The European Commission on Wednesday debated the proposal to classify nuclear energy and gas as green sources of energy transition, eligible for investment with European money.

While the gas is backed by some countries such as Germany, the nuclear industry is based on a French-led lobby, but is being challenged by member states such as Austria, Denmark, Sweden, the Netherlands and Luxembourg, which have called for possible illegal actions to block Commission’s act, according to RRA. The document is a so-called delegated act presented in the last hours of last year and which was amended at today’s meeting of the College of Commissioners by including some clarifications.

In essence, there are billions of euros that could be invested in nuclear and gas projects. The fear of those who disagree with the classification of nuclear and gas energy as green is that money will be spent on investment in these areas, and alternatives considered truly clean, such as hydrogen, will be neglected.
The amendments to the original document are not essential, the opponents claim.

The European Commission (EC) has recently published the new 2022 guidelines on State aid for climate, environmental protection and energy (CEEAG), which provide public authorities with the necessary framework to support the objectives of the European Green Pact in an effective and minimally distortive way, shows a press release from the Commission.

According to the EC, the CEEAG and the EU Taxonomy are both important pillars of the European Green Deal, fulfilling different but complementary roles. The CEEAG are the EU rulebook for public support in the energy and environmental sectors, setting out which projects can be supported with public funds and how this support can be provided while minimizing impacts on the market and providing value to European citizens. The EU Taxonomy is a tool developed to enable private investors to re-orient investments towards more sustainable technologies and businesses.