Germany to use “legal instruments” in response to Poland’s nuclear power plans

Germany has concerns about Poland’s plans to open nuclear power stations and the impact of its development of the Oder river that runs along the border between the two countries, German environment Steffi Lemke has revealed during a visit to Warsaw.

Speaking after talks with Polish counterpart Anna Moskwa, Lemke noted that “an important part of our discussion” was the nuclear issue, in particular the questions of “safety and waste storage”. In Berlin’s view, nuclear is “neither good nor safe”, she said.

Asked by a journalist whether Berlin was worried about scientific studies showing that the construction of nuclear reactors in Poland could pose a danger to some German regions, Lemke noted that, in the event of a threat to a neighbouring country, it is possible to initiate legal action.

“If reactors are to be built in Poland, we will work with the appropriate legal instruments…at the European level,” said Lemke. “This goes without saying.”

Some Polish media outlets, including Polska Times and WNP, interpreted the German minister’s remarks as a threat to take Poland to court over its nuclear plans.

In a statement to Notes from Poland, however, the German environment ministry said that such an “interpretation is wrong” and that Lemke had been referring only to “cross-border environmental impact assessment”, not a lawsuit. “Each state decides on its energy mix,” they added.

Germany began to phase out nuclear power in 2011 in the wake of the Fukushima nuclear accident in Japan. It aims to close its remaining nuclear power plants by the end of this year. The Greens, Lemke’s party, have opposed nuclear power since their inception.

By contrast, Poland’s current government sees nuclear power as a key component in its plans to move away from reliance on coal. Its energy plan foresees the first nuclear power plant going online in 2033. A number of private and state-owned companies could have small reactors up and running even earlier.

Speaking yesterday, Lemke also noted that her government has a “different position” from Poland’s on the Oder river (known as Odra in Polish), which runs for 187 kilometres (116 miles) along the border between the two countries.

WNP notes that for years German environmentalists have criticised Polish development plans for the river. They say that the plans, purportedly intended to improve flood protection, are primarily an economic project to restore full navigability of the river.

Lemke herself, before becoming a minister, had strongly criticised proposals to expand infrastructure around the river. Yesterday, she stressed the need to maintain “the last, largely preserved river estuary in central Europe with its extraordinary variety of species”.

Speaking alongside Lemke, Moskwa acknowledged that, “although our positions in this debate sometimes differ, as exemplified by a different approach to nuclear energy, we see great potential for cooperation in achieving common goals”. This could include developing wind power in the Baltic Sea, she said.

Moskwa noted that Poland had to undertake “a huge transformation” of its energy mix. “The purpose is not only respect for the environment and climate, but also to give impetus to the economy”, she added. “We must ensure a fair transition.”

She called for “intensified joint dialogue on flood protection investments” on the Oder border that would take account of both “nature protection and flood safety of the region’s inhabitants”.

During her visit to Warsaw, Lemke also visited the Ringelbaum Archive, a trove of documents from the Warsaw ghetto hidden underground and later recovered. They are “a living testament to the depth of suffering of Polish Jews under Nazi occupation [and] it is our responsibility that they are never forgotten”, she wrote.

Note: this article has been updated to include the German environment ministry’s statement.

Main image credit: Ministerstwo Klimatu i Środowiska

Daniel Tilles

Daniel Tilles is editor-in-chief of Notes from Poland. He has written on Polish affairs for a wide range of publications, including Foreign Policy, POLITICO Europe, EUobserver and Dziennik Gazeta Prawna.