Faced with the energy crisis, the European Union reintegrates nuclear power into its priorities

Long a taboo in Brussels after the Fukushima disaster in Japan in 2011 and openly opposed by some European countries such as Germany and Austria, nuclear energy is being reintegrated into the strategy of the Old Continent.

Evidence of this evolution: last July, the European Commission proposed, for the first time, to open the door to investments in nuclear energy (including for new capacity) as part of the EU budget for the 2028–2034 period.

A strategic shift embraced by Brussels

On March 10, the President of the institution, Ursula von der Leyen, went so far as to acknowledge that turning away from it had been for Europe “a strategic mistake”. The former Minister of Labour under Angela Merkel, when the ex-Chancellor decided to phase out nuclear power in Germany in 2011, now fully embraces integrating this energy into the Commission’s industrial strategy.

“Nuclear energy is an important component of decarbonization strategies, industrial competitiveness, and security of supply. Nearly half of Member States use it in their national energy mix. (...) Operating nuclear capacity is expected to increase” in the coming years, which should “benefit the entire EU energy system” and “help reduce reliance on fossil fuels, including in district heating and industrial processes,” the Commission estimates in its “Accelerate EU” plan, presented on April 22, to respond in the long term to the surge in oil and gas prices triggered by the war in the Middle East.

A still fragile but growing European consensus

The EU executive is indeed moving in line with an underlying trend among Member States. Countries such as Denmark and Italy, which had turned away from nuclear power for decades, have each adopted laws in recent months allowing its rehabilitation. Poland, for its part, plans to build its very first power plant by 2036.

Although it has not, at this stage, made such a shift, and remains reluctant to mobilize EU taxpayers’ money via the common budget, Germany has also significantly softened its position.

The context has changed. The war in the Middle East, the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, and the resulting energy crisis have increased the European Union’s energy vulnerability, leading, according to the Commission, to €24 billion in additional spending on fossil fuel imports in just a few weeks.

The government of Friedrich Merz now accepts that nuclear energy should broadly be promoted on the same footing as renewables in EU legislation, including in ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) matters.

The days when Paris and Berlin clashed over whether to include nuclear energy in the EU’s green investment taxonomy now seem distant. Ina delegated act published in February 2022, the Commission resolved this dispute by granting nuclear power (as well as natural gas) the status of a “transitional” energy (under certain technical conditions) within this key ESG policy framework aimed at directing financing, particularly private investment, toward sustainable activities.

At the time, the decision sparked intense controversy. Challenged shortly thereafter before the European courts by Austria (one of the most anti-nuclear countries), it was nevertheless upheld three years later, in September 2025, by the EU General Court at first instance.

The Court was not convinced by Austria’s argument that relying on nuclear power would run counter to the EU’s climate objectives: Austria, supported in its action by Luxembourg, notably failed to prove that investments in nuclear energy slow down the deployment of renewables.

The judges were also not persuaded by Austria’s concerns regarding the environmental impacts of uranium upstream and radioactive waste downstream, or about the risk of natural disasters—or wars—affecting nuclear plants.

“For companies, particularly those in the energy, finance, and heavy industry sectors, the Court’s decision puts an end—at least for now—to legal uncertainty,” estimates the international business law firm Linklaters, which adds that inclusion in the taxonomy “may provide easier access to sustainability-related financing.”

A costly and obstacle-ridden industrial bet

Funding that the EU will have to secure to meet the ambitious nuclear targets set by the European Commission.

As high electricity prices weigh on Europe’s industrial competitiveness compared to China and the United States, and as gigawatt consumption is set to surge in the coming years (notably due to the development of AI, robotics, and data centres), the EU executive is once again counting on nuclear power.

Thus, the Commission estimated the investments needed by 2050 to develop this decarbonized energy at €241 billion, when presenting its European energy strategy on June 13, 2025. Of this amount, €205 billion would be devoted to the construction of new plants.

Indeed, decades of neglect have weakened the sector: nuclear power’s share in the European electricity mix has fallen from 33% in 1990 to 15% today, while the United States—and especially China—did not wait to invest heavily.

At this stage, around 410 reactors are in operation worldwide, including 101 in Europe, according to Commission documents. Meanwhile, 63 are under construction, half of them in China, compared to just 3 in Europe.

Another challenge identified by the Commission concerns human resources. The sector will need to recruit between 180,000 and 250,000 new professionals by 2050, including 100,000 to 150,000 for the construction of new plants, according to the Commission’s program on investment needs in the nuclear sector (known as “PINC”), unveiled on March 10 by the EU’s main executive body. Until now, the sector has suffered from an image problem that has not helped attract young talent.

Europe is also seeking to reduce its external energy dependence, still according to the PINC, while imported fossil fuels still account for 57% of its consumption. This vulnerability also affects nuclear energy: Russia provides a significant share of uranium conversion (27%) and enrichment (38%) services, two essential stages of the fuel cycle.

Written by Clément Solal, journalist and Vincent Couronne, Doctor of European Law