Germany has abandoned its long-term opposition to nuclear power, the first concrete sign of a new Berlin government led by Conservative Prime Minister Friedrich Merz to ties with France.
According to French and German officials, Berlin signaled to Paris that it would no longer block France's efforts to ensure renewable energy-based treatment of nuclear power in EU legislation.
The move resolved major disputes between the two countries, delaying the EU's decision on energy policy, including in the crisis following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
"The Germans told us: We will be very pragmatic on nuclear power," said a French diplomat who participated in the talks. This means that "all the bias against nuclear power remains here in EU legislation."
"This will be a changing policy shift," a German official said.
This reversal came when Merz tried to explore the way Germany joined France's nuclear shield to stop future Russian aggression. "We are finally finally opening up now to talk to France about Europe's nuclear deterrence. It's better to be late than not," the German official said.
“It’s a welcome settlement that will make the EU’s energy topic easier,” said Guntram Wolff, a senior researcher at think tank Bruegel. “Politically speaking, Melz is also thinking about the umbrella.”
Berlin's reversal of nuclear power is part of Merz's efforts to revive the French-German cooperative.
"When France and Germany agree, it's much easier for Europe to move forward. "While there are still some challenges, I believe this problem will be solved. ”
Merz, who won the election in February, criticized his country's decision to withdraw from nuclear power in 2011, under the leadership of the party's rival Merkel, which he said has deprived Germany of cheap and reliable electricity.
Meers also criticized his predecessor Scholz for shutting down the last three nuclear power plants in Germany, even as the country struggles to deal with high energy prices. Although he does not intend to reopen conventional nuclear power plants, he vows to invest in new technologies, including small modular reactors and nuclear fusion, which, unlike fission, does not produce long-term nuclear waste.
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It makes Austria the only EU country that strictly opposes nuclear power. Countries, including the Netherlands and Belgium, are willing to provide atomic energy and have previously promised to shut down the reactor.
In a letter sent to the European Commission last Friday, ministers from 12 EU member states of nuclear reactors said the EU "must" recognize the "complementary nature of nuclear and renewable energy."
They called for an update to the group's nuclear department to provide assistance to the nuclear program and send "clear signals" to businesses and investors about the benefits of atomic power.
Last year, Germany covered more than 60% of its electricity consumption with renewable energy, long opposed Paris' push to mark atomic forces as "green". France takes about 70% of its electricity from atomic energy.
Berlin's concerns stem partly from fears that French industry will gain a competitive advantage due to its 56-man reactor, and the German industry is still struggling with the impact of high gas prices after standing out from cheap Russian fuels.
In Germany, it is also an ideological issue, where the Anti-Nuclear Green Party is part of the Scholz government.
The deadlock has sparked a long debate on the inclusion of “low carbon” (seemed as synonymous with nuclear power) in EU legal texts, especially those related to renewable capacity and the production of hydrogen, which Berlin sees as a key energy source for decarbonized German industry.
"To ensure that our energy sovereignty is respecting national choices, we call for an end to discrimination at the European level against low-carbon energy, whether nuclear or renewable," French President Emmanuel Macron said on a trip to Paris on May 7.
French officials say, for example, Germany's new position means that the hydrogen produced by nuclear energy should now be treated in a comparable manner as hydrogen made from wind or solar.