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Europe Today: guerra in Iran al 12º giorno, leader europei frustrati per mancanza di strategia
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00:14Buongiorno, è Wednesday 11 Marche, I'm Maeve McMahon e you're watching Europe Today,
00:20your daily dose of European news and analysis live here on Euronews.
00:25Coming up, as the war in Iran enters its 12th day, European leaders are growing increasingly
00:32exasperated. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz says he's becoming deeply concerned about
00:36what he calls an apparent lack of strategy from the United States and Israel. He said
00:42that they have no interest in, he has said he's no interest in a quote endless war.
00:46And while you were sleeping, tensions in the Middle East escalated with heavy strikes hitting
00:51Iran, Lebanon and the Gulf states, civilian casualties are rising and in Lebanon, thousands
00:57of people have already been displaced. The US says it's destroyed 16 Iranian mine laying
01:02vessels after Pentagon Chief Pete Heggs had warned that the most intense day of US strikes on
01:07Iran was yet to come.
01:09For more on the ongoing war and Europe's reactions, we're joined here in the studio by our EU news
01:14editor, Maria Tadeo. Good morning, Maria. So a lot to process this morning. Fill us in.
01:18Well, a lot to process because this is still a story, obviously, about war in the region
01:23and energy, which is critical, of course, for the global economy. And once again, is the
01:30spotlight on the Strait of Hormuz and oil. And of course, there are now concerns, increasing
01:36concerns. This is an area that now Iran will target with mines. And obviously, that means
01:42that that transportation and the flows of oil, which need to come out of the Strait, also
01:47coming out of the Gulf of Persia, too, could be impacted even more severely. And this is
01:52one of the most critical locations when it comes to the global energy market. This is
01:56why we're seeing this whiplash and energy prices up and down on any news related to the ability
02:03to get oil out of the region.
02:05Now, on that note, yesterday, President Trump issued a warning in a post on social media in
02:11which he said if the mines, you know, for some reason are placed and they are not removed
02:16for with. So immediately, the military consequences to Iran will be, quote, at a level never seen
02:23before. So obviously, that's the U.S. responding again to reports that this is the next stage
02:29for Iran when it comes to the strategy of now escalation, but also chaos with no signs that the
02:36regime or the new Ayatollah is willing to engage for the time being with the U.S.
02:41And the story, as I say, is critical and it really matters, not just because of the energy market,
02:45the implications for the economy, but also because it really speaks to the U.S. strategy.
02:51You alluded to the German Chancellor saying we are confused. Is there a goalpost? Is there a goal?
02:57What is the goal? What is the strategy from the U.S.? And the thing about the energy market
03:02is that it never lies. You're either able to get the flow of oil up and running or you're not.
03:07And if you're not and the escalation in the Strait of Hormuz continues to go up and you do see
03:11that
03:11tankers become blocked, not only this is going to have major repercussions in the market, but it also
03:17could show, and this is a fundamental point, that the U.S., alongside Israel, of course, has gone into
03:22a major military operation without all the details figured out. So this is a critical point at this stage.
03:29And that's why Emmanuel Macron, he's hosting a G7 call today.
03:32Yes, precisely. Of course, we've seen the G7 meet on the finance sphere with the ministers of finance,
03:39then, of course, the energy ministers who met yesterday. But today, this is a meeting that is
03:43going to take place at 3 p.m. Paris time. It is hosted by the French and Emmanuel Macron because
03:48the
03:48French hold the presidency. And, of course, President Trump is going to participate now. Sources close
03:54to the lease. I say that the goal of this meeting is to take stock of the geo-economic
03:59repercussions of this war, and in particular, when it comes to energy. Obviously, there's been a lot
04:04of debate around the idea of releasing strategic oil reserves to really deal with the issues in the
04:10energy market. Although I speak to many analysts who say the issue is not the stocking, really.
04:14The oil is there. The issue is the transportation and the impact on prices. And then, to that extent,
04:19however, we also have to keep an eye today on the International Energy Agency because overnight
04:25reports that they could also release and make the biggest single-day release of oil even surpassing
04:32the 182 million barrels that they put out in 2022 when the war in Ukraine broke out to deal with
04:37the
04:38implications and the ramifications in the energy market. But again, one of the fundamental questions
04:42beyond pricing and just logistics, is there a plan really to get oil coming out? And does the U.S.
