European business nuclear alliance launched
A group of 14 European business federations have published a joint declaration announcing their joint commitment to strengthening the European nuclear industry. The declaration highlights four priority areas.
Composed of 14 signatory federations, with 19 nationalities represented, the alliance is "a mobilisation of economic actors to defend the place of nuclear energy within the European Union and make Europe a decarbonised, competitive and sovereign economic power", said France's Medef, which initiated the alliance.
Its other members include: Belgium's VOB FEB, the Bulgarian Industrial Association, Croatia's HUP, the Confederation of Industry of the Czech Republic, Danish Industry, Confederation of Finnish Industries, Confederation of Hungarian Employers and Industrialists, Italy's Confindustria, Polish Confederation Lewiatan, Romania's Concordia, Slovakia's National Union of Employers, and Confederation of Swedish Enterprise. The Confederation of British Industry is also a member, although its listing says its signature is "relevant for all non-EU related topics".
"With the global race to develop clean technologies intensifying, Europe must deepen and expand its investments in strategic value chains to cement its position as a climate leader and defend its economic potential," the declaration says. "A diverse set of solutions and technologies are needed in the face of intensifying decarbonisation demands and competitiveness pressures.
"Nuclear energy is one of these critical levers, complementing renewable energy and other clean solutions and ensuring businesses have access to a competitive, stable, and predictable supply of decarbonised energy. Scaling up investment, driving innovation in advanced technologies and strengthening the circular economy offer a strategic opportunity to consolidate the nuclear value chain alongside other key clean industrial sectors, fostering competitiveness and resilience at the European level."
The declaration says the signatories "welcome the new momentum for nuclear energy that is emerging at European level, including the recognition of the role of nuclear energy at EU level in the Net Zero Industry Act, 2040 Climate objective Communication, as well as the launch of the SMR Industrial Alliance". However, they say, "it is time for Europe to build on these breakthroughs and go further".
The alliance has identified four focus areas, which it says are in alignment with the development of the Clean Industrial Deal and in anticipation of the next milestones for meeting European economic and climate objectives. These are: providing a clear and supportive institutional framework, removing barriers and fully implementing technology neutrality; securing access to private and public funding; accelerating the industrialisation of the sector and fostering a robust nuclear ecosystem in Europe; and supporting the development and renewal of skills.
"Nuclear energy cannot remain on the sidelines of European strategies," the declaration says. "On the path to a decarbonised economy and energy system, all technologies that result in the reduction of emissions must be deployed. It is now urgent to set up the framework and the concrete actions for a transition that fully leverages the complementarity between nuclear, renewable energies and other low-carbon technologies."
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