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Brussels -

The Nuclear Energy Summit, organized by the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union and the International Atomic Energy Agency, kicked off yesterday in Brussels, where heads of state and industrialists in this field will meet to discuss how to expand and explore nuclear energy, and to confirm the commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the energy sectors. And industry.

In response to a question from Al Jazeera Net during a press conference, French President Emmanuel Macron confirmed that he was discussing the issue of Russian nuclear energy and its threat to European countries during his meeting with the rest of the leaders.

In parallel, activists from about 40 organizations from all over the world condemned this meeting, which they considered separate from reality, in a demonstration outside the main exhibition center in the Belgian capital.

The nuclear energy summit continues in Brussels amid protests (Al Jazeera)

Nuclear aspirations

The French President said that his country will continue innovation and research in the field of nuclear energy to reach technological maturity and the optimal economic model. “When we look at prices, the new strategy that must be followed is based on 3 pillars: sobriety, renewable energy, and nuclear energy.”

Speaking to reporters, he pointed out that "all the reports submitted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change to the International Energy Agency show very clearly that there is complementarity between these three models."

Macron believes that international competition - especially with American companies - is normal, and will push European efforts to make more efforts to decarbonize their industries.

The President of the French Republic said, "It was not possible to imagine this nuclear energy alliance between European countries two years ago," pointing to the deployment and use of about 50 gigawatts of nuclear capacity during the coming years in Europe to maintain competitiveness and reduce emissions.

Macron praised the "post-Fukushima generation"'s mastery of nuclear energy in a safe manner, enabling his country, which took the path of investment in public services, to reserve its place among the rare countries that export electricity in the world.

In light of the recent tensions between Paris and Moscow, the French President said that he would discuss Russian nuclear energy and its repercussions on countries in the region, but when asked about the cost of nuclear and renewable technology, he refrained from answering.

fairy tale

Macron was delayed in arriving to deliver his press statements because the press area was evacuated "for security reasons", including journalists, after a Greenpeace activist raised a banner reading "Nuclear fairy tale" over the building that hosts leaders and representatives of about 40 countries. .

The activist remained suspended in the air for about an hour before security personnel intervened to untie the rope he was hanging on and arrest him. Greenpeace is known for its anti-nuclear weapons activities and attention-grabbing campaigns.

When Al Jazeera Net contacted a member of the non-governmental organization, he said, "This type of movement will continue until Europe stops surrendering to pressure groups in the nuclear industry," considering that the French government "is seeking to obtain huge sums of money to finance its new nuclear project."

The member of the organization - who did not want to reveal his name - denounced the exorbitant costs that countries and their people must pay for fictitious and very slow projects, as well as the lack of transparency in everything related to nuclear energy in major countries.

Environmental activists threw pink powder and lit torches to close the main roads leading to the summit in Brussels (Reuters)

Denounced outside the building

As convoys of presidential cars and others approached in the early morning hours, environmental activists threw pink powder and lit torches to close the main roads leading to the summit at the Brussels Expo, emphasizing that this type of summit represents nothing but a dangerous distraction from real climate solutions. The demonstrators also raised banners that read: It has "Fairy Tale", "Nuclear Tales: The Climate Crisis" and "Stop the Illusion".

In a press release, Greenpeace described the meeting of leaders at the summit as “detached from reality and perpetuating the old myth that powerful energy can save the climate.”

“New nuclear energy, whether in terms of large reactors or small modular reactors, is the worst possible option for our carbon-free future,” the NGO added.

In response to what a group of countries announced at the 28th Conference of the Parties in Dubai, the organization in France revealed that doubling global nuclear capacity three times by 2050 will require the completion of 70 reactors globally annually between 2040 and 2050, and so far, only 21 reactors have been added to global networks in the past four years, while 24 reactors were closed.

Environmental organizations raise slogans "Stop the illusion" against the nuclear summit in Brussels (French)

Source: Al Jazeera