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L'AIE à Euronews : l'électrification est la clé pour sauver l'industrie européenne
Le directeur de l’Agence internationale de l’énergie, Fatih Birol, a déclaré à Euronews que l’UE devait entrer dans « l’ère de l’électricité » pour renforcer sa compétitivité industrielle.
LIRE L’ARTICLE : http://fr.euronews.com/2026/05/28/pour-sauver-lindustrie-europeenne-lelectrification-est-la-cle-affirme-laie-a-euronews
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Le directeur de l’Agence internationale de l’énergie, Fatih Birol, a déclaré à Euronews que l’UE devait entrer dans « l’ère de l’électricité » pour renforcer sa compétitivité industrielle.
LIRE L’ARTICLE : http://fr.euronews.com/2026/05/28/pour-sauver-lindustrie-europeenne-lelectrification-est-la-cle-affirme-laie-a-euronews
Abonnez-vous à notre chaine. Euronews est disponible sur Dailymotion en 12 langues
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NewsTranscription
00:00Sous-titrage Société Radio-Canada
00:30You also say there are clear parallels when it comes to the shock that we're seeing in the 1970s.
00:35How severe is it going to get?
00:37Now, I said I label this crisis as the largest energy crisis in the history.
00:45We had three energy crisis up to now, two oil crisis in 1970s, 1973 and 1979,
00:53and in 2022, after the Russia's invasion of Ukraine in Europe, we had a natural gas crisis.
01:01If I add how much oil and gas we lost in this all three crisis,
01:08it is much less than what we lost in the Middle East crisis, Iran crisis now.
01:14It's a huge problem for the global energy system, global economy, for Europe and beyond.
01:21And when you say this will trigger fundamental changes, especially you, and I want to reiterate this,
01:25you talk about energy but also energy security.
01:28What kind of changes are you envisioning?
01:30Because this shows us that the world is becoming more and more a dangerous place.
01:37And here the countries want to secure their energy supplies.
01:44And this would mean that the countries will review their energy strategies,
01:50which technologies, which fuels they are going to choose,
01:53and which countries they are going to work,
01:56from which countries they import energy, for example,
01:59and they are going to review their energy strategies.
02:02And these will have major implications for the investment and beyond.
02:05In mid-April, you made some comments, which obviously made a lot of headlines,
02:09certainly in Europe, about jet fuel.
02:11You warned that in six weeks there could be no jet fuel.
02:14That created a lot of anxiety among finance ministers
02:17and also just Europeans who thought,
02:19this summer, am I going to be able to go on vacation?
02:21Am I going to be able to pay for fuel tickets?
02:24What is the situation now?
02:26Because from the outside, it seems that a very stressed-out scenario
02:29did not fully manifest.
02:30But is it the case?
02:31So the reason I said this is very simple.
02:36Europe imports about 75% of this jet fuel from Middle East normally,
02:43and it is not finished.
02:46And when we look at our stocks, jet fuel stocks, they are diminishing.
02:51And I said, we said that if Europe cannot find new sources of imports,
02:58we are going to have major problems in terms of flying.
03:03Now, in the meantime, Europe was able to get some jet fuel from United States
03:09and from Nigeria to compensate this gap from Middle East.
03:14So, which means that we are now sort of okay when we are entering the traveling season,
03:21but we are going to pay much higher for flying here or there.
03:28And, of course, that takes us to the idea that this is not necessarily a supply crisis,
03:32but a price crisis.
03:32I do want to ask you...
03:33But also, let's not forget that many companies, after I made this announcement,
03:38many companies, the Lufthansa, the Scandinavian, the Ryanair, and all of them,
03:45KLM, they cut their flights.
03:47And they cut their flights.
03:48And just on this point, because I think this is very important,
03:52some, certainly in Brussels, believed that statements like that,
03:55they were contributing to fear-mongering.
03:58Is that something that you would go, no, this is my duty and I had to say what I said,
04:02and I stand by those comments?
04:04Our motto is very clear.
04:06No fear, no favor.
04:08We look at the data.
04:09We say, give a wake-up call to the countries.
04:12And if we didn't give this wake-up call,
04:14they wouldn't rush to get from Nigeria and United States.
04:18And thanks to them, thanks to our wake-up call,
04:22they were able to get some jet fuel from U.S. and Nigeria,
04:25which barely now, this is the problem.
04:29So in that sense, is the situation, the outlook now for Europe,
04:34looking relatively better compared to two months ago?
