MEPs call on European Commission to recognise nuclear as sustainable

Brussels, 8 July 2021: Nearly 100 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) have called on the Commission to follow the science and include nuclear under the Sustainable Finance Taxonomy. According to a letter sent to Commissioners, they urge them to be brave enough ‘to choose the path that their scientific experts have now advised them to take, namely to include nuclear power in the taxonomy’.

“The EU has just 30 years to decarbonise its economy in a sustainable way.  Achieving this means implementing policies which are solely based on science”, states Yves Desbazeille, FORATOM Director General. “We need to be able to use all sources of energy which can help us reach our goals. Therefore, Member States who wish to invest in low-carbon nuclear should not be prevented from doing so just because others are politically opposed to nuclear.”  

In the letter, MEPs draw attention to the fact that the scientific assessment of nuclear concludes that ‘the existing legal framework provides adequate protection in terms of public health and the environment’, ie nuclear complies with the requirements of the taxonomy. It therefore asks the Commission to take this scientific work seriously and not to discriminate against nuclear.  

Whilst they appreciate the political pressure surrounding this topic, they express the hope that the Commission will be ‘courageous  enough  to  create  EU  regulations  that  do  not actively  generate  disadvantages  for  investments  in  nuclear  power,  or  any  other  fossil  free technology.’

About us: The European Atomic Forum (FORATOM) is the Brussels-based trade association for the nuclear energy industry in Europe. The membership of FORATOM is made up of 15 national nuclear associations and through these associations, FORATOM represents nearly 3,000 European companies working in the industry and supporting around 1,100,000 jobs.

For more information, please contact Jessica Johnson: jessica.johnson@foratom.org.