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Commission ‘non-committal’ on approach to taxonomy rules The Brussels-based nuclear industry group Foratom has expressed its concerns about the European Commission’s lack of clarity on the implementation of recommendations being prepared by the European Joint Research Centre (JRC) on nuclear energy’s role under the “do no significant harm” criteria of the EU’s sustainable finance taxonomy.

During a press briefing, Foratom said the results of the JRC report are expected in late February or early March.

However, the commission has decided that the report be evaluated by two more expert groups – its scientific committee on health, environment and emerging risks and a Euratom Article 31 radioprotection experts group whose role is harmonising standards for radiation protection in the EU. This is expected to happen at the latest three months after the conclusions of the JRC report, sometime in June 2021.

Foratom said the commission has been unclear in its approach to the implementation of the JRC report’s findings when it comes to their inclusion in the legally-binding rules – known as delegated acts – which will supplement the EU’s sustainable finance taxonomy on the technical screening criteria for each of its environmental objectives.

The timeline envisions the revised version of the first delegated act being published in April 2021 and the publication of the draft second delegated act in the second half of 2021. According to Foratom, the commission has not said how and when nuclear energy will be included in these delegated acts.

The industry group expects this to happen in the second revision of the acts, but said the commission has been non-committal on the matter.

Foratom called for the initial JRC report findings to be included in the April revision of the delegated acts, ahead of the opinions from the two expert groups.

The EU’s sustainable finance taxonomy aims at creating a common language that investors can refer to when investing in projects and economic activities that have a substantial positive impact on the climate and the environment.

It came into force on 12 July 2020, leaving a final decision on some technical criteria to be included in delegated acts subject to expert review and public consultation. Energy generation technologies under the taxonomy have been assessed on whether they do not cause significant harm to other EU environmental objectives.

A March 2020 report by a commission technical expert group omitted nuclear energy from its recommendations on the taxonomy rules, saying it was unable to conclude that the industry’s value chain meets these criteria. The nuclear industry and scientific organisations have been calling for this to be reviewed.

In September 2020 the commission appointed the JRC to assess nuclear energy once again against the do no significant harm criteria, a move which the nuclear industry welcomed.

Last month, Brussels-based Euractiv reported that the commission has delayed publication of the first delegated acts draft because of the number of public comments received and a threat of objections from eastern and southern EU member states over the status of natural gas.

The commission published the draft implementing rules in November 2020, saying the proposal was the first-ever “green-list” of economic activities aimed at encouraging private investments in the green economy.

Date: Saturday, 13 February 2021
Original article: nucnet.org/news/foratom-expresses-concern-over-lack-of-clarity-on-nuclear-s-role-2-4-2021