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Nuclear power plant Bugey in France (archive picture): how green is nuclear power?
Photo: JEFF PACHOUD/ AFP
In the European Parliament, there is growing resistance to the planned EU classification of gas and nuclear power as climate-friendly. In a letter to the EU Commission, around 30 MEPs from four different parliamentary groups called for a public consultation of citizens and organizations on the controversial draft. "It is essential that this decision is not only debated in expert circles without public supervision," says the letter, which was available to the dpa news agency in advance. In addition, according to MP Joachim Schuster, the SPD group wants to vote against the proposal if there are no changes.
With the so-called taxonomy, the Commission wants to determine which financial investments should be considered climate-friendly in order to advance the climate change. On 31 December, the Commission proposed in a draft so-called delegated act that investments in new nuclear power plants can be classified as green if they meet the latest standards and there is a concrete plan for the disposal of radioactive waste by 2050. Investments in new gas-fired power plants should also be able to be classified as green for a transitional period under certain conditions.
Michael Bloss (Greens) and MEPs from the Social Democrats (S&D), Liberals (Renew) and Left criticize in their letter that EU states and selected climate experts have had very little time to react to the draft.
The chairmen of the economic and environmental committees also complained about this in a letter earlier this week.
EU guidelines normally provide for a four-week public consultation on such legal acts.
Deadline until Friday
The EU Commission has set a deadline of Friday.
After that, it intends to present the official legal act.
This can then be rejected by the EU Parliament or at least 20 EU countries - but it is unclear whether the necessary majorities can still be found.
MEPs wrote that many investors had criticized the plans.
The taxonomy will guide a variety of funds and public funding programs.
"After the end of fossil fuels, people need to be sure that money will be invested wisely and green in the future," the letter says.
Environmentalists have also repeatedly sharply criticized the plans - in view of the unresolved question of the final storage of radioactive waste and CO2 emissions from gas.
mic/dpa-afx
