The Commission included gas and nuclear investments in a draft of its "sustainable finance taxonomy" rules circulated on Dec. 31, as the bloc seeks to manage a shift to green energy and grapples with a gas supply crunch amid tensions with Russia.
During months of heated debate on the proposals, Germany and other EU members said gas investments were needed to help them quit using more-polluting coal. Others said labelling a fossil fuel as green would undermine the credibility of the EU as it seeks to be a global leader in tackling climate change.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's three-way coalition government, consisting of the centre-left Social Democrats, the Greens and the business-friendly Free Democrats, is also split on the matter.