France's position was supported by Ursula von der Leyen.
The head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, made an unexpectedly sharp assessment of European energy policy at a nuclear summit in France. According to her, the abandonment of nuclear energy is a strategic mistake. At the opening of the summit, von der Leyen presented figures that are hard to ignore. In 1990, about one-third of European electricity was generated by nuclear power plants. Now their share is less than 15%.
"I believe that for Europe it was a strategic mistake to turn away from a reliable, affordable source of low-emission electricity," said the head of the European Commission.
Von der Leyen announced a new mechanism. The EU will provide risk guarantees of 200 million euros for private investors investing in new nuclear technologies. The funds will come from the European emissions trading system.
President Calls for Equal Rules for Nuclear Energy
French President Emmanuel Macron was even tougher. He demanded that nuclear energy be placed on par with renewable sources regarding subsidies and government support. In his opinion, Europe needs to improve financing for both traditional and innovative nuclear projects. And this should be done at the EU level.
Macron paid special attention to small modular reactors (SMRs). These compact next-generation installations are seen as a promising alternative to traditional nuclear power plants.
"Our American friends, Canadians, and Chinese are at the forefront of these innovations — Europeans need to stay in the race," emphasized Macron.
40 Countries at the Table — Without Germany
The summit was attended by representatives from about 40 countries and organizations. Among them were nine heads of state and government, including from Rwanda, Morocco, and Belgium. Germany was not represented at the meeting. The country shut down its last nuclear power plants in April 2023.
As a result, Germany did not even send a government delegation to the summit.
At the same time, Berlin's position on nuclear technologies in recent years has not been unambiguous. In May 2025, Minister of Economy and Energy Katharina Reiche (CDU) allowed for the financing of research on small modular reactors from the EU budget, bringing the German position closer to the French one.
Why Germany Does Not Consider the Abandonment of Nuclear Energy a Mistake
However, Environment Minister Carsten Schneider (SPD) made it clear that there is no talk of a turnaround. According to him, Germany did the right thing by exiting nuclear energy. He called the construction of new nuclear power plants a "dead end."
"Germany rightly abandoned nuclear energy. We are developing renewable energy sources extremely quickly," Schneider stated on rbb24 Inforadio.
He was no less skeptical about small modular reactors. In his assessment, they are just as dangerous as conventional nuclear power plants but less efficient.
"And most importantly — I do not want German money to be invested in such reactors through the European Union," Schneider added.
Thus, a gap remains within the German government between the positions of the CDU and SPD on nuclear energy. While the European Commission and France are betting on a return to nuclear power, Berlin remains an observer — with disagreements within its own cabinet.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/LFhv8dk7nwA?si=J6NLCag-h1Wwdy71" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
