Final Word from Monday, March 11, 2024

One reason French Pres. Emmanuel Macron received such a warm reception in Prague last week is the realization of Czech politicians and the populace that the war in Ukraine and the Green Deal have driven their country into a corner in terms of energy. Nuclear power offers a partial solution, and Macron gave a good spiel about Czech-French nuclear collaboration. Yet for next-door Germany, nuclear power is an "existential issue" from a safety standpoint, according to Amb. Andreas Künne, which means that if France is a potential partner for Czechs in this respect, Germany is a potential diplomatic risk. In Bavaria, however, PM Markus Söder is calling for a massive expansion of smaller nuclear units if CDU/CSU are in the next national government. He sees this as a way to address both climate neutrality and energy prices. A Nuclear Five with Bavaria could be exactly what the four Visegrad countries need to smooth over their tense relations and to find consensus on regional energy issues. [ Czech Republic reactor EDF president France ambassador ]