Prague welcomes EU green label for gas and nuclear – EURACTIV.com

The Czech government has welcomed the European Commission’s decision to include gas and nuclear in the EU’s sustainable taxonomy. Prague had been fighting for months for the green label to be applied to gas and nuclear and considers this decision a victory for Czech diplomacy.

“The European Commission accepted more Czech demands; so, I can be satisfied. We have reached the maximum possible, and above all, we have a guideline for the next steps in the field of energy,” said the Minister of Industry and Trade, Jozef Síkela. tweeted.

The European Commission’s delegated act gives a temporary green label to gas and nuclear projects if they meet specific criteria. While the previous proposal leaked in December was too strict for Czechia, the requirements released on Wednesday are seen as a viable compromise.

For Prague, the criteria for gas were key, as the country needs to steer its coal-dependent economy towards a more sustainable path. With underdeveloped renewables and aging nuclear power plants, natural gas is seen as a critical step in the transformation. Czechia wants to build new nuclear units by 2036.

Czech players in the energy sector are also satisfied with the text. “We have achieved a significant shift to be able to successfully transform our energy and economy into zero emissions,” said Daniel Beneš, CEO of ČEZ Energy Group. “Talking is worth it,” he added.

However, the proposal has been criticized by Czech climate experts who say the European Commission made a decision based on politics rather than science.

(Aneta Zachová | EURACTIV.cz)