“We said to the prime minister that we think that shale gas is an opportunity. I know it's a very sensitive argument, but this is very important to make Europe and also maybe your country more independent from other countries. And we also discussed a lot that through shale gas the US is re-industrializing […] and we have to pay attention because we are losing competitiveness,” she told reporters after meeting with Prime Minister Algirdas Butkevičius in Vilnius on Friday.
Energy policy, better access to financing and search for raw materials would help Europe remain competitive, she said.
“We need a different energy policy because you cannot compete with the US if they have lower cost of energy. We need better access to financing (...), we have to have access to raw materials. Better one. The Chinese are looking a lot in African countries. Europe isn't doing this and also we have to invest the EU budget money in research transportation,” said the president of the region’s largest lobby representing 41 business associations.
She said that she also spoke about youth unemployment with Butkevičius. Marcegaglia welcomed the European Union’s (EU) decision to earmark 6 billion euros to tackle this problem yet said that this was a short-term solution. She urged to look for long-term solutions, such as reorganization of universities or simplification of practices.