04:38Or is this still uncertainty?
04:39Because we're seeing the Commission just got their forecast for growth this year.
04:42Yes.
04:42I wouldn't say better, but less worse than before.
04:47And what does that mean this year?
04:49Until, of course, we don't know what will happen with the state of Hormuz,
04:52I very much hope that very soon we get a fully and unconditional opening of the state of Hormuz.
04:59If it doesn't happen, the problem with the jet fuel and diesel and beyond will be with us for weeks
05:07to come.
05:07And is there a timeline that you foresee?
05:10Because the Trump administration has been saying now for weeks that there is a plan.
05:13I mean, manifestly, the state of Hormuz is still shut.
05:16So is there a timeline that you work with?
05:18Yes.
05:18I very much hope that the state of Hormuz is open fully and unconditionally
05:25because in the absence of the opening of the state,
05:29we will have serious problems with both the energy sector but also the agricultural sector
05:37because a lot of fertilizers go from the state.
05:41And the problem is the following.
05:43The month of July and August, we are starting the traveling season, demand goes up,
05:50and also planting season for the farmers.
05:53So we are seeing on one hand the supply, the production of the energy and the fertilizers are going down.
06:03And at the same time, the demand is going up because of the seasonal movements.
06:08The U.S. was very critical of the Europeans, certainly in the context of NATO,
06:12that they are not, quote, doing enough to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
06:16Is there a form of criticism on the Europeans for your part?
06:19Or do you understand where they're coming from?
06:20They cannot just open this overnight, and this is a global crisis.
06:24Yeah.
06:25I mean, geopolitical situation is very fragile, and it is not a secret that there are different views
06:31between the countries, even the two sides of Atlantic.
06:36But despite that, I can tell you that one of the reasons why we are not in a worse shape
06:41today,
06:42International Energy Agency, us, on the 11th of March,
06:46I announced that we released 400 million dollars of oil.
06:50It was a historical release.
06:50It was a historical release.
06:51It gave a lot of comfort to the market,
06:53and we were able to get this release unanimously.
06:59The United States and Europe came together, together with Japan and the other countries,
07:02so it was a real success story.
07:04But at some point, the market is going to look at it and say,
07:08is this enough if the Strait of Hormuz does not reopen?
07:10Do you foresee another release will be needed this year?
07:14That release brought the prices $20 down, which is very good, very important for Europe
07:20and for everybody in the world, most people in the world, I should say.
07:25And it was, even though it was historic, 400 million dollars,
07:28it was only 20% of the reserves we have.
07:32Still 80% is here.
07:34If it is needed, we will be ready to release those stocks when it is decided.
07:40So this is something that you contemplate and that you believe the different members,
07:45the U.S., the Europeans, and not just, will participate if a second round is needed?
07:49So we are, of course, always monitoring the markets if there is a need or not.
07:53I am discussing with the government leaders in Europe, U.S., Japan, Korea, and the others.
08:00If there is a need, we are ready to act immediately.
08:03And you're thinking this would be by the summer if you get to Q3 and there is still no resolution?
08:08Is there a date you work with or is this just an intention?
08:11No, this is a plan.
08:14If it is in place, if there is a need, and we will decide when it is, depending on the
08:19market conditions,
08:20especially what will happen with the state of Hormuz.
08:24This is not necessarily a supply crisis.
08:26The oil could be pumping.
08:28The issue is, well, the Gulf countries have been attacked and you cannot get the oil out through the Strait
08:32of Hormuz.
08:32So it is a pricing issue for the Europeans.
08:34There is a lot of concern in Europe that, given the background of what happened in 2022, the EU cannot
08:40enter another bidding war.
08:42We have seen the Italian Prime Minister, very critical, saying oil at this level, this is really hurting the industry.
08:49What is the alternative?
08:50What can be done?
08:51In fact, as a world, we are a bit fortunate because before we entered this crisis, before the 28th of
08:58February, we had a lot of oil in the markets, a surplus of oil.
09:03And after this crisis has started, we used the surplus and we released some stocks.
09:10We are using that as well.
09:12And the stocks are coming to almost a zero line.
09:17If the stocks continue to come down so much, plus the July-August demand is going up because of the
09:23traveling season,
09:24so I would call we are entering the red zone in terms of the implications on the markets.
09:32What does it mean?
09:33It means we may well see the inflation numbers in Europe and beyond will go up.
09:40Economic growth will suffer.
