The European Commission will clarify the status of nuclear and gas under the EU’s green finance taxonomy in the coming weeks. While France and other countries with nuclear power plants, including Hungary and the Czech Republic, push for the inclusion of the nuclear energy in the green taxonomy, Germany and its allies are against it.
“Nuclear power is incompatible with the EU Taxonomy Regulation’s ‘do no significant harm’ principle“, says a joint declaration for a nuclear-free EU taxonomy. The declaration is signed by Austria, Denmark, Germany, Luxembourg and Portugal, Euractiv.com reports.
“We recognise the sovereign right of member states to decide for or against nuclear power as part of their national energy systems. (…) However, we are concerned that including nuclear power in the taxonomy would permanently damage its integrity, credibility and therefore its usefulness,” reads the declaration.
“We have plenty of evidence of how dangerous nuclear power can be,” said Leonore Gewessler, Austrian minister for energy, at a side-event of the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow on 11 November.
