The inclusion of fossil gas and nuclear energy in the EU taxonomy sends a fundamentally wrong message in Romania, especially in the context where the country plans to develop new gas and nuclear capacities, believes Alin Tănase, responsible for climate and energy campaigns at Greenpeace Romania.
“These new investments cannot be considered green and sustainable and will take us further away from achieving the climate goals assumed by the Paris Climate Agreement. In order to protect the climate and become truly energy independent, Romania must abandon false solutions and focus on accelerating investments in renewable energy sources energy and energy efficiency measures,” said Alin Tănase.
The environmental organization announced the start of legal proceedings against the European Commission (EC), in the context of the inclusion of gas and nuclear energy on the list of sustainable investments.
“Eight Greenpeace offices start legal proceedings against the European Commission in the context of the inclusion of gas and nuclear energy in the EU taxonomy, i.e. in the list of sustainable investments. In January 2022, the European Commission decided to add these polluting technologies to the taxonomy, and in July, the Parliament The European Union failed to muster enough votes to block the plan, despite opposition from EU citizens, climate experts, financial institutions and environmental organizations. On September 8, Greenpeace Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Luxembourg, Europe Central and Eastern (of which Greenpeace Romania is also a part) and Greenpeace European Unit sent a formal request to the Commission for internal review. Greenpeace claims that the inclusion of fossil gas and nuclear energy in the EU taxonomy contravenes the taxonomy regulation, the European Climate Law and obligations EU derived from the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement,” reads a press release.
In the view of environmental experts, the European forum can review and respond to Greenpeace’s arguments until February next year, otherwise the organization will submit the case to the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU).
“This fake green label is incompatible with EU environmental and climate laws. Gas is one of the main causes of climate and economic chaos, and as for the radioactive waste problem there is still no solution, the risk of nuclear accidents being too great to be ignored. Furthermore, this winter we will face an energy crisis and citizens will have difficulty paying their energy bills. It is unacceptable that the same people who caused the climate crisis and the energy crisis are now the ones profiting from them, while people suffer. The European Commission also plays a role and has got its hands dirty by classifying gas and nuclear power as green. The greenwashing of the fossil gas and nuclear power sector has been politically motivated from the start, but this will not help the Commission European in the process,” says Ariadna Rodrigo, responsible for Greenpeace EU campaigns for sustainable financial investments.