Paks Upgrade Not Austrian - Hungarian Issue

  • 31 Jan 2018 8:16 AM
Paks Upgrade Not Austrian - Hungarian Issue
The planned upgrade of the Paks nuclear power plant is not an Austrian-Hungarian issue but a European one to be settled by European legal forums, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said, commenting on Austria’s announcement earlier this month that it will lodge an appeal with the European Court of Justice over the project.

Orbán told a press conference after talks with Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz that Hungary will make every possible effort to ensure that the difference in opinions about nuclear energy does not harm bilateral relations.

Kurz voiced the Austrian government’s protest against the involvement of state aid in the project, which he said should be investigated.

If regulations are broken, Austria will exercise its options for legal action, Kurz said. Outside the Federal Chancellery Orbán was met by Greenpeace activists protesting against the Paks upgrade.

The European Commission started a probe into state aid given to the Paks upgrade in November 2014 and approved the project, to be financed with Russian credit, in the spring of 2017.

Republished with permission of Hungary Matters, MTI’s daily newsletter.

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