France and Germany are headed for a major clash over the development of nuclear power. On Tuesday, President Macron announced that France would begin building new nuclear power plants for the first time in many years. He argues that more nuclear generating is necessary if France is to keep its promises to work toward carbon neutrality. The day before, all the LR candidates also pledged to develop France’s nuclear generating capacity, Xavier Bertrand first and foremost. But today, the Süddeutsche Zeitung leaked news of the ongoing coalition talks in Germany, and clearly the Germans are not going to see eye to eye with the French:
Im Zusammenhang mit der Nachhaltigkeit von Unternehmen wenden sich die Ampel-Partner gegen eine Renaissance der Atomkraft in Europa und gegen eine Bevorzugung von Gas. Gegen die Aufnahme von Atomkraft und Gas als “nachhaltige Technologie” werde sich die Bundesregierung “aktiv einsetzen”, heißt es.
This stance is being pushed by the Greens, whose position seems to be not only that Germany should avoid turning to nuclear power but also that the German government should oppose the “renaissance of atomic energy in Europe.” This is an unmistakable poke at the French and yet another monkey wrench in the European Union’s works.