Tackling climate change is an urgent challenge. It calls for the EU to step up its action to show global leadership by becoming climate- neutral by 2050, covering all sectors of the economy and compensating, by 2050, not only any remaining CO2 but also any other remaining greenhouse gas emissions, as set out in the Communication ‘A Clean Planet for all – A European strategic long-term vision for a prosperous, modern, competitive and climate-neutral economy’ and as confirmed by the ‘European Green Deal’ Communication.
To complement the existing policy framework, several European Green Deal Initiatives have been adopted and other initiatives are under preparation. Among the adopted initiatives is the
the Regulation (EU) 2020/852 (the ‘Taxonomy Regulation’) on the establishment of a framework to facilitate sustainable investment which provides appropriate definitions to companies and investors on which economic activities can be considered environmentally sustainable
Inclusion or exclusion of nuclear energy in the EU taxonomy was a debated subject throughout the negotiations on the Taxonomy Regulation. While there are indirect references in the regulation to the issue of nuclear energy (including on waste), co-legislators ultimately left the assessment of nuclear energy to the Commission as part of its work on the delegated acts establishing the technical screening criteria.
The Technical Expert Group on Sustainable Finance (TEG), which was tasked with advising the Commission on the technical screening criteria for the climate change mitigation and adaptation objectives, did not provide a conclusive recommendation on nuclear energy and indicated that a further assessment of the ‘do no significant harm’ aspects of nuclear energy was necessary.
As the in-house science and knowledge service of the Commission with extensive technical expertise on nuclear energy and technology, the JRC was invited to carry out such analysis and to draft a technical assessment report on the ‘do no significant harm’ (DNSH) aspects of nuclear energy including aspects related to the long-term management of high-level radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel, consistent with the specifications of Articles 17 and 19 of the Taxonomy Regulation.
This report is the result of that JRC analysis.
ABOUSAHL Said;
CARBOL Paul;
FARRAR Brian;
GERBELOVA Hana;
KONINGS Rudy;
LUBOMIROVA Katia;
MARTIN RAMOS Manuel;
MATUZAS Vaidas;
NILSSON Karl-Fredrik;
PEERANI Paolo;
PEINADOR VEIRA Miguel;
RONDINELLA Vincenzo;
VAN KALLEVEEN Alexandra;
VAN WINCKEL Stefaan;
VEGH Janos;
WASTIN Franck;
Abousahl, S., Carbol, P., Farrar, B., Gerbelova, H., Konings, R., Lubomirova, K., Martin Ramos, M., Matuzas, V., Nilsson, K., Peerani, P., Peinador Veira, M., Rondinella, V., Van Kalleveen, A., Van Winckel, S., Vegh, J. and Wastin, F., Technical assessment of nuclear energy with respect to the ‘do no significant harm’ criteria of Regulation (EU) 2020/852 (‘Taxonomy Regulation’), EUR 30777 EN, Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg, 2021, ISBN 978-92-76-40538-2, doi:10.2760/207251, JRC125953.
2021-08-17
Publications Office of the European Union
JRC125953
978-92-76-40537-5 (online),
978-92-76-40538-2 (print),
1831-9424 (online),
1018-5593 (print),
EUR 30777 EN,
OP KJ-NA-30777-EN-N (online),
OP KJ-NA-30777-EN-C (print),
https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC125953,
10.2760/665806 (online),
10.2760/207251 (print),
