Austrian chancellor fails to sway V4 countries on nuclear energy support

During a meeting in Prague, the Austrian chancellor failed to dampen the enthusiasm of the Visegrád Group (V4) countries for nuclear energy as a solution to climate change. This was apparent at the press conference held after the V4 countries and Austria summit. The summit was attended by Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz and the prime ministers Andrej Babiš, Viktor Orbán, Mateusz Morawiecki and Peter Pellegrini.

Their agenda included migration, border security and competitiveness. Recently announced details of the European Just Transition Fund provided context for their discussions on climate policy. The so-called Just Transition Mechanism is a key financial component of the European Green Deal, which aims to make the European Union climate-neutral by 2050.

EU leaders agreed in December on the target of achieving climate neutrality by 2050. However, Poland said it needs more EU funding to phase coal out of its energy mix. Poland therefore did not sign up to the climate-neutrality target, and financial assistance will therefore be conditional on environmental commitments. EU leaders are due to review their 2050 targets at a summit in June.

The Just Transition Mechanism, which is intended to provide EUR 100 billion (CZK 2,514 billion) in funding, excludes nuclear energy despite its low carbon dioxide emissions. Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz told his counterparts that nuclear energy should not be supported by the new fund.

“For Austria, it is very important not to support nuclear energy; instead, the funds should be allocated to the development of renewable energy sources,” said Sebastian Kurz.

However, Peter Pellegrini pointed out that EU member states can choose their own path towards carbon neutrality. In mid-December, Andrej Babiš sought the support of other European leaders for a declaration that nuclear energy is a clean and sustainable source of electricity.

The European Atomic Forum, Foratom, said it welcomed the EU’s objective of providing financial support to coal-dependent regions to help them in their decarbonisation efforts. However, it regrets the Commission’s proposal to exclude the use of these funds for nuclear power plants.

“The benefits of moving workers from coal into the nuclear industry have already been demonstrated in France and the United Kingdom. It is therefore difficult for us to justify such a Commission proposal,” said Yves Desbazeille, Director General of Foratom.

Lead photo source: World Nuclear News