The first set of delegated acts on Europe’s sustainable finance taxonomy should be delayed until it is decided whether or not to include nuclear energy, an alliance of non-governmental organisations said in a letter to European commission president Ursula von der Leyen.

The Brussels-based weCare alliance, which includes NGOs promoting a technology neutral and low-carbon energy mix to reduce CO2 emissions and limit climate change, questioned the haste with which the delegated acts might be tabled by the European commission – as early as this month – for approval by the European council and European parliament.

This means the acts could be tabled before the commission has cleared the path to include nuclear energy. Nuclear energy’s role in the taxonomy has been reviewed by the EU’s Joint Research Centre, which concluded it qualifies as sustainable, but is subject to further scrutiny by expert committees in the coming months.