The Digester

Ursula von der Leyen told a nuclear summit that Europe’s move away from nuclear power left it vulnerable to fossil fuel shocks, announced a €200 million innovation fund and pushed for small modular reactors and regulatory harmonization by 2030.

Von der Leyen said Europe’s retreat from nuclear was a strategic mistake exposed by supply shocks from the US-Israeli war against Iran.
She announced a €200 million fund for nuclear innovation and set a goal to deploy small modular reactors across the EU by 2030 with harmonized regulations.
French President Emmanuel Macron said nuclear reconciles energy independence with decarbonization and urged standardized reactor designs.
EU uranium supplies are concentrated, with Canada providing 34% in 2024, Kazakhstan 24% and Russia about 15%, and France imported 39% of enriched uranium from Russia in 2025.
France still generates more than two thirds of its electricity from nuclear while Germany significantly reduced its nuclear output after the 2011 Fukushima disaster.
Greenpeace activists disrupted the summit, protesting nuclear power and blocking vehicles arriving at the event.

Von der Leyen says phasing out nuclear was a 'strategic mistake'

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