I think of the Nordic countries as the Polaris of Europe, or North Star of Europe. Because very often, you show the way.
First, on readiness and preparedness. I think we can all agree, no one does it like you do. In the North, readiness runs through society. From the shelters of Helsinki to the Cadet Academy in Copenhagen, I have seen it for myself. Just last week in the European Council, we decided to move forward on Europe's Roadmap to Defence Readiness by 2030. After that, we discussed how to maintain our strong support to Ukraine. Your support and your experience will be essential – it has always been! – in reaching our goals. From monitoring the Arctic in the North to deterring a rogue neighbour in the East – it will serve as a guide for all of Europe.
My second point is on competitiveness. Over dinner with business leaders in Sweden yesterday, I heard a lot of inspiring stories. Because here, excellence is the norm. But I was just as interested in the challenges as I was in the progress that has been shown. We know what hinders competitiveness in the Europe Union. There is a clear lack of access to capital for scale-ups. There is red tape. Permits take too long. A fragmented Single Market. And high energy costs. We are working very hard on all these topics across all strands to simplify, clarify and accelerate. Here our guiding star is the Draghi report. And together we are preparing our clean tech future. Here again, look at the Nordics. Not long ago, your region depended heavily on fossil fuels. Today 99% of Sweden's electricity is coming from renewables and nuclear. That is a lesson for all of Europe: You stayed focused. You stayed the course on the target of climate neutrality – but you are flexible on the way to get there. And then you succeed. You have turned the climate debate and the competitiveness debate into one, and that is the right way to go. Because clean tech is where smart money goes. We want the future of clean tech to be made here in Europe. And for this, we must retain our industries, our talents, our jobs. In a world of fierce, often unfair competition, we must support more clean products 'made in Europe'. Strengthen key sectors, from cars to batteries. And secure access to critical raw materials, with our new RESourcEU plan. That is the goal. And we will stay firmly focused on it.