04:48really have a strategy? And to more confusion, just briefly, yesterday, the U.S. Secretary for
04:52Energy said that they had managed to escort tankers out. Then he deleted it, and it was obvious that
04:58no tanker had been escorted out. So again, there's a lot of confusion, not just in the logistics, but
05:02really, is there a plan? And of course, you had the opportunity to speak to the European
05:06Commissioner for Energy, Dan Jorgensen. He was in Strasbourg yesterday. We can take a look now at that
05:10interview, Maria. This is, of course, a very serious situation. It is not as bad as in February 22 when
05:16Russia
05:18attacked Ukraine. At that time, we were more dependent on one single source of our energy,
05:23and it was fossil. It was gas from Russia. Now we are better situated to deal with the situation.
05:28But still, when the world market prices go up, it is a problem for us, which shows us one thing
05:35very clearly. That is, let's get rid of the dependency of fossil fuels. Let's have more homegrown,
05:42clean energy. And of course, the G7 has been holding meetings. There's a lot of speculation about a
05:47release of strategic reserves. Is that something that you think would be helpful at this stage?
05:51It is something that can become relevant. It would help keep the prices down. We are not in a situation
05:57where we have security of supply issues in Europe right now. But of course, the question of the prices
06:05are extremely important for our citizens and our industries. And we also need to be working in
06:11solidarity with our partners in the International Energy Agency Network.
06:15So is there going to be a release of these assets? Or is it something that at this point,
06:19there's consensus is a good idea, but not a date? What would trigger it?
06:23That is too early to say. We are in the process of analyzing this. But of course, it can happen.
06:29And of course, your job is to ensure energy security for the European Union. You say this is different to
06:33the Russian invasion. But there is a question of pricing. What measures in the short term can you put forward
06:39to deal with the escalation in prices? Of course, there is a very clear concern for us that the prices
06:45are too high for our citizens and our industry. That's also why today we've put forward several
06:51different measures, both some that has the aim to help our long term transition, but also some that can
06:57work short term. For instance, we've sent a very clear signal to the member states of the union.
07:01And we recommend that you lower the taxes on electricity. That would make it easier for your
07:07industries to compete. It'll make it easier for your citizens to pay their bills. And it'll be
07:13good for the green transition. And you can do that tomorrow. It's not something where you have to wait
07:18for a new legislative proposal to be put forward for long negotiations and so forth. It can be done
07:23short term. And is that the maximum that you contemplate? Or is there more things that you could
07:27put on the table if the situation deteriorates? There's definitely more things that can be put on the
07:32table. It's also very clear that there's a big difference between being in a serious situation
07:38like the one we're in now and being in an emergency like the one we had in 22. And since
07:43we're not
07:44there yet, we're not applying some of the emergency measures that we did in 22. There has been calls
07:49now that leaders could ask certainly next week when they meet and they talk about competitiveness for
07:54another review of the ETS. Is that something that you would say? Yes, everything can be reviewed.
08:01We are, of course, continuously discussing what to do with regards to our long term transition in the
08:08European Union, whilst at the same time addressing immediate needs. What's important for me to say is
08:13that our fundamental direction is the right one. We need to move away from fossils. We need to have a
08:20green transition. Why? Because it lowers prices, because it helps us decarbonize, but also because
08:25it gives us the energy security that we so clearly do not have right now. That's the lesson we learned
08:31from the situation in Ukraine when Russia attacked. But it's actually also a lesson that we are reminded
08:36now that other geopolitical events are affecting our price levels in Europe. Of course, you hear the
08:44industry saying the issue is that Europe does not have energy security. You cannot be competitive if you do
08:49not have energy security. Is that an exaggeration? Or do you look at it and you say, it's a fair
08:54point.
08:55At this point, Europe does not have that level of security. No, unfortunately, it's very clear that we
08:59are not independent. We import for more than 370 billion euros fossils every year. That's not sustainable
09:08for our climate, certainly, but not for our economy either. We need to use more homegrown energy.
09:14The good news is that that homegrown energy will also be cheaper than the fossil alternative. So not only
09:19will it help us to become more independent and therefore be good for our security, it'll also
09:24be good for our economy. Now, this is not something that might happen in the future and that we're
09:29waiting for. This is something that we are already doing. So last year, we deployed a record of 89
09:35gigawatts of new renewables that saved us more than 30 billion euros, just this newly deployed
09:43renewables. And this year, we will do the same. So we are moving in the right direction.
