On 24 March, Poland’s Deputy Minister of Climate and Environment, Adam Guibourgé-Czetwertyński met with Germany’s Secretary of State at the Ministry of Climate Protection, Agriculture, Rural Development and the Environment of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (German state), Elisabeth Aßmann.
The talks focused on achieving the goal of climate neutrality through measures such as diversifying the countries’ energy mix. “Ambitious EU climate goals motivate us to implement new necessary investments to diversify the energy mix. Nuclear energy guarantees us zero-emission energy sources,” Deputy Minister Adam Guibourgé-Czetwertyński said.
“The situation related to the ongoing war in Ukraine also requires us to take specific actions to become independent from fossil fuels and increase energy security, which is guaranteed by nuclear energy,” added Mr Guibourgé-Czetwertyński.
During the meeting, both sides declared their openness to cooperation, based on the flow of information between the administrations of both countries.
“When implementing nuclear investments in Poland, the safety of the population and respect for the natural environment are our priorities. Dialogue with the society, but also with our neighbours, is important to us,” the Deputy Minister added.
Von der Leyen: nuclear is not ‘strategic’
During a press conference on 23 March, European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen reiterated that it is up to the Member States to decide their energy mix.
However, the Commission President added that whilst nuclear energy “can play a role” in the EU’s decarbonisation efforts, it is not deemed “strategic,” compared to renewables like solar and wind, and thus may not benefit from the full range of available EU subsidies.