The responsible committees in the EU Parliament have spoken out against the European Commission’s proposal to label investments in gas and nuclear energy as climate-friendly. 76 MEPs voted against the EU authority’s plan on Tuesday, 62 in favor and four abstained, as the EU parliament announced. However, the final decision will be made in the plenary at the beginning of July. Strong opposition to the Commission’s proposal comes mainly from Austria.
With the so-called taxonomy, the Commission wants to determine which financial investments should be considered climate-friendly in the future in order to be able to invest more money in sustainable technologies and companies. This should make an important contribution to climate neutrality in Europe by 2050.
According to EU calculations, this requires 350 billion euros in private investment each year.
Gewessler criticized “desires of the nuclear lobby”
Austria plans to take legal action before the European Court of Justice against this classification by the European Commission. Climate Minister Leonore Gewessler (Greens) criticized the European Commission’s taxonomy decision as a “greenwashing program for nuclear energy and fossil natural gas”. The Commission fulfills “above all the wishes of the nuclear lobby”.
“Green nuclear energy there is none”
Criticism also rained down from the ranks of Austrian MEPs and environmental groups. “There is no such thing as ‘green nuclear energy’ and therefore investments in nuclear energy should not have a green thumb,” said ÖVP members Othmar Karas and Alexander Bernhuber according to the broadcast.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
