greening” policies of the European Union, although well-intentioned, risk turning our European economies into victims of bureaucratization and decisions not adapted to economic realities. The Draghi report says bluntly what we have also seen in hot statistical data: the European Union, which produced only 3% of the world’s coal in 2024 and emitted less than 5% of global CO2 emissions, is applying the toughest environmental policies on its own.
This is not a path to prosperity. President Trump showed the world yesterday that democracies are only strong when their economies are strong. And you know what a strong economy does? It produces safe, affordable and abundant energy! Energy that keeps factories open, prices low and puts food on every family’s table.
Romania has everything it needs to be a regional leader in energy:
– We have natural gas (we are already the first producer in the EU) and coal-fired power plants that can be modernized according to the latest BAT technologies, with low emissions and high efficiency.
– We are building the future new Romanian nuclear program, with strategic partners such as the USA, Canada, Italy, France, South Korea and Japan.
– We have dozens of hydropower projects in the works, started decades ago and which we have started to finalize, and therefore the potential to be the energy engine of Eastern Europe, including in the perspective of the reconstruction of Ukraine.
What can hold us back is a suffocating bureaucracy and a Green Deal that ignores the realities on the ground. That is why, as EPP leaders have said, a solid debate is required on how and if the EU will continue the Green Deal for the coming years. It is time to wake up! If we do not recover now, we risk losing the last chance to rebuild the European economy on solid foundations.
Romania must have the courage to say the truth: Europeans deserve to pay less for energy, and we can offer the solution. It is simple: massive energy production means low prices, low prices mean cheap goods and services produced/provided in the EU, meaning a better quality of life for every Romanian and European, better-paid jobs and European competitiveness. It is a simple equation that the European Commission must also accept.
In the coming period, I will present to the Government a detailed report on the negative effects of the “Green Deal” policies on the Romanian energy sector. And I am committed, as always, to acting in the interest of my country.
Romania has the energy that Europe needs. We will have enough for ourselves and for our neighbors, from Chisinau to Vienna. But, for this, we must make courageous decisions and put an end to the illusion that a weak economy can support a strong democracy. Romania must be strong, so that Europe can be strong!”
