France-Germany Spat Over Nuclear Delays EU Renewables Deal

(Bloomberg) -- European Union member states further delayed a decision on scaling-up renewable energy after a proposal to allay French concerns over its nuclear industry was criticized by nations led by Germany.

At a meeting of EU government officials on Wednesday, Sweden floated amending part of a framework deal reached earlier this year with the European Parliament. That would address French demands that nuclear power has greater prominence in the green shift, but it triggered skepticism from a majority of countries, according to EU diplomats with knowledge of the talks. 

The parliament’s lead negotiator Markus Pieper said that while member states haven’t made a final decision on how to change the draft law, the assembly was “fundamentally opposed” to additions to the text and reopening talks on the ultimate shape of the law. To take effect, the renewable energy overhaul needs support from both the parliament and member states in the EU Council.

Lawmakers driving the renewable energy reform fear the amendment to placate France would create a dangerous precedent, according to the diplomats. The spat highlights how a key element of the EU’s Green Deal — a sweeping strategy for Europe to reach climate neutrality by 2050 — risks getting sidetracked by national politics.

Germany — which shuttered its last nuclear plants in April — repeated on Wednesday that it preferred approving the law in its current form. Paris has been pushing to change the text of the agreement over concerns about the cost and time needed to upgrade its gas-powered ammonia plants so that they use hydrogen produced using renewable electricity.

There is no immediate certainty over whether the proposed amendment to a non-binding part of the renewable energy law would require a formal reopening of talks with the parliament. To avoid such a scenario, the European Commission offered a declaration on how EU rules could be interpreted, which would allay the French concerns.

“We prefer to give the commission the possibility of an additional written declaration on the implementation of hydrogen targets for industry,” Pieper said.

The renewable reform decision has been postponed until Friday by Sweden, which holds the rotating EU presidency. 

(Updates with comments by EU Parliament’s lead negotiator from the third paragraph.)

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