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Vote: Framework Programme of the European Atomic Energy Community for nuclear research and training activities, Amendment 36 (Annex I, part II, section 2, paragraph 1), November 2011.

Nuclear energy is a part of the EU energy mix, along with other sources of energy such as fossil fuels (oil, gas, coal) and renewable energy sources like solar, wind and hydro-electric power.

Nuclear power plants generate about 30% of the electricity produced in the EU (compared to just 12.7% generated by renewables) and there are currently 132 operating reactors in 14 EU Member States as of June 2013. Four more are under construction and over a dozen are planned. On the other hand, after the Fukushima nuclear disaster some countries decided to reconsider their reliance on nuclear energy.

The EU is the world’s largest energy importer. The 2009 gas crisis showed how dangerous this dependence on external suppliers can be. In addition the stocks of fossil fuels are forecast to run out. The main goal for Europe is to secure its own energy supplies by tapping into new sources like nuclear power or renewables.

The European Commission put forward a legislative package stressing the strategic role of nuclear power in the security, independence and diversity of the EU’s energy supply. In response, one European Parliament political group put forward an amendment arguing that nuclear energy should be phased out entirely, and that the EU should move resolutely towards a non-nuclear economy.