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Berlin, Paris overcome rift over nuclear energy, French official says
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on May 19, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 23, 2026
Global Banking & Finance Review®
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Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on May 19, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 23, 2026
Germany and France resolve differences over nuclear energy, aligning their policies to treat it equally with renewables in EU legislation.
BERLIN/PARIS (Reuters) -The new German government has signaled to France it will no longer object to treating nuclear power on a par with renewable energy in EU legislation, a French official said on Monday, confirming an earlier report.
The EU's two largest economies have long been at loggerheads over whether to promote atomic power to achieve CO2 emissions targets, delaying policymaking on tackling climate change in the bloc.
France, which gets around 70% of its energy from atomic power, is nuclear's main champion in Europe. Germany, which has phased out its nuclear plants, has viewed it as low-carbon but not renewable.
However new German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who has called exiting nuclear energy a mistake, has promised a reset in relations with France.
A French official confirmed a Financial Times report published earlier on Monday that Germany had signaled it was dropping its long-held opposition to nuclear power, in the first concrete sign of rapprochement with France.
The official pointed to a joint editorial by Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron earlier this month in Le Figaro, in which the two leaders said their countries would "realign their energy policies based on climate neutrality, competitiveness, and sovereignty".
"This involves applying the principle of technological neutrality, ensuring non-discriminatory treatment of all low-carbon energies within the EU," they said.
A German economy ministry spokesperson declined to comment on the report.
Nuclear energy is seeing a burgeoning revival across Europe, with Belgium passing a law that puts a stop to a planned phase-out, while Sweden and some countries in central Europe are planning to build more nuclear reactors.
(Reporting by Sarah Marsh in Berlin and Michel Rose in Paris; additional Reporting by Ludwig Burger in Berlin; editing by Thomas Seythal and Jan Harvey)
The article discusses Germany and France's agreement on treating nuclear energy equally with renewables in EU legislation.
It marks a shift in Germany's stance, potentially impacting EU climate policies and CO2 emission targets.
The agreement may lead to a more unified approach to energy policies, emphasizing climate neutrality and competitiveness.
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