A multinational fusion experiment known as ITER is having a tough time making friends in Europe. Last month, we reported that European partners in the project had failed to come up with the additional billions needed to begin construction in earnest. Now, it appears that Europe’s left-wing Green politicians, at least, would like to see ITER cancelled outright.

“I’m now convinced that this is the best moment to stop ITER before construction begins,” Rebecca Harms, the leader of the Greens in the European Parliament, is reported as saying on EurActive.com. Harms is joined by a handful of other green parliamentarians who believe that ITER is too costly and too speculative to warrant support. Rather than spending money on nuclear fusion, the greens would like to see ITER’s funding spent on near-term renewable energy sources.

The European Union as a whole continues to heartily support ITER, but it has yet to work out how to pay for its part of the project. The EU and Switzerland will provide nearly half of ITER’s construction costs, which could rise to €15 billion (US$18 billion) in total—nearly three times the cost agreed to when the ITER treaty was signed in 2006. Last month, the European Council of Ministers failed to come up with extra money for the project.

The current Spanish presidency of the EU has set up an emergency task force to look into how to pay for ITER. Negotiations are ongoing but an agreement will not be reached in time for ITER’s council meeting next week in China, according to a Brussels source. Ministers are working towards a July deadline, and a second ITER council meeting may be convened in late July to finalize the cost and schedule, as well as confirming the new director-nominate Osamu Motojima.

Credit: ITER