(Bloomberg) -- French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire pledged to defend nuclear energy in negotiations with the European Union about planned regulations to grow clean technologies as global competition increases.
The EU’s executive arm is due to unveil its Net Zero Industry Act next week, aimed at accelerating permitting procedures for key clean tech projects. It will set a 2030 target to have enough clean manufacturing capacity to meet at least 40% of the region’s annual needs.
An early draft of the regulation included nuclear power on a list of strategic technologies, but some diplomats have voiced doubts as to whether it would stay in the final version.
Read more: EU Draft Fast-Tracks Five Clean Sectors for Shift to Net Zero
“It’s always a difficult, complicated battle but we will fight to the end, and nobody should doubt France’s determination to defend its strategic interests and its energy mix,” Le Maire told reporters in Paris on Wednesday.
The European Commission plans to adopt the act on March 14. It will then be discussed by the European Parliament and national governments in the EU Council, with both institutions able to propose amendments.
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