A proposal from the European Union to label nuclear and gas energy as “green” has come under heavy fire from the German Government.
The draft plan says that gas and nuclear energies are essential for the transition to cleaner power.
But Steffi Lemke, the German Environment Minister, said the proposal was “absolutely wrong”, while her Austrian counterpart Leonore Gewessler said Vienna would sue the bloc if it passed.
The stance puts the countries on a collision course with France, which generates 70 per cent of its energy from nuclear power and is leading the charge for it to be classified as sustainable.
President Emmanuel Macron recently announced a billion-euro investment in nuclear energy expansion.
Under the European Commission’s proposal, investments in new nuclear energy facilities should be classified as “green” if they meet certain technical standards including a specific plan for the disposal of radioactive waste.
The plan would include nuclear and gas energy projects in the EU’s “sustainable finance taxonomy” scheme, encouraging billions in private investment to help prevent climate change.
Fraudulent and absurd
Robert Habeck, Germany’s Economy Minister, said the proposals smacked of “greenwashing” and questioned whether they would “even be accepted by financial markets”.
“Labelling nuclear energy as sustainable is wrong – this (is a) high-risk technology,” he said.
Michael Bloss, climate policy spokesman for the Greens in the European Parliament, hit out at Ursula von der Leyen, European Commission President, saying she is “destroying the credibility of the European eco-label for financial investments”.
Bloss said the sustainability label was now “fraudulent” and that it was “absurd” nuclear and gas “are put on the same level as solar and wind power with this proposal”.
While Luxembourg has joined Germany and Austria in opposition, several other EU member states including Finland and the Czech Republic as well as France have called for greater use of the technology.
The proposal will become law in 2023 if it is backed by a majority of EU members.
