EU Made ‘Mistake’ in Phasing Out Nuclear, Von Der Leyen Says (2)

The European Union made a “strategic mistake” in turning its back on nuclear energy, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in thinly-veiled criticism of Germany’s decision to close its reactors.

“While in 1990 one-third of Europe’s electricity came from nuclear, today it is only close to 15%,” she said at the Nuclear Energy Summit in Paris on Tuesday. “I believe that it was a strategic mistake for Europe to turn its back on a reliable, affordable source of low-emissions power.”

Von der Leyen’s comments are the latest to describe the decision by a number of European countries — most ...