The Joint Research Center (JRC) The European Commission's Joint Research Center has recommended that nuclear power be classified as green electricity.
"The analysis did not reveal any scientifically based evidence that nuclear energy is more harmful to human health or the environment than other technologies for generating electricity," the Center said.
Storing nuclear waste in deep geological formations is considered “appropriate and safe,” the JRC said, citing European countries, including France and Finland, which are at an advanced stage of developing such sites.
Two expert committees will scrutinize the JRC's findings for three months before the Commission makes a final decision.
There are different opinions in the European Union on the further development of nuclear power.
For example, France, Hungary and five other EU countries this month called on the Commission to support nuclear energy in policy, including green energy labeling.
Other states, including Austria, and some environmental groups are opposed to the use of nuclear fuel, pointing to its hazardous waste, as well as the growing costs of recent projects.
EU countries are also divided over how the European Commission should treat investments in natural gas.
After a plan to phase out natural gas faced opposition from its supporters, the Commission this month began labeling some of the gas as environmentally friendly, dividing countries into those that support fuel as an alternative to more polluting coal, and those that who says natural gas can lock in existing emissions for decades, hindering the achievement of climate goals.