09:42Europe will definitely, once again, after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, we already went through this difficult time.
09:50We may face again a difficult time if the situation is not better and if the problem with the hormones
09:57is not solved.
09:59In a difficult time means what?
10:01Because there is a disagreement among members of the EU that the Commission has not put forward all the measures
10:06that it could.
10:07Some member states say this is a real crisis.
10:10It's a quiet crisis because the spike in prices is not overnight, but it has stayed elevated for a long
10:15time now.
10:16What more can be done?
10:17Do you understand the frustrations of Georgia Meloni, let's say?
10:20She's been very vocal about this.
10:21I think all the leaders in Europe are concerned about this, I can tell you, all the European leaders, but
10:29not only Europe.
10:29I was in the UK.
10:31It's everywhere around the world.
10:33The Japanese prime minister, the Australian prime minister, but Europe is at the heart of it because we already went
10:39through this four years ago.
10:41It is the second time in a very short period of time.
10:44The European industry says they cannot deal with this again after four years.
10:46I hope not, but I am afraid we will see some difficult times in terms of our economy.
10:54The inflation numbers will go up and also our economic growth in Europe will suffer.
11:01The issue is not whether it will suffer or not, how much it is going to suffer.
11:07This is my issue.
11:08So the earlier the state of France is opened in a fully and unconditional way, the better it is for
11:15our economies in Europe.
11:16Because, of course, the world has said they will not pay any duties to the regime in Iran.
11:19The Europeans have been clear they will not pay for passage.
11:22But I want to ask you, as you say, the question is how bad this will get.
11:26This is already triggered in a conversation that perhaps this is the moment to revisit some of the sanctions on
11:31Russia.
11:32We've seen the U.S. extend this waiver.
11:34The U.K. seems to be thinking maybe not directly, but yes, to third countries.
11:37The European Union says this is not the time to ease the pressure on the Russians.
11:42Is that a scenario that you foresee ultimately this conversation is inevitable?
11:46So we talk about the oil crisis in 1970s.
11:51Europe was a reaction to that.
11:53Europe made a lot of good things, but also some, I think, wrong choices.
12:00For example, many European countries at that time thought to over-reliance on the Middle East was a risky thing,
12:08which is true.
12:09Diagnosis is true.
12:10But as a solution, Europe pivoted to Russia.
12:14Over-reliance on Russia was a big mistake for Europe, and we paid for that during the year of 2022.
12:22And in my view, knocking on the door for Russia again would be a major mistake.
12:31We all made this mistake once.
12:32Once it's a mistake, doing it a second time is not a mistake.
12:36So you're saying to knock on the door of Russia, Vladimir Putin, would be not just a strategic mistake, but
12:42almost a fatal error for the Europeans.
12:44I, to be honest with you, there are many other options that Europe should look into, which are more secure
12:53in terms of the energy system and in terms of the foreign and defense policies.
12:59And there's been, of course, a commission repeating in light of that conversation of the Russian sanctions that the goal
13:05is now to accelerate the green transition and produce clean and accessible homegrown energy.
13:10The problem is there's a very clear political pushback.
13:12There's this idea that has really manifested in a part of the European public opinion that green energy is not
13:19the solution.
13:20It will not provide security, and it also comes at a cost premium.
13:23Is this the end of the green wave for the Europeans?
13:28First of all, it is green or clean, whatever you call it.
13:34Renewables will get a major, major boost from this, but not only renewables.
13:39Nuclear power will get a strong boost.
13:42Of course, both renewables and nuclear power will be the response to this, but from one day to another, we
13:51cannot replace all the oil and gas we have here with renewables and nuclear power.
13:58We should push them, but in the meantime, we should try to bring our oil and gas from countries, from
14:06regions which are not posing threat to European sovereignty, European economy, and will not use energy as a weapon in
14:17the international affairs.
14:18And that you look at the U.S., although some would argue at this point their relationship is very rocky.
14:22Also, you look at Norway and a number of other countries that you could point to.
14:26But there's, again, the question of the price differentiation.
14:29The European industry says at this point they already suffer from the scars of 2022, and they cannot compete on
14:34equal footing when it comes to China and the U.S.
14:37Do you hear this criticism, and what can be done?
14:40So, again, the mistake we made after the 1970s from over-reliance on the Middle East going to over-reliance
14:49on Russia is a huge mistake, a major mistake.
14:53And in my view, the golden rule, my golden rule number one for energy security is diversification.
