Satisfied with the European Commission's response to Fukushima, the European parliament petitions committee closed four petitions which raised concerns about the safety of nuclear power stations. However, Plaid Cymru's group in the parliament (Greens/EFA) has raised serious doubts about the Commission’s “stress tests”. An independent study highlighted their failure to assess the risks of accidents. For example, they do not evaluate the risks of fire, human failure or an aeroplane crash.
Far from moving away from nuclear technologies, the EU is embracing them further. In the 2012 budget, over a billion pounds will be spent on a controversial nuclear fusion research project (ITER). This money would be better spent on developing technology we know will work – renewable energy. Wales has huge potential for creating green jobs. But renewables get a fraction of the public funding given to nuclear and fossil fuels. Until the EU translates its expressed commitment to renewable energy into action this will not change.