The governments of fourteen European Union member states, including France, have highlighted the need to “develop and utilize nuclear energy, with full respect for each member state’s right to determine its own energy mix,” in a joint statement released today by the Élysée Palace.

The statement emphasizes that nuclear energy is a fundamental element of national strategies aimed at reducing carbon emissions, strengthening competitiveness, and ensuring energy security.

It also notes that nuclear energy offers “a valuable complement to intermittent renewable energy sources,” plays a key role in “supporting the stability of electricity grids,” and contributes to “reducing the significant investments required to make power networks resilient in the future.”

The signatories also call on the European Commission “to play its role” in identifying ways to improve nuclear projects’ access to European funding and EU financial instruments. At the same time, they stress the importance of ensuring “greater legal certainty, predictability, and consistency in the application of state aid rules” for nuclear projects, while allowing “the tailored approach required for such capital-intensive investments.”

The statement further notes that the EU’s next Multiannual Financial Framework should allow for the fair treatment of nuclear energy projects, particularly those that provide benefits across the European Union.

Regarding the European Investment Bank, the statement underlines that it should maintain and strengthen its role in supporting the nuclear energy sector and industry through appropriate financial instruments and guarantees.

Source: CNA