The European Parliament says it has voted in favour of plans to award a green investment label to nuclear and gas projects following loud protests from green activists, who denounced the “betrayal” of MEPs’ climate commitments.
According to reports, the motion to veto the European Commission’s proposal to include nuclear and gas in the EU’s sustainable finance taxonomy was defeated by 328 votes 278. Since a minimum of 353 votes was needed to reject the plan, it is now officially approved by the European Parliament.
The proposal to include nuclear and gas in the EU’s green finance taxonomy must also face a vote in the EU Council of Ministers representing the EU’s 27 member states before it becomes law.
However, a total of 20 countries, constituting the majority are needed to veto the proposal in the Council, which makes a rejection highly unlikely.
In his reaction to the latest development via Twitter, the energy minister of Luxembourg, Claude Turmes said that he would challenge the decision before the EU Court of Justice.
“Luxembourg and Denmark will press legal charges and the Court will rule about its legality,” said Claude Turmes who also added that he deeply regrets the Parliament’s decision.
Immediately after the vote, protestors in the hemicycle reacted, taking to the streets, wearing T-shirts with such inscriptions as“betrayal” and calling MEPs “traitors”.
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Popular teenage climate activist, Greta Thunberg, who started the Fridays for Future movement, also took to her Twitter page to react, saying that the vote will delay the green transition and “deepen our dependency on Russian fuels”.
“The hypocrisy is striking, but unfortunately not surprising,” wrote Thunberg.
Also, a German Green MEP, Michael Bloss denounced what he referred to as the “madness” of labelling nuclear and gas as sustainable investments, saying it will keep Europe addicted to Russian fossil fuels for many more years.
“France’s nuclear reactors and waste dumps will be renovated, and new fossil gas infrastructures created,” Bloss said. “No serious bank will trust this taxonomy,” he added, saying the Greens were now preparing to take legal action against the decision.
Story was adapted from Climate Home News.
