“The new German government has signalled to France it will no longer object to treating nuclear power on a par with renewable energy in EU legislation, French officials said, confirming a published report.

The EU’s two largest economies have long been at loggerheads over whether to promote atomic power to achieve CO2 emissions targets, delaying policymaking on tackling climate change in the bloc.

France, which gets around 70% of its energy from atomic power, is nuclear energy’s main champion in Europe. Germany, which has phased out its nuclear plants, has viewed it as low-carbon but not renewable.

However, new German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who has called exiting nuclear energy a mistake, has promised a reset in relations with France. Berlin was also becoming increasingly isolated, with many European countries planning to revive nuclear power to replace gas flows from Russia.

Germany’s new stance left Austria as the only major holdout left in Europe.”

From Reuters.