Quote from Benedek Javor MEP
ECJ ruling on Hinkley Point
On Thursday (12 July) we expect the European Court of Justice to rule on lawsuits against the financing of the construction of the new Hinkley Point nuclear power plant in the UK.
Austria and Luxembourg are appealing against the decision of the European Commission to allow subsidies worth billions of euros towards the construction of a new nuclear reactor project. The Euratom Treaty gives nuclear energy an unfair competitive advantage in the European electricity market.
The European Commission has announced that its communication on the future energy and climate policy of the Union would include a chapter on the future of Euratom. The proposals were to be presented on 3 July but the date has now been postponed until September.
Benedek Javor MEP, Greens/EFA spokesperson on energy comments:
"The Euratom treaty allows nuclear energy production to be outside of the rules of the single market, which undermines the common energy market. In order to meet the challenges of the 21st century and the expectations of our citizens for safe and sustainable energy we need to establish rules granting equality for energy sources while increasing nuclear safety and security."
Dr. Dörte Fouquet, lawyer and expert on EU law, in the opinion "Pathways for a Reform of the Euratom treaty" commissioned by the Greens/EFA Group in the European Parliament, identifies key demands for reform of the Euratom Treaty:
- Abolition of preferential treatment of nuclear power,
- Improving common safety standards for nuclear power plants,
- Responsibility of power plant operators for the decommissioning of reactors and the storage of nuclear waste,
- Common rules on liability for nuclear accidents,
- Democratisation through full involvement of the European Parliament in nuclear legislation.
