Chancellor Angela Merkel said Wednesday that the sooner Germany abandoned nuclear power the better, but stressed the energy source was still needed as a stopgap technology for Europe's biggest economy. The lesson Germany should learn from the nuclear crisis in Japan is "the earlier the exit, the better. Nuclear technology is a transitory technology", Merkel told a financial conference here.
Merkel also voiced support for a European Union decision taken last week to submit the 143 nuclear reactors in the bloc to stress tests aimed at ensuring they could resist earthquakes, tsunamis and terrorist attacks. "The debate must take place on a rational basis," added the German leader, a former environment minister.
In the wake of the Japanese crisis, Merkel's centre-right coalition has decided on a three-month moratorium on plans approved last year to postpone the closing of nuclear plants by more than a decade, until the mid-2030s. She also ordered the temporary shutdown of Germany's seven oldest nuclear reactors while authorities conduct safety probes. At least one was mothballed for good.