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The European Parliament has now approved the new European Commission with a revised membership which gives the energy portfolio to Andris Piebalgs the replacement Latvian Commissioner. In his approval hearing in front of the Pariament's Industry, Research and Energy Committee, chaired by Giles Chichester MEP (EPP, UK), Mr Piebalgs gave a much more assured performance than the previous candidate (László Kovács) and showed a better grasp of the subject. He did however if anything sound more negative on the subject of nuclear power in the electricity fuel mix, stating that it was "currently important" and later that he agreed it would become a smaller element of generation over time. He stressed also that while he wanted to see an EU framework for nuclear safety and waste management must remain national competences. On the subject of waste disposal he said that technological advances meant that there would be solutions to creating a final disposal route. |
