A controversial proposal "that can distort and generate confusion" when channeling sustainable investments in the EU, Ribera pointed out. "Neither nuclear nor gas meet the scientific and legal criteria to be considered sustainable or receive the same treatment as unquestionably green technologies, such as wind or solar, and lead in the opposite direction to the priorities of a decarbonization process of the economy. without environmental risks", he said.

The vice-president was thus referring to the arguments presented by Spain regarding the proposal from the college of commissioners and the letter signed together with Austria, Denmark and Luxembourg, in which the four countries stated their rejection of including gas and nuclear energy in the Taxonomy . The criterion applied to the gas, of not emitting more than 270 grams of CO2/kWh, is above the recommendations of the IPCC and the IEA and would de facto eliminate the principle of "causing no significant harm" (DNSH) established in the first Taxonomy proposal, set precisely at that emission level.

In the case of nuclear, the negative impact of high level radioactive waste is well documented and is incompatible with the DNSH. The treatment of said residues entails very high costs and we still lack a proven and definitive solution for them, after 60 years of using the technology. In addition, accidents such as Chernobyl or Fukushima are clear references to the risks of nuclear energy.

Spain, in short, considers that the Commission's proposal sends a very bad signal to the financial markets to direct their investment towards truly sustainable technology with little risk. In addition, it warns that it can significantly reduce investment in unquestionably clean sources, in such a way that it poses a threat to the energy transition process and the achievement of European decarbonisation objectives.

energy prices

With regard to the escalation of energy prices and the worsening of the crisis situation in Ukraine, Spain has insisted on the need to develop mechanisms that protect consumers from the volatility of raw materials in international markets, beyond the Commission's proposals broken down in its Toolbox Communication.

“We are going to insist, once again, on the importance of the EU considering in the emergency plan what exceptional measures can be adopted in the regulatory context so that this complicated situation regarding gas does not have such an exorbitant impact as well. on electricity prices," said Ribera.

The Toolbox proposals are based on economic transfers from public budgets and high-income consumers to vulnerable consumers and industry. Therefore, they can only be applied by certain states, so that they generate inequality, distort competition and even encourage relocation to countries with more coverage, undermining the unity of the market.

Spain considers that the EU should equip itself, after extensive debate, with mechanisms to return the extraordinary income obtained from the extraordinary price of energy to consumers, instead of using funds provided by taxpayers or by other consumers.

Just transition and forests

The informal meeting convened by the French presidency on duty has analyzed in its meeting this Friday the role of the impacts of the Fit for 55% regulatory package -which sets the community commitment to reduce CO2 emissions by 55% by 2030- in the life of European citizens and the challenges it represents in terms of equity and social justice. The transition towards the decarbonisation of the European economy must be fair and "it will only be successful if we have the support of citizens and we are able to show them the benefits and opportunities of this process", the vice-president stressed.

Spain considers that the Commission's proposal on the Just Transition provides a basis on which to work, although it raises some concerns based on social equity and the equitable distribution of effort for countries and sectors, in addition to equalizing the climate cohesion of the impacts and risks between southern and northern Europe. For example, it considers that the application of the CO2 market to transport and construction should be carefully studied, or that the distribution of the additional CO2 absorption effort between the member states should be better analyzed.

Spain believes it is essential that the legislative scheme in which the Commission intends to advance respect the particularities of each region, allow flexibility to the member states and provide sufficient funds to guarantee an inclusive transition and the adaptation of workers and professionals to the new models of business in all sectors.

One of those sectors on which the informal council debated today is that of forests and wood. The representatives of the member states and the Commission analyzed their role in the EU's environmental, energy and climate policies as carbon sinks and key elements to build resilience against global warming with solutions based on nature, or its uses. and implications from the energy point of view as biomass.

The Spanish position emphasizes the need to establish economic and fiscal incentives to conserve mature forests due to their ability to sequester CO2 and as protectors of the soil and guarantors of biodiversity, as well as activating forest management for sustainable forestry, of great added value and job generator, capable of revitalizing rural environments at risk of depopulation.

Speed ​​up the transition process

In any case, it understands that the development of renewable energies and energy saving and efficiency must be accelerated so that consumers can benefit from their advantages as soon as possible and reduce the EU's dependence on energy imports and the volatility of the markets international raw materials.