Overview

• Europe’s General Court rejected Austria’s bid to annul the EU’s 2022 taxonomy that allows certain nuclear and gas activities to be marketed as sustainable.
• Judges said the European Commission was entitled to conclude that, under specific conditions, nuclear and some fossil gas can substantially aid climate mitigation and adaptation.
• Analysts said the ruling could end a deadlock over EU funding for conventional nuclear reactors and bolster France’s push to unlock investment, with some reporting speculation that Berlin may ease its resistance.
• The 2022 move exposed divisions among member states, with Spain and Denmark opposing a green label for gas while Poland and Bulgaria sought gas support to replace coal.
• Austria and environmental groups criticized the judgment, citing nuclear waste and greenwashing concerns, and Austrian climate minister Norbert Totschnig called the outcome “very regrettable.”