Nuclear energy: Germany’s “wait-and-see” position with respect to the European Commission’s proposal

On clean and sustainable technologies, Member States have three options: approval, abstention, refusal. The environmental wing of the Berlin government censors the initiative of the EU executive, but the German executive announces that it will take time to better analyze the proposal

Germany is opposed to the hypothesis of including nuclear energy among clean and sustainable technologies to be financed through European funds, but Berlin does not seem willing to scuttle the European Commission’s proposal, which causes the member states of the twelve-star club to discuss so much . The environmentalist wing of the federal government censors the initiative of the community executive, but the spokesman for the German executive, net of political judgments, makes it known that time will be taken to better analyze the proposed delegated act and that the Germany could also abstain.

Faced with the Brussels proposal, which provides for the approval to build nuclear power plants under certain conditions, the Member States have three different options before them: approval, abstention, refusal. Germany officially “strongly opposes” the Commission’s analysis of nuclear energy, German sources confide. At the same time, however, the same sources acknowledge that “at the moment there is no reason to join efforts to sue the EU Commission”, as instead announced by Austria.

Berlin therefore calls itself out of the group of states opposed to the proposals of the European Commission. He chooses a more wait-and-see path. Also because giving the shoulder that would serve to scuttle the nuclear support project does not appear legally possible. The Member States that opposed the use of atom energy during the last European Council summit were not in the majority. It takes 20 out of 27 votes against to reject the delegated act, numbers that are not there, and a possible German vote against would not blow the table.

It is impossible to support the Brussels proposal, it is impractical to endorse the ‘no’ line if concrete results cannot be produced. Given the circumstances, Berlin therefore seems to be opting for abstention which certainly does not solve the problem but which certainly avoids further friction between the Member States on an issue that is still rather controversial. However, the reserve will be dissolved in the coming weeks. An official position should be taken and communicated “shortly”, which means by the end of the month.