Ministers from 16 European countries that back nuclear power pledged to continue to work together to promote the fuel following a meeting Friday to discuss nuclear energy's place in Europe's energy mix.
Ministers from 16 European countries that back nuclear power pledged to
continue to work together to promote the fuel following a meeting Friday to
discuss nuclear energy's place in Europe's energy mix.
Participants described the gathering as an "informal" discussion
rather than an orchestrated effort to organize lobbying on behalf of nuclear
power at the European or global level. But the discussion comes amid debate in
Brussels
on
nuclear stress tests, the complexion of
Europe
's
2050 energy mix and other policy questions that could affect the prospect of
nuclear energy versus other energy forms.
Some European countries, such as
Germany
and
Belgium
, have
announced plans to end nuclear power or retreat from the fuel, while other
countries, including
Austria
, have
pushed for aggressive European-wide safety rules that could add significant
costs to nuclear power.
French energy minister Eric Besson, who led a press conference, said the group
had set plans to soon meet again in
England
.
"This is not something structured," Besson said. "But the 16
countries that have nuclear in their energy mix will exchange, inform and
sometimes express themselves. That could have some weight."
James Sassoon, the
U.K.
's
Commercial Secretary to the Treasury, said the purpose of the gathering was for
the 16 countries to reach a "shared agenda" on the importance of
nuclear energy.
Participants emphasized the importance of leaving choices about the energy mix
to individual countries rather than at the European level. Speakers said
nuclear energy meets key European energy priorities, which include the
provision of secure and low-cost energy, enhancing industrial competitiveness
and meeting European climate objectives.
Some of the countries present, such as
France
and
Sweden
,
produce significant amounts of nuclear energy, while others, such as
Latvia
and
Poland
,
import nuclear power or plan to build new nuclear capacity.
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