The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) has called on the European Commission to support the EU’s nuclear ambitions with concrete regulatory and financial measures, warning that planned investments will not materialise without clearer support.

The EESC’ opinion on the commission’s 2025 Nuclear Illustrative Programme (Pinc) said nuclear energy plays and will continue to play a crucial role in decarbonising Europe and improving energy security and strategic autonomy.

The EESC criticised the lack of “thorough assessment” on why investment targets set out in a previous Pinc document were not delivered and urged the commission to address barriers to financing, licensing and fuel-cycle development.