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Nuclear causes ripples in new member states
ENDS Europe DAILY 2412, 19/10/07
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The Czech Green party has threatened to bring down the coalition
government in which it is a junior partner if members of the majority
ODS party support amendments to an energy law that would shift
ultimate power over decisions on possible new nuclear plants from the
government to the parliament.
The Greens said this week that any support from government MEPs for
changes tabled by the opposition for a vote next week would be
tantamount to breaking a coalition agreement not to favour nuclear,
according to the CTK news agency. In a speech the Czech Republic's
Green environment minister, Martin Bursek, said the country should
invest more in renewables and that there is "a future without nuclear
power plants".
* Meanwhile Lithuanian president Valdas Adamkus said on Tuesday that
he was "confident" the EU would allow Vilnius to keep open the
obsolete Ignalina nuclear power plant until a replacement has been
built, AFP agency reports. Under its accession agreement with the EU
Lithuania promised to decommission Ignalina by 2009 (EED 13/06/02
http://www.endseuropedaily.com/articles/12354).
Follow-up: See CTK news report
http://www.ceskenoviny.cz/news/index_view.php?id=277022 and Bursik's
speech
http://www.zeleni.cz/6372/clanek/martin-bursik-k-novele-zakona-o-hospodareni-energii/
(Czech), plus AFP news report
http://www.eubusiness.com/news_live/1192531622.31/.
Article Index: climate, energy, nuclear