Video message by President von der Leyen at the 2025 Climate Change Summit in Bucharest

Ladies and gentlemen,

Next month leaders will gather in Brazil for COP30 – ten years after the Paris Agreement. In that decade, we have made real progress. Worldwide, investment in clean energy has more than doubled. And this year, for the first time, renewables have overtaken coal as the world's largest source of electricity. Europe continues to lead, with our emissions down nearly 40% since 1990. Yet, we still see the threat of climate change in floods and forest fires. That is why today's summit matters. It brings together the people turning ambition into action. NGOs helping farmers restore their soil, making farms more profitable and sustainable. Entrepreneurs transforming cities like Cluj into hubs of clean-tech innovation. And researchers, companies, and governments working side by side. Because only together can we protect our nature. So let me focus on how Europe is supporting you. 

First, we are delivering on our climate goals. Europe is staying the course. We are on track to meet our 2030 targets, and we will make this the first climate-neutral continent by 2050. But we only succeed if every part of our Union succeeds. That is the purpose of our Modernisation Fund – to help countries upgrade their energy systems and infrastructure. Through the Fund, we are supporting Romania, for example, with over 16 billion €. From building wind farms on the Black Sea coast to modernising Bucharest's metro, these investments tackle climate change, and bring benefits to citizens so that they can see and experience these benefits every single day.

Second, we are upgrading our grids and strengthening connections across Europe. We are adapting our networks to the needs of a clean-energy future. By modernising infrastructure and speeding up permitting with our new Grids Package. And to tackle eight critical bottlenecks across Europe, we have launched the Energy Highways Initiative. From connecting Lithuania and Poland's grids to completing the Trans-Balkan corridor, these projects will strengthen our energy security. And they will ensure that every European can benefit from affordable, clean energy.

And my third point is on innovation. One in every five clean technologies is born in Europe. Here in Romania, companies are developing next-generation batteries to store and power our clean-energy future. But the clean-tech race is accelerating, and we must stay ahead. That is why we are putting forward the most ambitious long-term EU budget ever, with competitiveness at its core. More than 35% of this budget will support projects for climate and nature. Because the clean technologies of the future must not only be used in Europe, they must be made in Europe.

Ladies and gentlemen,

This conference is a chance to learn from each other. To launch the projects that will make Europe the first climate-neutral continent, and the global leader in clean tech. And we are with you to make it happen.

Thank you very much.

I wish you a productive summit and long live Europe.