European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has conceded that the European Union is “completely dependent” on expensive and volatile fossil fuel imports, labeling the bloc's turn away from nuclear power as a “strategic mistake.” Speaking at the opening of a nuclear energy summit near Paris, she criticized the EU for having “turned its back on a reliable, affordable source of low-emission power,” a decision now exposed by the ongoing US-Israeli war against Iran.

Von der Leyen highlighted that the conflict has damaged major oil refineries and led to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint for global oil supplies, calling it “a stark reminder” of the vulnerabilities inherent in fossil fuel dependency. She argued that this reliance puts the EU at a “structural disadvantage to other regions,” undermining energy security and economic stability in a time of heightened geopolitical friction.

At the summit, von der Leyen announced a €200 million ($230 million) fund for European nuclear innovation, aiming to reverse the decline in nuclear energy's share of the EU's electricity mix. She noted that while nuclear power accounted for one-third of Europe's electricity in 1990, it has fallen to just around 15% today, a trend partly driven by countries like Germany, which aggressively wound down nuclear generation after the 2011 Fukushima disaster.

French President Emmanuel Macron, a vocal proponent of nuclear energy, stated that “nuclear power is key to reconciling both independence — and thus energy sovereignty — with decarbonization, and thus carbon neutrality.” He warned that in the current geopolitical context, over-reliance on hydrocarbons can make them “a tool of pressure, or even of destabilization.” However, France itself sources much of its uranium from Kazakhstan, Australia, Namibia, and politically volatile Niger, raising questions about the sustainability of this strategy.

The summit was disrupted by Greenpeace activists who stormed the stage, interrupting Macron and International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi with banners reading “Nuclear Power = Energy Insecurity” and “Nuclear power fuels Russia’s war.” This protest underscores the deep divisions within Europe over nuclear energy, compounded by the economic costs and societal friction amid the bloc's energy transition challenges.

Source: www.dw.com