Spain and Denmark strongly affirmed on Monday their opposition to the inclusion of gas and nuclear energy among the "green" energies of the EU.
During a joint press conference with his Danish counterpart Mette Frederiksen, who is visiting Madrid, the Prime Minister of Spain, the socialist Pedro Sánchez, underlined that there was an identity of views between the two countries on this subject.
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Denmark and Spain “believe that considering gas and nuclear energy as renewable energies sends the wrong message to investors and to society as a whole,” Mr. Sánchez said after an interview with Ms. Frederiksen.
Within the EU, Austria and Luxembourg have already expressed their opposition to the European Commission's plan (known as the "green taxonomy"), unveiled at the end of December, to classify investments in nuclear power plants as "sustainable". and gas, in order to facilitate the financing of activities contributing to the reduction of greenhouse gases.
For its part, Germany also opposes the granting of a green label for nuclear power, but believes that the gas, although "unsustainable in the long term", may prove necessary to ensure the transition to allowing “a rapid exit from coal”, particularly in central Europe, and by supporting “the rise in power of renewables”.
France supports the inclusion of nuclear power
Mr. Sánchez and Ms. Fredericksen believe that decisions on taxonomy must have "a strictly scientific basis", specifies a press release from the Presidency of the Spanish government, adding that this position "is shared by Austria and Luxembourg".
After analyzing the comments of the 27 Member States, the European Commission must publish within an unspecified deadline its final text on the taxonomy, which will be considered as definitively adopted four months later, unless rejected by a simple majority in the European Parliament or by a qualified majority of 20 States.
It is unlikely that such a majority can be reached, a dozen States, first and foremost France, supporting the inclusion of nuclear power.