The New Flemish Alliance, N-VA, will not sign any energy pact that mandates the closure of nuclear plants by 2025, newspapers from the Mediahuis group reported on Friday. By Christmas, energy ministers from Belgium’s various levels of government are to come up with a plan establishing the country’s future energy direction. All the ministers have said nuclear plants should be closed by 2025, which is also enshrined in the government agreement.
However, the N-VA does not want to sign a “blank cheque”. It points out that there has thus far been no study proving that Belgium can do without nuclear energy and what that would cost.
The Prime Minister of Flanders, Geert Bourgeois (N-VA) has already stated that it would be premature to scrap nuclear energy completely.
However, N-VA parliamentarians Bert Wollants and Andries Gryffroy have gone further, according to Het Nieuwsblad, intimating that if the energy ministers come up with a proposal to that effect, the nationalists in the Flemish and Federal governments would oppose the pact.
The Brussels Times
