Nuclear energy is a strategic choice for decarbonization, competitiveness and resilience of Europe

He said this in his speech at the 2nd Nuclear Energy Summit, which is being held today in Paris, under the chairmanship of French President Emmanuel Macron.

Below is the PM’s speech on that occasion in full.  

"Nuclear energy is now regaining its rightful place in the European Union's energy policy.

As a low-carbon and manageable technology, it is indispensable if we are to achieve the European Union's ambitious decarbonisation goals by 2050 and strengthen our energy independence.

Europe currently uses almost a third of the world's nuclear capacity.

However, it accounts for just over a tenth of the new capacity currently under construction.

This clearly shows that Europe is lagging behind in the new cycle of civil nuclear energy development.

Croatia is among the countries that produce nuclear energy

Faced with this situation, Croatia wants to actively contribute to the revival of nuclear energy in Europe.

Contrary to what most international statistics show, Croatia is among the countries that produce nuclear energy.

Namely, Croatia is a co-owner, in equal shares with Slovenia, of the Krško nuclear power plant, which is located on Slovenian territory.

The electricity that belongs to us is therefore not imported - it is transmitted to Croatian territory.

It accounts for approximately twenty percent of our production and sixteen percent of our electricity consumption.

Development of a civil nuclear program in Croatia

At the national level, we are creating the conditions for the development of a civil nuclear program in Croatia.

Last week, we presented a new law establishing a framework for a civil nuclear program, based on advanced technologies.

The goal is to ensure safe and sustainable electricity production in accordance with European standards.

In this context, small modular reactors - SMRs - are of particular importance, as they can meet the challenges of construction deadlines and cost control.

It is in this spirit that Croatia joined the Nuclear Alliance.

And since we must prepare tomorrow's technologies today, we are also involved in the European nuclear fusion program, especially through large projects such as ITER and DONES.

The question of energy independence and political sovereignty

I am convinced that fusion will ensure the continuity of nuclear energy beyond 2050.

In a world marked by uncertainty, nuclear energy - fission today, fusion tomorrow - is a strategic choice for the decarbonisation, competitiveness and resilience of Europe.

At its core, it is above all a question of energy independence and political sovereignty.

Because the European Union imports almost sixty percent of the energy it consumes, including almost all of its oil and gas.

Reducing this dependence is an economic and geopolitical imperative.

Nuclear energy will not solve all of our energy challenges.

But without it, there is no credible solution.”