RT.com
21 Mar 2023, 23:44 GMT+10
Growing tensions between the two states threaten to disrupt an EU summit on economic competitiveness and Ukraine aid
A disagreement between Paris and Berlin over nuclear energy and combustion engine vehicle policies is casting a shadow on an upcoming EU summit on Ukraine, Politico reported on Monday, citing multiple sources.
According to the outlet, the impasse between Germany and France is feared to disrupt a meeting of EU leaders in Brussels on Thursday, in which the officials are set to discuss economic competitiveness, as well as ammunition deliveries to Kiev.
The latest row was initially ignited after Germany tried to mount a late blockade of the EU's zero-emissions legislation, which includes a ban on the sale of polluting cars and vans by 2035. Berlin wants a clearly-worded exemption for e-fuels - a synthetic alternative to fossil fuels that is beneficial to the German automotive industry. However, Berlin's demand has already been rejected twice before in the European Parliament, as member states refused to back a binding loophole for such fuels last year.
Germany's attempts to roadblock the adoption of EU clean tech legislation have sparked frustration in France, which, in turn, is now trying to push through a nuclear energy exemption in the bloc's green rules. Paris wants to include a reference in the EU summit conclusions that would emphasize the importance of nuclear power for EU industry decarbonization, according to two diplomats familiar with the matter.
That, however, has drawn opposition from Berlin, where the nuclear-skeptic government has committed to completely phasing out nuclear energy, as the last remaining nuclear power plants are scheduled to be shut down next month.
Germany has also previously pressured the European Commision to downgrade the role of nuclear power under the Net Zero Industry Act, the latest draft of which was presented last week. France was outraged by the move and is now demanding that nuclear-based hydrogen be given a bigger role in the EU's renewable energy goals.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has reportedly said he would like to resolve the issue before Thursday's summit to avoid having it become a bigger political discussion among leaders, according to three sources who spoke to Politico.
The upcoming summit is expected to focus on finalizing a €2 billion deal to jointly restock Ukraine's dwindling ammunition supplies while refilling the bloc's own stocks. The plan was initially proposed by EU top diplomat Josep Borrell and was approved on Monday at a meeting of EU foreign and defense ministers.
(RT.com)
Get a daily dose of Paris Guardian news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Paris Guardian.
More InformationWASHINGTON, D.C.: The Trump administration has made public a visa decision that would usually be kept private. It did this to send...
MADRID, Spain: Liverpool footballer Diogo Jota and his younger brother, André Silva, have died in a car accident in Spain. Spanish...
LONDON, U.K.: An unrelenting heatwave sweeping across Europe has pushed early summer temperatures to historic highs, triggering deadly...
President Donald Trump's plans to build a space-based Golden Dome missile defense shield have drawn immediate criticism from China,...
NEW YORK CITY, New York: Paramount has agreed to pay US$16 million to settle a lawsuit brought by U.S. President Donald Trump over...
LONDON, U.K.: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer won a vote in Parliament this week to move ahead with changes to the country's welfare...
PALO ALTO/TEL AVIV: The battle for top AI talent has claimed another high-profile casualty—this time at Safe Superintelligence (SSI),...
FRANKLIN, Tennessee: Hundreds of thousands of Nissan and Infiniti vehicles are being recalled across the United States due to a potential...
REDMOND, Washington: Microsoft is the latest tech giant to announce significant job cuts, as the financial strain of building next-generation...
LONDON UK - U.S. stock markets were closed on Friday for Independence Day. Global Forex Markets Wrap Up Friday with Greeback Comeback...
SANTA CLARA, California: Nvidia came within a whisker of making financial history on July 3, briefly surpassing Apple's all-time market...
SACRAMENTO, California: California's multibillion-dollar farms are facing a growing crisis—not from drought or pests, but from a sudden...