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renewable energy by 2020 was rejected by 24 votes. Amendment 4, which claimed that "current scientific developments reliably ensure the safety of nuclear power plants", was rejected by 23 POSTSCRIPT Nuclear lobbying offensive fails...by a hair's breadth CEO update on the European Parliament Plenary vote: On 14 December [2006], the Plenary of the European Parliament (EP) voted on the "Report on a European Strategy for Sustainable, Competitive and Secure Energy", also known as the Morgan report. Nuclear industry lobbyists in Brussels had worked hard to influence the final wording of the report to provide new opportunities for expansion of nuclear power in Europe. But in the end, FORATOM and other nuclear lobby groups didn't get what they had hoped for. Despite months of intensive lobbying, they failed to convince a majority of the Parliament to vote for dropping binding targets for renewable energy. However, they were not far from achieving their objectives. Amendment 9 (proposing a target for "CO> neutral energy technologies to supply 60% of EU electricity demand by 2020") was rejected by a narrow majority of only four votes (out of the total 732 MEPs). The proposal to remove binding targets for the share of votes. On 10 January 2007, the European Commission will present its long-awaited Strategy Review on Energy. It remains to be seen whether the opinion of the European Parliament will be taken into account seriously. The Spring Summit of EU government leaders in March will make final decisions on the basis of the Strategy Review. oo About the Author: Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO) is a European-based research and campaign group targeting the threats to democracy, equity, social justice and the environment posed by the economic and political power of corporations and their lobby groups. CEO is based at De Wittenstraat 25, 1052 AK Amsterdam, The Netherlands, tel +31 20 6127023, fax +31 20 6869558. Visit CEO's website at http:/www.corporateeurope.org. Endnotes battle.htm. Paper" (2006/21 13(INI)), Rapporteur: Note: Links to the cited sources can be 6. Email sent by MEP Alejo Vidal- Eluned Morgan, 28 November 2006, op. accessed via the CEO file at: Quadras, dated 17 July 2006. cit. Tabled amendments: http:/Avww.corporateeurope.org/docs/ 7. ENS news, http:/Avww.euronuclear. http:/www.europarl.europa.eu/ NuclearPowerGrab.pdf. org/e-news/e-news-1 0/ meetdocs/2004_2009/organes/itre/ 1. ITER (Committee on Industry, Research _ winning-the-battle.htm. itre_20061122 0900.htm. and Energy), "Report on a European 8. Plenary vote on 16 November 2005, 16. Antony Frogatt, "Not Moving Strategy for Sustainable, Competitive and Resolution P6_TA(2005)0433. Forward: Analysis of EU Energy Policy", Secure Energy—Green Paper" 9. See list of events on the website of the Brussels, 9 November 2006. (2006/2113(INI)), Rapporteur: Eluned European Energy Forum. While itistrue 17. See, for instance, Matthew Tempest, Morgan, 28 November 2006. that occasionally the forum covers topics "I've changed my mind on nuclear 2. According to a Eurobarometer survey, | on renewable energy, one MEP shared his power,’ admits Blair", The Guardian, 4 Europeans are very favourable to solar view that this is a tactic to protect an July 2006. energy (48%) and wind energy (31%), image of neutrality. See also Corporate 18. The construction of a new nuclear while nuclear is only supported by 12%; Europe Observatory (CEO), "Transparency _ plant is underway in Finland; France, "Attitudes Towards Energy", Boost Needed for European Parliament Romania and Bulgaria are about to begin October-November 2005, p. 9. Cross-Party Groups", October 2006, at new constructions; Slovakia, Poland, 3. "Declaration on Climate Change and http://www.corporateeurope.org. Turkey, Czech Republic and the UK are Nuclear Energy": this was released to 10. Email from Guy Parker to CEO, dated considering the possibility of building new coincide with the FORATOM seminar 4 December 2006. nuclear plants. "Nuclear Energy: Meeting the Challenge 11. Email from Edit Herczog to CEO, 19. Amendments on Eluned Morgan of Climate Change", which took placeon dated 4 December 2006. report, "A European Strategy for 19 October 2005 in the European 12. Email from Guy Parker to CEO, dated Sustainable, Competitive and Secure Parliament and was chaired by Finnish 4 December 2006. Energy"—WMotion for a Resolution Conservative MEP Eija-Riitta Korhola. 13. See amendments 1, 12, 27, 43, 47, (A6-0426/2006), 6 December 2006. 4. The own-initiative report by Swedish 130, 216, 235, 236, 322, 325, 334,336, | 20. FORATOM website, Conservative MEP Anders Wijkman, on htto:/Avww.europarl.europa.eu/meetdocs/ —_http:/www.foratom.org (visited 10 the Commission's February 2005 commu- 2004_2009/organes/itre/itre_20061122_ December 2006). nication "Winning the Battle Against 0900.htm. 21. ENS-registered lobbyists are Laurent Global Climate Change" (COM 14. ITER (Committee on Industry, Furedi, Hans Korteweg (FORATOM (2005)0035), which presented the Research and Energy), "Draft Reportona head of cabinet and institutional affairs Commission's vision on the EU's climate European Strategy for Sustainable, manager) and Guy Parker (who responds change policy for the post-2012 period. Competitive and Secure Energy—Green to CEO emails to FORATOM as institu- Committee on the Environment, Public Paper” (2006/21 13(INI) Provisional), tional affairs manager). FORATOM- Health and Food Safety, "Report on Rapporteur: Eluned Morgan, 19 registered lobbyists are Caroline Ciuciu Winning the Battle Against Global September 2006. (responsible for legal affairs and paid by Climate Change" (2005/2049(INI)), 15. ITER (Committee on Industry, Areva), Sami Tulonen (institutional Rapporteur: Anders Wijkman. Research and Energy), "Report ona affairs-nuclear generation) and Santiago 5. ENS news,http:/Avww.euronuclear.org/ European Strategy for Sustainable, San Antonio (secretary-general of ENS and e-news/e-news-1 O/winning-the- Competitive and Secure Energy—Green director-general of FORATOM). 14 = NEXUS www.nexusmagazine.com FEBRUARY — MARCH 2007