Monday, January 03, 2022
Taxonomy came on New Years Eve
EU defends short-before-scarce nuclear paper
By the end of the year, the EU Commission wanted to publish its controversial classification, which ennobles nuclear energy as “sustainable”. In fact, the draft will be sent out shortly before midnight on New Year’s Eve. Brussels rejects criticism of this unusual point in time.
A spokesman for the EU Commission defended the point in time when the draft for the so-called taxonomy was sent on New Year’s Eve. “From our side there was of course no reason to try to get this through secretly” by choosing one date earlier than another, said a Commission spokesman in Brussels. The point in time at which the proposal to classify nuclear and gas energy as climate-friendly was sent to the 27 member states had sparked criticism.
The Commission has repeatedly said that it will present the taxonomy proposal by the end of the year. “And so this proposal was widely expected,” added the spokesman. It is a “complex, difficult proposal”. As a result, the draft was presented on December 31st and not on another day.
According to Berlin and Brussels circles, the EU Commission sent the controversial draft shortly before midnight on New Year’s Eve. The draft stipulates that under certain circumstances both the construction of new nuclear power plants and new gas infrastructure will be included in the taxonomy. The taxonomy is a kind of classification of sustainable economic activities and is equivalent to a classification as worthy of funding and a recommendation to investors.
The federal government will not complain against EU taxonomy
“The time of publication alone shows that the EU Commission itself is obviously not convinced of its decision,” criticized the Austrian climate protection minister Leonore Gewessler on Saturday. There was also criticism of the proposal from Federal Environment Minister Steffi Lemke from the Greens. The EU Commission had already presented the corresponding legal act in April. At that time, however, the authority left out the delicate question of assessing gas and nuclear energy, as further expert reports and assessments were to be awaited.
However, the federal government sees no chance of stopping the EU Commission’s plans by taking legal action. A lawsuit would only be possible if the EU Commission had exceeded its area of competence with the regulation – but not against the content of the regulation, said government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit in Berlin. “Legally, the European Commission seems to be on safe ground.”
On behalf of Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Hebestreit expressed criticism of the EU Commission’s plans. “We expressly reject the assessment of nuclear power,” he said. Germany continues to stick to the planned nuclear phase-out. The planned classification of gas-fired power plants as eligible for funding, however, is “in line” with the attitude of the federal government, because such power plants would be needed as a bridging technology when converting to renewable energy, said Hebestreit. However, from the point of view of Scholz and his government, it “did not need” such a classification, he added. The Federal Government will now examine the proposals of the EU Commission “intensively” and then come to a “coordinated position”.