14:59We have to diversify as much as possible, and this time we shouldn't have over-reliance on one single country,
15:07but at the same time we should find the countries where we can import energy securely, but at affordable prices.
15:16Do you worry there's an over-reliance, and I don't want to start a diplomatic incident, but is there an
15:20over-reliance on the U.S. as a provider of energy?
15:23The criticism has been in the context of this trade deal that was assigned that the Europeans are not developing
15:28as much their internal homegrown capacities because they're committing to billions, to facilities outside of the European Union.
15:34Is that the risk that you replace Russia with the United States under Trump?
15:38U.S. is a major oil and LNG gas exporter now, and it is very normal that Europe should get
15:48oil and gas from the United States.
15:49We're not becoming overly dependent.
15:50But whoever it is, it can be U.S., it can be Norway, it can be, we should diversify it.
15:58We shouldn't put all the eggs in one basket.
16:00This is the rule number one for me for the energy security.
16:03And I have two final questions on this point.
16:05There is a debate, certainly in the European Parliament, but also at the top levels of the European Commission, about
16:11what to do with some of the laws that have been approved.
16:14I don't know if they have been approved, they are the law now, but the implementation, the dates, the timeline,
16:19perhaps suspending some of those green clauses,
16:21which now have become clean.
16:22Nobody talks about green.
16:23They talk about clean now.
16:24Now, is that a fair case?
16:26Is this the time to say, let's just stop adding things, take a breather, this is a crisis, let's just
16:32pause it?
16:32Yeah.
16:33In my view, this crisis is a very important time for Europe to rethink its energy strategy, long-term energy
16:43strategy, because I believe European competitiveness and European sovereignty will critically hinge on what is our energy strategy.
16:52Now, we will use oil and gas for some time to come, it is impossible to replace it, but in
16:59my view, Europe's energy future is electrification.
17:03We will not suddenly discover in France or in Germany or in Poland somewhere, huge amount of oil and gas,
17:11it would have already been discovered.
17:13But electricity, we can generate electricity from renewables, from nuclear power, maybe from natural gas, from other things, and we
17:23should electrify our economies as much as possible.
17:27We should, our transportation system, as much as possible, electric cars.
17:33We should, our heating homes.
17:33Why is it not happening, Dr. Burall?
17:35It is, I think, we have not, we have not yet given enough attention to this.
17:42For me, electrification is not an environmental issue, primarily.
17:47It is a sovereignty of Europe, defense of Europe, foreign police of Europe.
17:52European economy should be strong on its own feet, and if we want this, electrification is the future for me.
18:00And just as a final question, of course, this is happening in the context of a deeper debate, much back
18:05to the Mario Draghi report, in which he talks about the idea of defense, energy, the economy.
18:11Ultimately, this is a big package. You cannot look at them in silos.
18:16I wonder, however, are you disappointed, perhaps, at the pace of things in which things seem to be moving in
18:22Europe?
18:22The fact that we're still debating whether a nuclear will be part of a transition or not.
18:26Are you disappointed about the fact that the EU seems to not want to spend, perhaps, the money that Mario
18:32Draghi says will be needed?
18:34Is there still an element in which this machine is just not taken off?
18:38Yeah. I mean, there is a lot of Europe bashing around the world. I travel around the world. I go
18:43to Asia, Latin America, North America.
18:47They bash Europe?
18:48No, they bash Europe. And I think the Europeans bash Europe more than the others themselves.
18:53Now, I tell you something.
18:55The Europeans bash themselves too much?
18:55Of course, too much. And they are a bit unfair to Europe, Europeans, but everybody else.
19:01Now, I have to tell you something. When I go around the world, if I ask the people in Asia,
19:06Latin America, North America, where would you like to live?
19:09Number one always comes to Europe, because Europe has the values which are very important for the humans, democratic values.
19:17We have great institutions. But in terms of energy, I'm an energy man. I can talk about energy. We didn't
19:23make the right choices all the time. We made a lot of mistakes.
19:26But now, we have to be very clear. Electrification is the future for our sovereignty, for our competitiveness. And if
19:34we make energy decisions right, I think Europe will be very strong in terms of its economy, foreign policy and
19:42defence. I believe it is at the heart of energies now, at the heart of European competitiveness and sovereignty of
19:50the continent.
19:51Well, Dr. Fatah Rural, thank you so much for joining us on Euronews.
19:55Thank you.
19:55Thank you.