Langer: Czech Republic will need nuclear power in future

The interior minister Ivan Langer has told journalists that the Czech Republic will not be able to do without nuclear power in the future. He made the announcement following a meeting of the National Security Council which deals with the country’s energy policy, among other things. The nuclear power issue is a thorny one for the governing coalition. The Greens oppose the construction of any further nuclear power plants, while Mr Langer’s own party, the Civic Democrats, have said they are not against it. Head of the Green Party Martin Bursik declined to comment on Mr Langer’s statement, while the Green’s foreign minister, Karel Schwarzenberg, said that the Czech Republic’s priority must be considering other sources of energy alongside the development of nuclear power.