European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has spoken out in favour of nuclear power, calling the nuclear phaseout in Europe a “strategic mistake”.
Speaking at a summit of the International Atomic Energy Association (IAEA) in Paris today, von der Leyen said: “In 1990, one third of Europe’s electricity came from nuclear power. Today it is only close to 15 per cent. This reduction in the share of nuclear was a choice.
“And, in hindsight, it was a strategic mistake for Europe to turn its back on a reliable, affordable source of low-emission power.”
Von der Leyen’s newly found pro-nuclear stance is somewhat ironic as it was her own mentor, former German chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) who pushed through the nuclear phaseout in 2011 after a tsunami hit a Japanese nuclear plant in Fukushima. Merkel was reportedly also instrumental in getting von der Leyen the position of EC President in her first term. starting in 2019.
In a 2011 interview, von der Leyen – then still labour minister under Merkel – hailed the nuclear phaseout, saying: “Fukushima was a turning point, not only for CDU. The fact that this happened in a country like Japan has severely shaken our confidence in technology.
“Fukushima will have consequences for several generations. We must therefore say goodbye to old certainties, even if it is difficult.”
Now, however, she said nuclear energy was “reliable, providing electricity all year around the clock” – as opposed to “volatile” solar and wind power.
Von der Leyen also reminded her audience that Europe had been a pioneer in nuclear technology and could once again become a world leader in the technology.
“Next generation nuclear reactors could become a European high-tech value export,” she said.
The EC leader also presented a new €200 million European Union programme to provide investment guarantees to incentivise private investors to invest in innovative nuclear technologies.
“The resources will come from our emission trading system. We will de-risk investments in these low-carbon technologies, and we want to give a clear signal for other investors to join,” she said.
Von der Leyen is not the first European leader to come out in favour of nuclear power. In January 2026, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (Christian Democratic Union, CDU) called the German nuclear phaseout “a huge mistake” and said it had come at a high cost to his country’s economy.
In 2010, German nuclear power plants still generated 140 terawatt hours (TWh) of electricity – almost a quarter of total generation. By 2024, all of the country’s nuclear reactors had been shut down permanently – and in most cases destroyed – making Germany the main culprit for the decline of nuclear power cited by von der Leyen in her speech.
While there has been an ongoing debate in Germany about a possible return to nuclear power, it was not among the 40 countries participating in the IAEA summit.
Niels Harksen, a spokesperson for German pro-nuclear NGO Nuklearia, told Brussels Signal: “In a European context, von der Leyen’s remarks come as no surprise as countries like France and Sweden have regarded nuclear power as an indispensable part of the energy future.
“In the German context, however, her statement is in fact part of a trend reversal. The nuclear phaseout is increasingly being recognised as a mistake. It is now important that this mistake be corrected immediately.”
Harksen added that the decommissioned German nuclear plants were still being further decommissioned even though some of them could still be repaired and reactivated – which would be cheaper and faster than building new nuclear plants.