09:47But when are you going to see that manifested in prices, however, especially given this
09:50volatility? Because the direction of prices has been up, certainly for the past week.
09:54The deployment of new renewables brings the prices down. This means that had we not had
09:58the renewables that we have, the prices would have been much higher. That's one of the reasons
10:02why we don't see the same effects now as we did in 22. So when prices are set for electricity,
10:08for instance, the most cheap energy bids first, and that's the renewables. Then sometimes if you don't have
10:14enough renewables in the system and it's the fossils that set the price, the gas that sets the
10:20price, that's when the prices go up. Also on the renewables and the less hours, the better we can
10:27become at having less hours of the fossil setting the price, the better, of course, it is. So that's
10:33one of the reasons. I know it's a bit complicated, but that's one of the reasons why we are in
10:37a better
10:37situation now than we were in 22. The Russian president has said that Russia is ready to
10:41intervene in this market to stabilize prices. When you hear that, what does that make you think?
10:47What does that allude to you? We absolutely do not want Russian energy. Russia is conducting a
10:52terrible war on our friends in Ukraine, and we do not want to help indirectly finance that war by
10:59buying Russian energy. Russia's weaponized energy against us. Russia's blackmailed member states of
11:05European Union using energy. So for us, we've said no more to this, and that is a standpoint that we
11:13will stick to.
11:16Now, the war in Iran has spread to Lebanon, where Israel has vowed to root out the Iran-backed Shia
11:22militia Hezbollah. Thousands of people are on the move, mostly from south Lebanon, from a war that
11:27has already caused almost 600 deaths in the country. In a last-ditch effort to stop the violence,
11:33the Lebanese government asked for direct talks with Israel through a U.S. intermediary. So far,
11:38the U.S. and Israel have rebuffed the proposal, albeit not officially saying the government should
11:43focus on disarming Hezbollah. Your News' senior editor and Middle East expert Sophie Claudet
11:48spoke to Lebanon's energy minister, Joe Sadi. Here's what he had to say.
11:52This was indeed a very courageous initiative by our president. But as of this time, I am not aware of
12:04any
12:04response yet.
12:06But don't you think it's a little too late? As per the 2024 ceasefire agreement between Lebanon and Israel,
12:13the Lebanese government was supposed to disarm Hezbollah. This hasn't happened. And we've seen now
12:19what's happening.
12:20Obviously, I think everybody would wish that the implementation of this would happen much quicker.
12:28But this has to do on one side with the availability of the capabilities of the Lebanese army. It has
12:39to
12:39do with also the behavior of Israel during that whole period.
12:48But does the army have even the capabilities of disarming Hezbollah, which is a state within the states?
12:54Based on what the, I'm not, I'm no military expert, but based on what the army says, they do not
13:00have
13:00all the capabilities they need to do this by their own account, which is why, in anger, there was a
13:09plan
13:09to do it in multiple phases.
13:12Prime Minister Netanyahu has been very clear in his will to completely root out Hezbollah. And I may
13:18remind our viewers that Hezbollah is not only a military faction, it's also a political and social
13:25movement that is deeply rooted in Lebanon. Do you think that Israel can root out Hezbollah?
13:30The military side of Hezbollah has now been declared illegal by our government. The political and prime minister
13:38did say that if Hezbollah was to date purely as a political party, then he would have no problem with
13:52it.
13:52But I understand the Lebanese authorities can live with Hezbollah being a political social movement.
13:59But Israel is increasingly showing signs that it cannot. And Hezbollah is an ideology. How can you defeat an ideology?
14:07The way forward is to show what the state can do, deliver basic goods and services on all fronts, health,
14:19social, education, etc.
14:21But for the state to be able to deliver this, it needs financial, it needs political willingness, which I think
14:27it has, but it also needs financial means.
14:30And unfortunately, Hezbollah dragging us again back into the war, it makes the availability of international funding that much more
14:41difficult and distant in time.
14:46Do you think if the Iranian regime was completely defeated, that would significantly weaken Hezbollah as a movement, as an
14:53ideology, as a popular movement in Lebanon?
14:55The lifeline, there is a financial lifeline for Hezbollah coming from Iran that said publicly there is a military one
15:03probably that has severely decreased since the regime change in Syria, but certainly on the financial front as well.
