Germany’s and France’s Nuclear Energy Policies and Their Influence on Shaping the EU’s Position (2019–2024)

This bachelor's thesis explores the development of attitudes towards nuclear energy in France and Germany between 2019 and 2024, as well as their influence on the formulation of European Union nuclear energy policy. The research focuses on the period from the introduction of the Green Deal — characterized by an emphasis on decarbonization and the prioritization of renewable energy sources — to the responses to the energy crisis triggered by the war in Ukraine. The thesis is grounded in liberal international relations theory, the concept of path dependence, and the notion of energy security, which together help explain national preferences and their institutional embeddedness. Using methods of description, comparison, and discourse analysis, the study examines language use and the construction of nuclear energy discourses in public statements made by key political figures from Germany and France, and draws from relevant articles published by the news platform Politico. The aim of the analysis is to identify dominant narratives, nodal points, and antagonisms within the national discourses, their reflection in EU policy, and the key factors that shaped them. The thesis also outlines potential scenarios for the future development of EU nuclear policy.