Lawmakers Push for Clear Rules and Investment
MEPs from the European People’s Party are calling on the EU to treat nuclear fusion as a serious, near-term opportunity rather than just research. On Tuesday, they issued a declaration urging the European Commission to create a clear and predictable regulatory framework that could attract the private investment needed to develop fusion energy, given its high costs.
“Fusion has reached a turning point. European industrial capability and private investments are converging toward deployment,” the declaration reads. Lawmakers including Tsvetelina Penkova (Bulgaria/EPP) and Hildegard Bentele (Germany/EPP) stressed that Europe has a chance to turn its scientific leadership into industrial power, while Pascal Arimont (Belgium/EPP) highlighted fusion’s potential to provide a clean, safe, and reliable energy supply.
Defining Fusion Regulations
The MEPs are asking the Commission to give guidance while letting EU countries set their own licensing, safety, and permitting standards for fusion power plants. They also want fusion clearly distinguished from fission under EU rules, including protocols for radiation protection, waste management, decommissioning, and liability.
This regulatory clarity, they argue, is essential to secure investor confidence and speed up the rollout of fusion technology. The Commission has confirmed that a fusion strategy is forthcoming, though no timeline has been shared.
How Fusion Differs from Fission
Fusion generates energy by merging small atomic nuclei, such as hydrogen, releasing massive amounts of power—the same process that powers the sun. Fission, by contrast, splits large atoms to produce energy and comes with radioactive waste. Fusion promises a cleaner and safer alternative, though it is still under development.
Progress is already underway in Europe. Germany, for example, struck a €7 billion deal with RWE in 2023 to build a pilot fusion plant by 2035. Chancellor Friedrich Merz has committed to establishing a regulatory framework for fusion in Germany and across the EU, criticizing past decisions to close the country’s nuclear plants. Lawmakers see fusion as a strategic path to energy independence and maintaining Europe’s competitiveness in the coming decades.
