ÖAustria wants to die plans criticized by Germany to promote nuclear and gas power plants in the EU through Union funds, if necessary judicial proceedings. Environment Minister Leonore Gewessler (Greens) confirmed this on Monday on Austrian radio. The classification of gas and nuclear energy as climate-friendly under certain conditions is “not acceptable”.

Shortly after the EU plan became known on late New Year’s Eve, she tweeted: “We will examine the present draft carefully and have already commissioned a legal opinion on nuclear power in the #Taxonomy. If these plans are implemented in this way, we will sue. Because #atomic power is dangerous and not a solution in the fight against the #climate crisis. “

Gewessler can be sure of the support of Federal Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP). He had recently voted against the plans at the EU Council of Heads of State and Government, albeit in vain. All of Austria’s neighbors, with the exception of Italy, generate electricity from nuclear energy. And as much as Austria’s eastern neighbors – Czechs, Slovaks, Hungarians, Slovenes – are convinced of the indispensable importance of nuclear energy regardless of government colors, the Austrians strictly reject this form of electricity generation.

Much of the electricity comes from hydropower

In 1978, a narrow majority of Austrians voted against the commissioning of the completed Zwentendorf nuclear power plant in the country’s first referendum. As a result, the construction of nuclear power plants in the country was ruled out by the legislature. The decision is an easy one, because even then the majority of electricity generation was based on hydropower, which it still does to 60 percent today. 15 percent come from other renewable sources (wind, sun, geothermal energy), a quarter from gas power plants.

By 2030, the country will have switched completely to green electricity. But that only applies to the balance sheet over the year. However, since electricity should always be available, it depends not on the annual, but the minute availability. For this, Austria is and remains dependent on the intra-European exchange, and therefore also on electricity that comes from coal, gas or nuclear power plants. Some therefore criticize the official political anti-nuclear position as hypocritical.

Germany and Spain as comrades-in-arms

However, this does not change the vehemence with which Austria is primarily campaigning against the use of nuclear energy – even if it is with the resources of the financial market. Gewessler emphasizes that the classification scheme (taxonomy) chosen by the EU Commission for the forms of energy serves as a label for financial products such as investment funds. The financial market plays a major role for investments in “technologies that are sure to protect the environment and the climate”. That’s why you need a credible label that investors can rely on. Without prejudice to this, every country could decide its future energy policy for itself, she stressed.

The EU states now have until January 12 to comment on the plans. Gewessler sees Germany and Spain as supporters of her project. The German government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said, according to the agency, that Berlin is not thinking about a lawsuit. In any case, this cannot relate to the content of the proposals, but only to the question of whether the EU Commission is authorized to submit a proposal on taxonomy.