The EU’s green investment guidelines, more commonly known as taxonomy, suffered a setback on 14 June when the European Parliament’s economic and monetary affairs committee and its environment, public health and food safety committee, sitting in a joint meeting, adopted an objection to the proposals.
MEPs voted by 76 to 62, with four abstentions, to adopt the objections. They said that although nuclear power and fossil gas are a way to guarantee stable energy supply during the transition to a sustainable economy, the technical screening standards proposed by the commission do not respect the criteria for environmentally sustainable economic activities.
The move, ahead of a plenary vote on the taxonomy plans in the first week of July, sends a strong message to the commission following extensive public outcry when it first presented the proposal to include nuclear back in February.
After more than 100 days of a devastating war, the EU must once again reject the greenwashing of gas and nuclear energy.
Greenpeace volunteers had demonstrated outside the European Parliament building in Brussels, prior to the joint committee meeting. “Members of the European Parliament today showed their support for Ukraine by voting against funding Putin’s war machine and against the destruction of nature and climate,” said Roger Spautz, nuclear campaigner at Greenpeace France and Luxembourg “After more than 100 days of a devastating war, the EU must once again reject the greenwashing of gas and nuclear energy. Let us not give this shameful gift to Putin and his lobbyists.”
In May, Greenpeace France published a detailed survey which revealed the astronomical amount that Russian companies linked to the regime were likely to gain thanks to the European Commission’s plans to transfer gas and nuclear energy into activities green, and how they have used subsidiaries and lobbyists to influence the EU’s final decision on the taxonomy.