The banner was a message to those countries attending the Union
for the Mediterranean launch, including all 27 EU member states as
well as 17 nations bordering the Mediterranean Sea, that Sarkozy is
using the summit to try to sell them French nuclear power.
Greenpeace warns that the French president's dangerous agenda
threatens to undermine climate protection, and put the security of
the region at risk.
"The fact that Areva is sponsoring the EU stars on the Eiffel
Tower gives a pretty clear indication about Sarkozy's agenda for
the EU presidency, said Frédéric Mareiller, Greenpeace France
nuclear campaigner. "Sarkozy is using the Union for the
Mediterranean in his attempt to hijack the EU presidency to promote
his dangerous nuclear agenda.
"Sarkozy is clearly confused. He seems to forget he is the
French president and instead is playing the part of a nuclear
salesman" added Mareiller.
Since coming into power in May 2007, Sarkozy has been
aggressively promoting nuclear energy and attempting to sell French
reactors at every turn. His government has signed agreements on
nuclear exports and cooperation with 9 Mediterranean and Middle
East countries in the last year.
Sarkozy is desperately trying to sell the French designed
European Pressurised Reactor (EPR), the flagship of the so-called
"nuclear renaissance" despite the fact that the only construction
attempts of the EPR, in Finland and France have been
disastrous.
The Finnish Olkiluoto 3 reactor is two and a half years behind
schedule, and costs have doubled to just short of €5 billion (2).
The French nuclear safety authority shut down the French
construction site after just 6 months due to chronic safety
problems (3).
Nuclear energy undermines the solutions to climate change by
diverting urgently needed resources away from the true renewable
and energy efficiency solutions. Greenpeace's Energy [R]evolution
blueprint (4) shows that renewable energy, and greater energy
efficiency can deliver half of the world's energy needs by 2050,
without nuclear power
Other contacts: Greenpeace International press desk +31 207 182 470Jan Beranek, Greenpeace International Nuclear Campaigner, +31 651 109 558Frédéric Marillier, Greenpeace France, Nuclear Campaigner + 33 651 109 558Adélaïde Colin, Greenpeace France, Press Officer +33 6 84 25 08 25
VVPR info: Greenpeace International picture desk +44 7801 615 889
Notes: 1. Heads of state and government from the 27 EU nations and countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea are meeting today in Paris to launch the Union of the Mediterranean, 43 countries in total. 2. www.olkiluoto.info 3. http://www.greenpeace.org/international/news/greenpeace-activists-block-french-nuclear-reactor260608 4. www.greenpeace.org/energyrevolution