Abstract
The European Union has set itself the goal of achieving zero net carbon emissions by 2050, an ambition shared by all member countries. It is on the means of implementing this energy transition that points of view diverge, in particular on the place that nuclear energy should have in the energy balance of countries. The Union is strongly divided on this issue, even though it is still more than 70% dependent on fossil fuels (oil, gas and coal); Russia remains its main supplier. The war in Ukraine is encouraging the Union to move away from this Russian dependence, but the room for manœuvre varies greatly from one member country to another. The use of low-carbon energies such as solar and wind power is a solution, but it also risks creating new dependencies in the long term, particularly with regard to strategic minerals and metals imported from the rest of the world.