May 25, 2007
Nuclear energy is again the subject of high-profile talks among MEPs in Brussels. The latest debates surround the 50th anniversary of a landmark document for European nuclear cooperation, the Euratom Treaty.
While enthusiasm for nuclear energy has waned since 1957 — especially since the Chernobyl disaster in 1986 — several MEPs argue that it should comprise a greater part of the EU's energy mix. Lithuanian MEP Eugenijus Maldeikis, a strong advocate of nuclear power, prepared a draft report that calls for "adjustments" to the treaty, which has remained unchanged since being signed half a century ago by the EU's six founding member states, but which now applies to the entire 27-nation bloc.
Many EU governments, however, are wary of allowing Brussels to assert its influence in the sphere of nuclear energy. "Some countries do not want the European Commission to stick its nose into their business," one EU official told the EUobserver.
With votes on the report taking place in mid-March, several amendments are likely before it reaches plenary.
