Swiss parliament lifts ban on new nuclear power plants
Switzerland's National Council has approved the counterproposal to the Blackout Initiative, clearing the way for new nuclear power plants — and the final say now belongs to the electorate.
Switzerland's parliament has voted to allow the construction of new nuclear power plants again. On Thursday, June 18, the National Council approved the counterproposal to the "Blackout Initiative" during the summer session in Bern, following the Federal Council and the Council of States. The final decision will rest with the people.
What the chamber decided
The counterproposal would lift the ban on building new nuclear power plants at the legislative level and make it possible once more to grant framework permits for such plants — the position the Federal Council and the Council of States had already taken. Because it amends the law rather than the constitution, the change is subject to an optional referendum: the last word belongs to voters.
The decision came after a debate that stretched over several sittings. When the National Council opened deliberations on June 8, a narrow majority of the preliminary review committee backed the proposal, with a significant minority moving to dismiss it, and observers expected the balance of power within the centrist bloc to decide the outcome.
A divided chamber and a protest outside
The parties were split along familiar lines. The SVP and FDP clearly supported the counterproposal, while the SP, GLP and the Greens firmly opposed it. The debate had already caused a stir on the evening of June 8, when the environmental organisation Greenpeace projected images onto the Federal Palace in protest against the pro-nuclear discussion.
Thursday's vote makes the National Council the second chamber to back the change, after the Council of States; both followed the Federal Council's position.
What happens next
The summer session, which runs from June 1 to 19 at the Federal Palace, has covered a crowded agenda: the 13th AHV pension and how to finance it, the armed forces, federal finances, the Mercosur free trade agreement and the value-added tax rate for the hotel industry. On the pension question, the National Council voted on Wednesday to raise value-added tax but not payroll contributions.
For nuclear power, the decisive campaign is still ahead. With the parliamentary process complete, the proposal now goes before the electorate, which will have the final say on whether new reactors can be built in Switzerland.