15:13And so any reduction, any major reduction, both on the military side and on the financial side, in terms of
15:22lifeline to Hezbollah, certainly would weaken it.
15:29And with the situation in the Middle East getting worse and thousands now internally displaced, with some stadiums even turned
15:35into shelters, the EU Agency for Asylum is preparing for potential humanitarian crisis.
15:41Our Jakob Janis reports.
15:44War. War never changes.
15:47But while the news cycle obsesses over tactical maps, your reporter is looking at the people.
15:53President Trump has called the conflict a short-term excursion.
15:57But if he's wrong, Europe could deal with a refugee crisis of an unprecedented magnitude.
16:03And history shows that when a home becomes a battlefield, people move towards safety and existing ties.
16:09So where could they go?
16:11Currently, roughly 4 million Iranians live abroad, and most of them migrated during or after the 1979 revolution.
16:21In Europe, Germany leads with over 300,000 people, followed by the UK and Sweden, with each hosting around 100
16:29,000.
16:30In 2025, only 8,000 Iranians sought asylum in Europe, which is less than 1% of all applications.
16:39But with a population of 90 million, the EU Asylum Agency warns that even partial instability could trigger a massive
16:47refugee crisis.
16:48However, the agency also calls this scenario highly speculative, stressing it is too early for firm predictions.
16:56But you should know this isn't only about Iran.
16:59It is about the whole region.
17:01Iran is already one of the world's largest refugee hosts.
17:06A home to over 1.5 million of them, and many more with an undocumented status.
17:12Most of refugees come from Afghanistan and Iraq, and are now caught in just another war zone.
17:18And the ripple effect is spreading.
17:21According to the International Organization for Migration,
17:24over 660,000 people have been displaced in Lebanon because of the conflict.
17:30And right now, no one knows yet how, or when, the war will end.
17:36But for Europe, it seems that the consequences are no longer distant.
17:45And it is in this very context that MEPs are gathering in Strasbourg this week.
17:50European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is set to address the Parliament this morning.
17:54For more on that, we can now cross over to the European Parliament in Strasbourg
17:58and bring in your news as Marit Gwynne-Jones.
18:00Good morning, Marit.
18:01So Ursula von der Leyen will take centre stage today at a very tense time for the European Union
18:05and also for inter-institutional relations.
18:08Tell us more.
18:11Yes, Maeve.
18:12Expect a fiery debate when the Commission President joins the hemicycle later this morning.
18:19For two reasons, really.
18:20Because firstly, members of this Parliament have been telling me in recent days
18:25that they feel that von der Leyen has been really overstepping her mandate
18:30in response to the conflict in the Middle East,
18:32that she's been wading into foreign policy when she shouldn't,
18:35encroaching on the role of the EU foreign policy chief, Kaya Callas.
18:39I remember that von der Leyen was the compromise candidate back in 2019,
18:43but her critics say that since then she's been using crises like this one
18:46to accumulate power and to expand her mandate into a more geopolitical one.
18:51And in fact, von der Leyen did deliver a speech earlier this week
18:54where she essentially laid out a new vision for the way that EU conducts its foreign policy,
18:59saying it has to stop being a custodian of the old world order, she said,
19:04and that it essentially faces two choices.
19:06It either clings on, she said, to what used to make it strong,
19:10or it adapts to a more power politics world by pursuing a more interest-based foreign policy.
19:16We've had quite a harsh response from socialist voices.
19:19The European Council President, Antonio Costa,
19:22saying yesterday that EU still needs to be a standard bearer.
19:26Also, the Vice President of the Commission, Teresa Ribeira,
19:29another socialist voice, saying yesterday in response to von der Leyen's speech,
19:34she said it was not the most adequate manner to express herself,
19:38but yes, she is fully committed, of course, to the international order.
19:43We've also seen a response from the Spanish government saying
19:45that the EU has to uphold the rules-based order.
19:48So, Maeve, I think we can expect these tensions to really play out
19:51when von der Leyen addresses the hemicycle this morning.
19:55Indeed.
19:55Mary Gwynne-Jones, thank you so much for that live update there from Strasbourg.
19:59But that does bring this edition of Europe Today to an end.
20:03For more news analysis, do visit euronews.com.
20:05Thank you so much, though, for tuning in.
20:07As always, take care and see you very soon on Euronews.
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