On 27 May the European Commission (EC) put forward its proposal for a major post-Covid-19 recovery plan. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told the European Parliament that what underpinned the programme was a determination “to hold governments more accountable for fighting climate change and saving our nature.” David Lowry explores what this means for the continent’s climate policy and the role of nuclear energy. The Commission presented what it termed a “powerful, modern and revamped long-term” EU budget,  boosted by ‘Next Generation EU’ – an emergency temporary recovery instrument, to help repair the immediate economic and social damage brought by the coronavirus pandemic. Overall its will be worth EUR 750 billion, and will be in addition to the revamped long-term multi-annual EU budget of EUR 1.1 trillion. This programme came nearly nine months after von der Leyen had first announced the framework for the EU’s ‘Green New Deal’ on 10 September 2019 as she set out her presidential vision; and six months since details were unveiled in the 24 page communication document: ‘The European Green … Continue reading EU recovery plan goes green and excludes nuclear