Olaf Scholz
Federal Minister of Finance
and Vice Chancellor
11016 Berlin
Germany

Open letter

Please save the Green Deal: Take action to prevent nuclear energy and fossil gas from being labelled as green

Dear Federal Minister,

We are extremely concerned by the announcement of the European Commission’s President, Ursula von der Leyen, to likely label both nuclear energy and fossil gas as sustainable in the context of the EU’s taxonomy. According to media coverage, it was the absence of a strong German voice against nuclear in the European Council on 21/22 October that directly contributed to this decision. In your role as current finance minister and future Chancellor, we call on you to swiftly and decisively confirm the German veto against labelling nuclear as a sustainable form of energy and highlight that the Commission’s attempt to shape this discussion during the sensitive time of a new government being formed in Germany is not acceptable.

The EU taxonomy regulation is meant to provide guidelines for the necessary future-oriented investments for Europe’s economic transition. Nuclear energy, however, is unsustainable due to severe safety risks, environmental pollution and the unsolved waste problem. Fossil gas emits large quantities of climate-damaging greenhouse gases, especially methane, along its extraction and transport chain. Granting nuclear and fossil gas the label of sustainability would undermine the EU’s climate targets, divert much-needed investments in the green transition and jeopardize the credibility of the entire European Green Deal.

Dear Federal Minister, Germany has embarked upon a clear path to phase out nuclear power by the end of next year. NGOs from across Europe count on you to take an equally clear stance against nuclear energy but also fossil gas at the European level.

Yours sincerely

France Nature Environnement, France

CEE Bankwatch Network

European Environmental Bureau (EEB)

The Green Tank, Greece

Umanotera – Slovenian Foundation for Sustainable Development, Slovenia

Umweltinstitut München e.V., Germany

Socio-ecological union international

Climate Strategy Group

Andy Gheorghiu Consulting, Germany

Green Liberty, Latvia

BürgerBegehren Klimaschutz

Bürgerbewegung Finanzwende, Germany
AnsvarligFremtid, Denmark
Klimabevægelsen i Danmark (350 Denmark), Denmark

Naturschutzbund Deutschland e.V., Germany

BirdLife Europe

uranium-network.org, Germany

eco-union, Spain

Mouvement Ecologique (FoE-Luxembourg), Luxemburg

urgewald, Germany

.ausgestrahlt, Germany

350.org Europe

Deutscher Naturschutzring, Germany

Stowarzyszenie Pracownia na rzecz Wszystkich Istot, Poland

Legambiente, Italy

Carbon Market Watch

Health and Environment Justice Support (HEJSupport)

Counter Balance

ZERO – Association for the Sustainability of the Earth System, Portugal

Clean Air Action Group, Hungary

Alofa Tuvalu, Tuvalu

Réseau pour la transition énergétique CLER, France

Creatura Think & Do Tank, Finland

Women Against Nuclear Power, Finland

Women for Peace, Finland

The Alliance of the Associations Polish Green Network, Poland

FMKK – The Swedish Anti Nuclear Movement, Sweden

Polish Ecological Club Mazovian Branch, Poland

Stowarzyszenie Ekologiczne EKO-UNIA, Poland

Stowarzyszenie Ekologiczno-Kulturalne “Wspólna Ziemia”, Poland

Arbeitskreis Indianer Nordamerikas, Austria

EuroNatur Stiftung, Germany

Our Fish

E3G – Third Generation Environmentalism

Bioland e.V., Germany

Deutsche Umwelthilfe e.V., Germany

Germanwatch e.V., Germany

Fair Finance International

National Society of Conservationists – Friends of the Earth Hungary, Hungary

Nucléaire Stop Kernenergie – Belgium

Tegengas/Dégaze – Belgium

IPPNW (International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War), German affiliate, Germany

Urgenda Foundation, The Netherlands

Focus Association for Sustainable Development, Slovenia

Milieudefensie, The Netherlands

Za Zemiata/Friends of the Earth Bulgaria, Bulgaria

Fair Finance Guide, Sweden

Corporate Europe Observatory

Jihočeské matky, z.s., Czech Republic

WEED e.V. – World Economy, Ecology and Development, Germany

ShareAction

Global Witness

Reclaim Finance, France

Fossielvrij NL, The Netherlands

Bürgerinitiative “Kein Atommüll in Ahaus” e.V., Germany

The Peace Movement of Orust, Sweden

Global Nature Fund, Germany

Climate Action Network International

Transport & Environment

NewClimate Institute gGmbH, Germany

Miljöringen lovisa Finland

Réaction en chaîne humaine pour l’arrêt du nucléaire France

Calla – Association for Preservation of the Environment, Czech republic

Réseau “Sortir du nucléaire”, France

BI “Stoppt Temelin”, Germany

GLOBAL 2000 – Friends of the Earth Austria, Austria

Suomen luonnonsuojeluliitto (Finnish Association for Nature Conservation), Finland

Forum Ökologie & Papier, Germany

Plattform gegen Atomgefahren Salzburg (PLAGE), Austria

Gas Free Pensions, Europe

Réseau Action Climat France

PSR / IPPNW Switzerland (Physicians for Social Respon

sibility /International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War)

Greenpeace

Begegnungszentrum für Aktive Gewaltlosigkeit, Austria

Hiilivapaa Suomi, Finland

Food & Water Action Europe, Europe

International Network for Sustainable Energy – Europe

ReCommon, Italy

Inter-Environnement Wallonie, Belgique

Campagna “Per il Clima Fuori dal Fossile”, Italy

Movimento No TAP/SNAM Brindisi, Italy

Redazione emergenzaclimatica.it, Italy

BankTrack, the Netherlands

TerraBlu, Italy

Bellona Europa, Belgium

Bellona Deutschland, Germany

Forum Ambientalista O.d.V., Italy

Climate Action Network, Europe

Associazione Tarantola Rubra, Italy

Friends of the Earth, Europe

Trivelle Zero Molise, Italy

Environmental Coalition on Standards, Belgium

Collettivo No al Fossile Civitavecchia, Italy

WWF Forlì-Cesena, Italy

Coordinamento ravennate Fuori dal Fossile, Italy

The Swedish Anti-Nuclear Movement, Branch Gävle, Sweden

NOAH Friends of the Earth Denmark

Wiener Plattform Atomkraftfrei, Austria

Parents For Future Vienna, Austria

Trivelle Zero Marche, Italy

Parents for Future Gütersloh, Germany

A Sud, Italy

European Alliance for the Self-determination of Indigenous Peoples, Austria/France/Germany/Switzerland

Mom Loves Taiwan

Forum Ökologisch-Soziale Marktwirtschaft e.V., Germany

WISE Netherlands

atomstopp_atomkraftfrei leben!, Austria

Freistädter Mütter gegen Atomgefahr, Austria

Grandparents For Future Austria

Parents For Future Oberösterreich, Austria

Frauen für den Frieden Schweiz

Bund für Umwelt und Naturschutz Deutschland (BUND) e.V – Friends of the Earth Germany, Germany

International Commission for the Protection of the Alps (CIPRA International), Liechtenstein

Rete “Legalità per il clima”, Europe

Collectif anti-nucléaire Ouest, France

Fédération anti-nucléaire Bretagne, France

GasExit

Greenpeace, Russia