Premier Giorgia Meloni said Friday that her cabinet has given the green light to a bill paving the way for Italy's return to nuclear power. Italy abandoned nuclear power following a referendum in the wake of the Chernobyl disaster but the government plans to return to atomic energy with small latest-generation reactors to reduce reliance on imports and cut greenhouse gas emissions in view of the climate crisis.

Italy’s cabinet has approved a new legal framework aimed at reintroducing nuclear power generation, as Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government looks to overturn a decades-long ban.

Government officials in Italy have implemented a new law that allows for nuclear energy to return in the country, four decades after voters banned the

Photo/Agencies] The Italian government has announced plans to do a U-turn on a decision reached through a referendum nearly 40 years ago and bring back nuclear power, a move Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called a step toward energy security and self-sufficiency.

Premier Giorgia Meloni's cabinet will examine a decree with measures to combat soaring energy bills and a bill regarding Italy's return to nuclear energy at a meeting on Friday, according to the agenda released on Thursday.

As some EU leaders consider the consequences of an apparent US disengagement from Europe’s security, Italy’s premier remains one of the strongest advocates for keeping the continent under American protection.

Italy's government on Friday adopted a law paving the way for a return to nuclear energy almost 40 years after it was banned by referendum, in what Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni described as a step towards energy security and self-sufficiency.

The aid package will be effective for three months, with hopes that gas prices will decline as summer approaches.