[MagnumOpus]

Incorrect. The decision was made by the SPD (leftist)+ Green coalition government in 2000, and was a condition by the Greens to enter the coalition (and then was adopted by an SPD chancellor who later took a job with Gazprom).

When the conservatives got back into power a decade later, they started to roll back the nuclear exit. But during the panic after the Japan tsunami this policy became unpopular so the conservatives reversed course and stuck with the disastrous Green policy.

But make no mistake, if the Greens did not make it into government, the Atomausstieg would never have happened.

Subjects to read for details:

* “Atomkonsens” 2000 and “Novellierung des Atomgesetzes” 2002, Kabinett Schröder,

* “Laufzeitverlängerung deutscher Kernkraftwerke”, 2010, Kabinett Merkel II

* “13. Gesetz zur Änderung des Atomgesetzes“ 2011 post-Fukushima, taking back the 2010 extensions

[kohlerm]

Merkel (CDU) pushed it after Fukushima, because "oh it's dangerous", which wasn't rational, but she knew people wanted it