Two committees of the European Parliament spoke on Tuesday 14 June against Brussels’ plan to include gas and nuclear within the EU’s “green” energies, paving the way for a vote by all MEPs who would likely block this controversial text.
“Pure and Simple Green Wash”: the European Commission awards its green label to nuclear power and gas
In December, the European Commission presented the Green Label Project (“Category”) for nuclear and gas power plants, which aims to facilitate the financing of facilities contributing to the fight against climate change, to the chagrin of environmental NGOs and many member states.
sequel after the announcement
The final adoption of this text will be considered next month, unless the European Parliament (by an absolute majority, i.e. 353 MEPs) or the Member States (by a qualified majority, i.e. at least 15 countries representing 65% of the EU population) veto By July 11, in which case Brussels would have to amend or withdraw its proposal.
A slap to France, which wants to include nuclear energy
During a joint meeting of the Parliamentary Committees on Economic Affairs and the Environment, 76 MEPs adopted an objection to the committee’s draft on Tuesday (62 votes against, 4 abstentions): so it will have to be voted on in Parliament’s plenary in early July.
When Nuclear Energy Turns Green…
Recognizing that gas and nuclear can help save electricity during the transition to sustainable energy, MEPs considered technical criteria for inclusion in the green classification ‘Does not meet (European) standards for environmentally sustainable activities’.
Al-Khidr praised this setback “The largest ‘greenwash’ operation at the moment”him too “slap” For France, which fought for the inclusion of nuclear power.
sequel after the announcement
‘blatant climatic self-sabotage’
If this vote by parliamentary committees does not necessarily mean that a majority of MEPs will vote in favor of a veto, many NGOs have welcomed a positive signal. For Marta Toporek, of ClientEarth, this vote “The nail in the coffin is the inclusion of gas” in green finance, ‘blatant climatic self-sabotage’ It contradicts the environmental rules of the European Union.
How is the nuclear lobby trying to win the battle of ideas?
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“There is nothing sustainable about fossil fuels and nuclear waste […] The plenary must now follow up on both committees and reject what could be a huge and costly climate error, directing billions into unsustainable projects.” At the expense of renewable energies, Sebastian Godino, of the World Wide Fund for Nature abounds.
On the part of the European Council, nearly a dozen countries (Germany, Spain, Sweden, Austria, Denmark, Luxembourg, Portugal, Malta, etc.) oppose the inclusion of nuclear energy, and some others (Netherlands, etc.) Include gas in it.
