Germany closes nuclear plants as EU concerns rise

The Japanese nuclear crisis has sparked a call to review European nuclear strategies.

Germany has closed down seven of its nuclear power plants built before 1980 and is reconsidering its nuclear strategy. 

The reactors will be taken offline and the country is to carry safety checks on the remaining plants, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said. 

The decision follows the suspension of last year's agreement to extend the life of Germany's 17 nuclear power stations by 12 years. Mrs Merkel has faced severe criticism regarding Germany's nuclear policy.

Last Saturday, tens of thousands of anti-nuclear campaigners rallied in Stuttgart, forming a 27-mile human chain in the German city.

Meanwhile, the Swiss government has delayed decisions on new nuclear plants.

An Austrian minister has called for safety tests on nuclear reactors across the continent.

Concerns

Concerns about safety policies within the European nuclear industry have been raised after Japan's nuclear disaster. Energy ministers, companies and regulators met in Brussels today to explore strategies to prevent such incidents in the continent.

The EU Energy Commission has also called for "stress tests" on European nuclear power stations to check whether they meet safety requirements.

Günther Oetinger, the EU Energy Commissioner, has left the door open for the EU to give up nuclear energy entirely in the future. 

"We must also raise the question of if we, in Europe, in the foreseeable future, can secure our energy needs without nuclear energy," Oettinger told Germany's ARD television.

The EU has also requested the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to call an emergency meeting of its members next week in Vienna.