Mr. Mauro Petriccione:

It still has some nuclear plants. It will continue to use nuclear energy but so will some of our member states. As the Senator may have seen, we project that approximately 15% of our energy supply will come from nuclear energy generation in 2050. That is not a prediction or suggestion but an extrapolation of current choices made by member states regarding energy mix. If those choices change in one way or another, that projection will have to change, but that is what we have modelled on the basis of what we know today.

Japan will come up with a long-term strategy in June. It will be very similar to ours, although it will not be as ambitious. This is a global problem which we are not going to solve. By 2030 we will be irrelevant in reducing emissions because we will produce less than 2% of world emissions. However, we are absolutely crucial in offering the model for how to do it. If nobody offers that model, it will not happen and there is nobody else who is even prepared to try, let alone to succeed. We have a unique combination of factors in Europe. The pressure from people for immediate and urgent action is enormous and constant. It is everywhere and, as members will have seen in their communities, it cuts across preferences in the different parts of the political spectrum. I am conscious that there may be some exceptions, but, by and large, that is the situation in Europe. It is not the situation anywhere else. The United States is a profoundly divided society in terms of politics, social model and belief in climate change. We have the technology. We have to invest massively in the renovation and modernisation of the economy. We may just as well invest in a model of the economy which is cleaner, safer and can be imitated by others. As I said at the beginning, we do not see any different model that is capable of succeeding. A model that does not combine a clean economy with prosperity is very unlikely to receive the required support. In many ways, we are fortunate that we do not have to make a choice in that respect because there is none.

I apologise to the Chair for taking so long.