Statement by President von der Leyen on the occasion of the New European Bauhaus goes Into the Woods event

Thank you very much for bringing us here, dear Sanna,

Dear Kaja,

Dear Ebba,

Indeed, it is wonderful to be here in Haltia, a truly exceptional place and an even more stunning one with the cold and wintery atmosphere that we are experiencing right now. At the same time, seeing the snow and feeling the cold, I cannot avoid thinking of our Ukrainian friends.

The Ukrainian people, because of Putin's barbaric, terroristic attack on the country's civil infrastructure, must face this oncoming winter with no electricity and, in many places, no running water. Because of him, babies, their parents and grandparents are freezing in the dark. And I strongly condemn these barbaric attacks. They are war crimes. But I also know that our Ukrainian friends will overcome this tragedy. Because they are strong and their cause is just. And we, the European Union, stand here by them in these very difficult times as long as it takes. We are working hard to hit Russia where it hurts, to blunt even further its capacity to wage war on Ukraine. And I can announce today that we are working at full speed on a ninth sanctions package. And I am confident that we will very soon approve a global price cap on Russian oil with the G7 and other major partners. We will not rest until Ukraine has prevailed over Putin and his unlawful and barbaric war.

Now let me come back to what brings us here today. Indeed, Haltia is a wooden heaven by the lake and the view is stunning. With most modern techniques, to me, it perfectly captures the spirit of your country, but also of this conference we have today, so a place where tradition and innovation go hand in hand. The building sector, which we are discussing today, accounts for one-third of the EU's greenhouse gas emissions. And buildings can produce an enormous amount of waste globally. So what we are discussing here today and what we want are buildings and cities that are becoming carbon sinks instead of emitting carbon, and thus helping us in the fight against climate change.

With the New European Bauhaus, we want to address these topics and we want to decarbonise the building sector, the building stock. We are looking for nature-based solutions, like here in Haltia, where there is obviously a plant-covered roof that soaks up carbon, that soaks up sunlight and rain water. So I am very happy that today the country is committed to contribute to a New European Bauhaus Academy for sustainable construction. The New European Bauhaus Academy will focus mainly on research and innovation and on the necessary skills that we need for the green transition, mainly in the construction sector. As a first step, we will offer online learning courses on bio-based materials in construction. And with Horizon Europe, we will call for bio-based material projects worth EUR 10 million in this research and innovation call.

I am very grateful for this excellent conference because we know that forests are our best allies to fight climate change. We have to protect them, but we also have to work with them. And therefore, all our efforts in implementing the European Green Deal are to find the right balance, to strike the right balance between the increased sourcing of natural products for construction – we need them – and the health of our forests. Forests are essential, as I said, in the fight against climate change and biodiversity loss. At the same time, our forests have a huge economic value. And I am very much looking forward to my visit this afternoon to one of the biggest Finnish-Swedish forest companies. This will be fascinating to see. Because they are an excellent example for the growing awareness in the business sector that nature restoration is not only about sustainability, it is also a business strategy to maintain the sources of their business.

So our common aim should be exactly this: to find multiple wins for biodiversity, for our climate and for our economy. I know that this is already a reality for some Member States. But others in the European Union will still have a way to go. In sum, we have ambitious climate goals we all agree on. But now it is time to show that we can really deliver. I want to make very clear that we are a strong supporter of the principle of subsidiarity. So I want to make very clear: It is the Member States; it is the local communities who are in the driving seats for their plans, how to approach the topics, to protect the forests and to have economic activities in the forests. When it comes to the implementation of all this, it is your plans, you own them and you are in the driving seat. We only support you as much as we can. This conference today showed an impressive amount of innovative solutions and best practices, so a pioneer to move on.

Many thanks for having invited me.