An agreement to boost renewable energy across the EU could allow taxpayers' cash to subsidise the nuclear industry in France and the UK, Euro-MP Caroline Lucas has warned.

Speaking ahead of this week's meeting of EU leaders to discuss climate and energy policy, Dr Lucas warned that the Council must exclude nuclear power from a renewables target likely to be adopted.

"If nuclear power is considered a renewable energy source this agreement will be effectively worthless," she said.

"France, which already produced 80 per cent of its electricity in nuclear power stations, won't have to lift a finger to cut its energy emissions, and here in the UK we could see state subsidies designed to boost green energy production being spent on building new nuclear power stations."

The nuclear industry - via the French government - is attempting to amend EU targets to producing 40-45 per cent of the EU's electricity from low carbon' sources rather than to produce 20 per cent from strictly renewable generation in the same period.

This would only be possible if new nuclear power stations are constructed as part of the EU's efforts to meet these targets - despite the fact that nuclear power is dirty, dangerous, deeply unpopular and responsible for higher CO2 emissions than genuine renewable energy sources.

Dr Lucas said this was a low carbon red herring' which threatened to undermine any efforts to develop the EU's renewable generation capacity sufficiently to stave off the worst impacts of climate change.

She added: "Agreeing a binding target for renewable energy in the EU is the bare minimum of what needs to be done. EU leaders must not allow this week's summit to be blackmailed by the nuclear industry, through its outgoing proxy Chirac.

"The attempt by the nuclear industry to put separate 'low-carbon' targets on the agenda is a red herring. Nuclear is not a European-wide technology and is rejected by the majority of Europeans, so how can we set EU targets?"

"The Greens have consistently called for a binding minimum EU target of 25% target to be complemented by sector-specific targets for renewables (e.g. for heating and cooling, and electricity) in order to ensure the overall target will be effective.

"Without clear and binding targets both for energy and for transport, we have no climate strategy. Against this background it is crucial that the EU's energy policy is not tailored to the needs of European energy oligarchs, at the expense of the climate."