Opening a Paris conference, French President Nicolas Sarkozy has urged a massive expansion of nuclear energy by emerging nations.

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso told the conference nuclear is now part of a mix of power sources that states need to develop to ensure their energy security.

Sarkozy also called for rating of international reactors on safety: “I would like to see an independent body under the auspices of the International Atomic Energy Agency establish an international analysis model on an incontestable scientific and technical basis, and I ask the director of the IAEA Yukiya Amano to classify reactors offered for sale on the market according to their safety and not price.”

Sarkozy said it was “a scandal” that the World Bank and international development banks do not finance the building of nuclear power plants in developing countries.

France is one of the world’s largest users of nuclear energy and is actively seeking to sell its nuclear technology to countries around the world.

Copyright © 2012 euronews