Germany disagrees with France on the nuclear issue, said German Secretary of State for European Affairs Anna Lührmann on Friday, January 7. In question, the taxonomy, or the European green label granted to new nuclear power plants.
With our correspondent in Berlin, Nathalie Versieux
In Europe, Paris and Berlin embody on the atom diametrically opposed positions. Germany will have closed its last three power plants at the end of 2022 still in business and focusing on renewable energies whilein France, 70% of electricity is of nuclear origin.
The German government is resolutely hostile to the award by the European Commission of a green label to nuclear power plants, a measure long called for by France, and announced on December 31 by Brussels.
A green label for gas and nuclear
” I think we have such a close and deep relationship, we know each other so well that we can say to each other: we agree to disagree on nuclear power, State Secretary for European Affairs Anna Lührmann explained on Friday January 7. Then we can focus on the topics on which we want to move forward together and there are many. Nuclear power is not sustainable because we don’t know what will happen to the waste. “
The green label project granted to gas and nuclear power under certain conditions embarrasses the German government, in particular the Green party, which has made the end of the atom one of its trademarks. Berlin, which knows itself in the minority on this point in Europe, will not be able to oppose the Brussels project, but hopes to influence the text by playing on points of detail and on the timetable of the future text.