Vandellos II nuclear power plant.
The Environment and Economy commissions vote against the Brussels norm, which will be debated in the July plenary session
The proposal for nuclear energy and gas to be considered sustainable in the European Union (EU) received a severe setback in the European Parliament on Tuesday. The initiative of the Community Executive received the ‘no’ from the Committee on the Environment and the Committee on Economic Affairs, with 76 votes against, 62 in favor and four abstentions, which is a first step to knock it down. It will be the plenary session of the European Parliament, which will be held between July 4 and 7, which will have the last word on the norm.
Already from its initial draft, the delegated act on taxonomy – the name given to the Brussels proposal – was rejected by environmental groups and countries such as Spain, Austria, Denmark and Luxembourg, since it included gas and nuclear energy among the investments EU greens. The European Commission assumed that the reform would be controversial and generate “division”. As he acknowledged, these two types of energy “are not neutral or renewable.”
However, he defended that they are “necessary” for the energy transition and to achieve emission neutrality in 2050. The MEPs, for their part, recognized that gas and nuclear power are necessary to guarantee the stability of European supply during the ecological transition , but reiterated that they do not meet the environmental criteria to be considered green.
Applause from NGOs
The NGOs Friends of the Earth, Ecologists in Action, Greenpeace, SEO/Birdlife and WWF yesterday celebrated the European Parliament’s decision and applauded MEPs for “choosing the right path”. The five organizations described the step taken as “crucial” due to the “dire” environmental consequences of gas and nuclear power. They also asked the European Parliament to rule in the same vein at the July plenary session and reject a proposal that would mean “a huge and costly climate error.”
Now, the European Parliament and Council will have until July 10 to decide whether to veto the Brussels proposal. If you achieve a majority of 353 votes against in the European Parliament or the ‘no’ of twenty countries in the Council, the rule will return to the Commission for modification or definitive withdrawal. The MEPs also requested that the amendments that are presented must be submitted to public consultation and an analysis of their economic, environmental and social impact.
The European Commission “impatiently” awaits the final decision of the two institutions and “takes note” of the negative opinion of the two MEPs. This was highlighted by the spokesman for the Environment, Dan Ferrie, who assured that “neutrality remains our goal” and that Brussels “is committed to using all means to move away from carbon-intensive energies.”
strong division
The European regulation on taxonomy does not determine which energies are left out of the mix of each Member State, but rather provides transparency on the origin of energies and tries to direct private investments towards those that are more sustainable. Under that premise, in February the European Commission determined that “in view of scientific advice and current technological advances (…), the contemplated gas and nuclear energy activities are in line with the EU’s climate and environmental objectives.”
In the same sense, Ferrie expressed himself this Tuesday, who assured that “we are aware of the sensitivities, but the delegated act is part of a set of measures to reduce our emissions.”
Currently, Europe generates 25% of its electricity through nuclear power, according to data from the International Energy Agency. However, the division between the Twenty-seven is patent. On one side are the countries with a greater dependence on nuclear and gas, with France in the lead, and who defend this measure. Member States strong in renewables, on the other hand, reject it. In fact, in its vote at the College of Commissioners, the proposal was voted against by the Spanish Josep Borrell, the Austrian Johannes Hahn and the Portuguese Elisa Ferreira.
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