The Czech Republic says an alliance of nuclear countries in Europe is based partly on the “ideal opportunity” presented by France taking over the presidency of the EU Council from January 2022.

Karel Havlíček, deputy prime minister of the Czech Republic, said the alliance, formed of 10 European countries, is calling for the inclusion of nuclear in the bloc’s sustainable finance taxonomy. He said this was part of a joint approach formulated with France, which generates 70% of its electricity from nuclear plants and is leading the alliance.

“We have similar interests with France, we are nuclear-oriented countries, so we have agreed on a common approach,” Mr Havlíček said. “We want Brussels to recognise nuclear and gas as sustainable activities according to the taxonomy. This will pave the way for cheaper financing and construction of new nuclear resources.”