Speaking Points o Subject: TEN-T Days Riga – Joint H2 & Fuel Cell Workshop o Meeting / Official visit / Event Inauguration WS incl. Handover

Ceremony Buyers' Declarationo Date: 23 June 2015 at 14:30 (until 15:10max)o Place: Omega 1 Room, Conference Centre, Hotel Radisson Blu Latvija,

Riga, LV

Speaking Points

Part 1: Welcome speech to the Inauguration Session

Dear Mr Usakovs, dear Coordinators, dear Chairmen,

CEOs, ladies and gentlemen.

After many years of research and demonstration

projects in hydrogen and fuel cells, financial support

by the Commission and national funding schemes, we

are now starting the introduction of this innovative,

strategic technology into the European market.

With this joint workshop we are together giving a

strong push to this important field of innovation and

new technologies towards the markets.

The two large funding programmes Horizon2020 and

the Connecting Europe Facility are equal partners in

this innovation pipeline.

The expectations of the Commission, my personal

expectations, are high – let's deliver with a joint effort.

I am pleased to see that this is now very concretely

culminating today with the two declarations, which are

the two sides of the same medal: the declaration of

the innovative first buyers and the declaration by the

innovative producers. Both sides are key to a

successful market introduction.

Finally, and most importantly, I am very happy that we

are able to demonstrate to our citizens and

businesses - through the exhibition in the presence of

journalists and TV - that this technology is ready now.

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Part 2: Signing Ceremony (still seated at podium, just before going

to signing desk with regional delegates, where handover takes place)

(speech text also included in cover note of signing act)

Ladies and gentlemen,

As a sign of support to further deploy larger numbers

of fuel cell hydrogen buses and to enable market

entry and commercialisation, a Letter of

Understanding has been signed by about 30 regional

entities.

Deploying zero emission vehicles can minimize the

potential risk of costly adaptation due to expected

stricter decarbonizing regulation. Cities that

participate now will be prepared when regulation

enters into force.

Capable to operate like conventional diesel buses,

fuel cell buses present similar advantages as electric

vehicles: they are zero-emission and quiet. In

addition, due to their low refuelling time, fuel cell

buses present an easy pathway to a transition from

current bus fleets to full zero emission urban

transport.

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In order to achieve scale effects and price reductions,

more operators will need to deploy fuel cell buses

until 2020.

But not only inside our cities also for the medium

distance to the next town and the long distance along

our TEN-T corridors we should use zero-emission

technologies, such as hydrogen and fuel cells.

I am therefore very pleased that today, on 23 June

2015, during the TEN-T Days at the inauguration of

the Joint Workshop on Hydrogen and Fuel Cells we

make a significant step forward.

I am honoured by the presence of a delegation of 5

representatives of regional entities in Germany, Italy,

Latvia, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, who

together with all the other regional entities endorse

the commitment towards commercialization of

hydrogen and fuel cell buses.

Contact person: Helmut Morsi MOVE B.0 5084415 June 2015

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