As of: January 9th, 2022 9:11 pm
The government can no longer prevent the EU from classifying nuclear power as sustainable energy. But in a statement she wants to convey her clear no, like Environment Minister Lemke in Report from Berlin explained.
Federal Environment Minister Steffi Lemke has announced that the federal government will say no to the EU Commission’s plans to classify nuclear power as sustainable energy.
“We as the federal government will now conclude our statement in the next few days and transmit it to the EU Commission. This statement will contain a clear no to the inclusion of the taxonomy, to the inclusion of nuclear power in the taxonomy. The federal government represents this closed,” said the Green politician in Report from Berlin. It would then be up to the Commission to decide how to proceed with its taxonomy proposal.
Environment Minister Steffi Lemke (Die Grünen): “We need gas as a transition technology in the short term”
Report from Berlin 6:00 p.m., 9/1/2022
Investments in gas and nuclear – climate friendly?
At the turn of the year, the EU Commission presented a draft according to which investments in gas and nuclear power plants should be classified as climate-friendly under certain conditions.
Specifically, the EU Commission’s draft on the so-called taxonomy provides that investments planned in France in new nuclear power plants in particular can be classified as green if the systems meet the latest technical standards and if there is a specific plan for the operation of a disposal facility for high-level radioactive waste will be submitted by 2050 at the latest.
“Not legally binding”
Lemke admitted that the Federal Government’s position on the Commission was “not legally binding”. At the same time, the Federal Environment Minister underlined that the taxonomy “if nuclear power is adopted will fail to achieve its actual goal of channeling financial flows into sustainable forms of energy in the future”.
If the Commission sticks to its decision, it will make it clear “that this seal is then not one that can claim sustainability for itself without being contradicted”.