Sunday, January 09, 2022
“Not to be averted”
Committee boss: Green label for nuclear power is coming
In Germany there is great outrage that investments in nuclear and gas power plants should be classified as climate-friendly. But this can no longer be prevented, the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee is convinced. The problem: Germany’s role in the EU.
A “green label” for nuclear and gas-fired power plants can no longer be averted from the point of view of the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Bundestag, Michael Roth. With a view to a proposal by the EU Commission, according to which investments in nuclear and gas power plants can temporarily be classified as climate-friendly, the SPD politician told “Bild am Sonntag”: “Germany is committed to more majority decisions in the EU. That means but then also that if the worst comes to the worst, we have to recognize that we do not have a majority for our position on some decisions. ”
Roth added: “That’s just how democracy is!” In the taxonomy debate, he does not see “how that can still be fended off”. The classification, which has been hotly debated over the past few weeks, is also known as “taxonomy”. There had been clear criticism of the planned classification of nuclear energy as a sustainable energy source from all three governing parties, the SPD, the Greens and the FDP. With regard to gas-fired power plants, however, there were different reactions. While government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said at the beginning of the week that the criteria for classifying gas-fired power plants were “in line with the position of the federal government,” the Greens sometimes had concerns about the gas plans.
The President of the Federal Office for the Safety of Nuclear Waste Management, Wolfram König, made it clear that continued operation of nuclear power could not be sustainable. “The consequences will occupy us for decades,” said König of the newspaper. Even after decades of use, Germany is still at the beginning of the safe disposal of waste. To date, no other country has been able to set up a safe repository for the highly radioactive waste.
Germany will phase out nuclear energy by the end of the year. On New Year’s Eve, three of the six remaining nuclear power plants in Germany were shut down.