The article analyses economic roots of the recent reassessment of the role of nuclear energy in the EU with the global economic crisis as a background. Despite the huge political impact caused by Fukushima disaster the majority of EU member states don’t commit to nuclear power phase-out or to a major curb of nuclear development. This can be explained by the high economic viability of NPPs’ operation as well as by huge monetary expenses and environmental consequences associated with the phase out. Most openly this can be seen in the case of Germany.