Italian and British leaders to work on nuclear
The prime ministers of Italy and the UK held meetings in London yesterday, agreeing to work together on nuclear energy. Both countries have seen dramatic policy changes to become amongst the most pro-nuclear in the world.
The prime ministers of Italy and the UK held meetings in London yesterday, agreeing to work together on nuclear energy. Both countries have seen dramatic policy changes to become amongst the most pro-nuclear in the world.
UK prime minister Gordon Brown appeared with his Italian counterpart Silvio Berlusconi to give a press conference on 10 September. Berlusoni's office said the pair had 'agreed to work together in the field of nuclear energy, seen by both countries as a strategic energy issue in the battle against climate change.'
Brown said: 'Nuclear energy is an important part in combatting climate change' before adding that the two European nations would look for technical solutions to climate change. British and Italian engineers, the pair agreed, were in the 'vanguard' of the nuclear field.
The leaders continued to discuss their common goals with respect to the credit crisis, high oil prices, food supply and other 'global issues which deserve a global response and from which no country can isolate itself.' The UK and Italy are to cooperate in their dealings with the G8 group of industrialised nations. In that group, only Italy has no operating nuclear power plants and only Germany does not advocate the energy source.
Neither leader's press office has officially published the statement, but Reuters and Xinhua quoted Berlusconi and Brown as hoping for a 'single nuclear policy for Europe.' Such an aim would be seen as strange for Italy considering its status as the only country in the world to phase out nuclear energy, while simultaneously importing it from neighbouring France. For the general election of May this year, Berlusconi's Forza Italia party's manifesto contained a pledge to bring nuclear energy back in order to reduce the cost of imported power and curb greenhouse gas emissions.
In Britain, Gordon Brown's Labour party has evolved its stance on nuclear from seeing it as a 'last resort' in 2003 to promoting it as the backbone of a low-carbon energy policy.
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