Brussels, 08/03/2010 (Agence Europe) - Prestige speakers attended an international conference organised by the French government in Paris on Monday 8 March 2010 at the headquarters of the OECD, to which representatives of 65 countries and international organisations had been invited, including the President of the European Commission, José Manuel Durão Barroso, and the French President, Nicolas Sarkozy, who sang the praises of nuclear power and other civilian uses of nuclear technology, the first recommending responsible use and the second easier access and fundnig from internatinoal financial instittuions.
Opening the conference, Sarkozy called for civilian uses of nuclear technology to be backed and funded around the world with cash from the international financial institutions. In the light of the twin-pronged problem of increased energy needs (40% more will be required by 2030) and the fight against climate change, he said that both nuclear power and renewable energy would be needed. With the 80% rise in electricity consumption forecast for 2030 mainly from non-OECD countries, he said that nuclear power would have to be taken up by new countries and France would cooperate with any country wanting nuclear power. On the question of finance, Sarkozy made no bones about it, saying he did not understand and would not agree to the ostracising of nuclear power by international finance, describing it as scandalous. He said international financial instittuions like the World Bank had to make a determined commitment to fund nuclear power. According to the World Nuclear Association, more than 450 new nuclear reactors will be built around the world by 2030, making it a market worth several hundred billion dollars. On nuclear safety issues, Sarkozy said that an independent body shoudl be set up under the aegis of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to scientifically and technically unchallengeably examine international information. He also called for the introduction of a safety classification system for the nuclear reactors on sale. On ensuring that nuclear material is not siphoned off for nuclear weapons (the non-proliferation of nuclear arms), the French president said that nuclear cooperation should be suspended with countries that do not meet their obligations. On te safety of nuclear fuel supplies, Sarkozy suggested the creation of an IAEA fuel store, and on the management of nuclear waste and waste radioactive material, Sarkozy recommended 'recycling' (sic) on the French model as the most promising route for the future.
The safety of nuclear plants and ensuring terrorists cannot get into nuclear power plants were topics covered by Barroso, who started by pointing out that the European Commission was 'neutral' on whether countries should use nuclear power, and the new EU institutional set-up under the Lisbon Treaty was also neutral on the use of nuclear power. He said Member States had sovereignty over whether to use nuclear power. Barroso said that in its approach to nuclear energy, the EU had the political priority of ensuring safety measures are respected, along with security and non-proliferation. He said that some countries did not respect their duties to the international community and this highlighted the imperative need for strict rules on the use of nuclear material. He said that in the EU and elsewhere, the most advanced regulations and highest safety, security and non-proliferation standards were needed. He promised that the European Commission would be taking action to raise internatiaonl nuclear safety and security standards and make them legally binding around the world. The Commission president encouraged the rest of the world to align itself with the EU which, in June 2009, issued EU nuclear safety rules and to make IAEA nuclear safety rules legally binding. Echoing the French president, Barroso warned about North Korea and Iran, two countries whose use of nuclear material is dangerous to the international comunity. He repeated that safety, security and non-proliferation did not stop at EU borders and the EU was proactively offering up its nuclear safety knowhow to the rest of the world. He said that in 2007, the EU had introduced a system to help countries already using nuclear power and countries wanting to use nuclear power for peaceful ends to improve safety standards, introduce rules and create a genuine safety culture with non-proliferation being an integral part of that culture. Barroso added that all countries were entitled to use nuclear power, as is stipulated in international treaties, but as far as the EU is concerned, the respect of strict nuclear safety, security and non-proliferation standards is non-negotiable. Barroso said the responsible use of nuclear energy is seen by top political leaders as a crucially important political issue. He promised that new legislation on radioactive waste would be unveiled before the end of the year. (E.H. trans fl)