Committee on nuclear phase-out begins investigation

Bundestag - Committee on nuclear phase-out begins investigation

Going about the German nuclear exit decisions with the right things? To check this, a parliamentary investigative committee of the Bundestag has commenced its work. The task of the members is to "deal with the state decision-making processes for adapting the national energy supply to the changed supply situations due to the war in Ukraine," said Bundestag President Bärbel Bas at the beginning of the first committee meeting in the evening.

It needs to be clarified which information served as the basis for the decisions, and which national, foreign, or international entities were involved. "Was a longer continuation of the German nuclear power plants that are still running in 2022 in fact thoroughly examined?" This is what the committee intends to focus on according to Bas. It covers the German energy policy since February 24, 2022 - the beginning of the Russian attack on Ukraine.

The Union faction filed the request for the investigative committee in mid-June, and the Bundestag granted its approval in the afternoon with sufficient votes from the Union and AfD.

Focus on Habeck and Lemke

The focus of the investigation is also on Federal Environment Minister Steffi Lemke and Federal Economic Minister Robert Habeck (both Greens). The CDU/CSU accuse them of not having thoroughly and impartially examined the continuation of nuclear power plant operations in Germany.

"There is a pressing suspicion that the public was deliberately misled by Ministers Habeck and Lemke, and we want to clarify that," CDU politician Stefan Heck told the German Press Agency directly before the session. He was elected chairman of the committee. It is the second investigative committee of the current legislative period.

Lemke and Habeck deny the allegations. The Environment Minister told the dpa that she would "approach the committee in a very calm manner."

Due to the energy crisis caused by the war, the German government decided to operate the last three Mileys a few months longer than originally planned. The German nuclear exit was therefore postponed from December 31, 2022, to April 15, 2023. The duration of the continued operation of the power plants and the final decision on the German nuclear exit caused heated debates and disputes both within the government and in the opposition.

1. The CDU/CSU faction in the Bundestag accused Ministers Habeck and Lemke of not thoroughly examining the continuation of nuclear power plant operations in Germany.
2. The investigative committee, established by the Bundestag, will focus on the state decision-making processes related to the German energy supply amid the war in Ukraine.
3. At the beginning of the first committee meeting, Bundestag President Bärbel Bas emphasized the importance of clarifying the information basis and entities involved in the nuclear energy decisions.
4. The German nuclear phase-out was postponed due to the energy crisis caused by the war, with the last three Mileys operating a few months longer than originally planned.
5. Robert Habeck and Steffi Lemke, both from the Greens, denied the allegations of not having examined the nuclear power continuation thoroughly and impartially.
6. The investigative committee, chaired by CDU politician Stefan Heck, will examine whether a longer continuation of the German nuclear power plants was thoroughly examined before the decision was made.
7. The Union faction filed the request for the investigative committee in mid-June, and the Bundestag granted its approval with votes from the Union and AfD.

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