#revolvingdoors alert! Timmermans' chief of staff, Diederik Samsom, has moved to Gasunie. Samsom had a key role in far-reaching policies including #EGD and Gasunie benefited from gas being kept a transitional fuel and public money for #falsesolutions #hydrogen, #ccs
Gasunie is a Dutch gas network operator. Aggressively #lobbying, also as member of Hydrogen Europe, Gas Infrastructure Europe, European Network of Transmission System Operators for Gas and European Hydrogen Backbone, all created to make us believe #H2 and #CCS will decarbonize gas by 2050. Meanwhile they get funds for yet more #fossilfuel infrastructure on “financial insights of pipeline infrastructure developments”
As head of cabinet of Climate Commissioner, Samson met to discuss issues of direct interest to Gasunie and its lobby groups ie. met two times with Gasunie in 2023 on hydrogen, and with European Hydrogen Backbone
Yet, Samson doesn’t think minutes of lobby meetings are needed. In first 100 days of #EGD the fossil fuel industry met twice a week with top EC staff: Timmermans and his cabinet were the busiest. Only 3 out of 56 meetings had notes. Samson told us there’s no obligation to do them and that verbal debriefing is enough.
Samson & Timmermans have been #hydrogen champions, with unprecedented political, financial & regulatory support since 2019. However, according to the International Energy Agency, 99% of all H2 is made from climate-wrecking fossil fuels (and has been the case for last 4 years despite #HydrogenHype)
Gasunie and European Hydrogen Backbone have been using the #H2Hype to lobby for +57,000 km of pipelines by 2040, with +20.000km newly built! 500 large scale hydrogen transport projects proposed for Europe, mostly by the fossil gas transport industry. It risks stranded assets, wasting billions from European taxpayers.
Samson argues: “Gasunie does not trade or own one molecule of gas. But they are instrumental in providing the infrastructure to accelerate the transition to a renewable energy system.” Even Gasunie says its business is mainly #gas. It builds and operates gas pipelines and LNG terminals
Despite claims on energy transition, research shows how Gasunie, Gas Infrastructure Europe, European Network of Transmission System Operators for Gas used invasion of Ukraine to secure new LNG investments (ie. Gasunie #Eemshaven LNG terminal) and long-term supply contracts. Totally at odds with the need to rapidly phase out fossil fuels.
More, Samson breached the rules: he only informed EC after his new post was public. This piles pressure on an already-weak Commission ethics system. Samsom says 'There is no possible conflict of interest in this role and my previous role as a Commission official’
This is very problematic. The EU puts the interests of #gas industry before the energy poor & climate action. Result of the incestuous relationship between fossil fuel #lobby & decision-makers. #revolvingdoors makes it worse.
❤️🔥 We need #FossilFreePolitics
