Nuclear energy and sustainable finance trends in Europe

France is re-evaluating its civilian nuclear energy sector as a strategic, industrial, and geopolitical priority. Following the energy crisis triggered by the invasion of Ukraine, the pursuit of energy sovereignty and decarbonization has revitalized interest in nuclear power. Key challenges for the French nuclear relaunch include an aging power plant fleet, financial requirements, uranium supply, and environmental concerns such as waste management and drought impact.

In the realm of sustainable finance, the Building Bridges summit in Geneva highlighted efforts to increase impact investing within pension funds. The Netherlands Advisory Board on Impact Investing (NAB) aims to raise the share of impact investments in Dutch pension portfolios to 10%, up from 4-6% in 2020. The Dutch initiative, supported by the Netherlands ambassador to Switzerland, seeks to inspire Swiss pension institutions to adopt similar sustainable investment models.