Brussels, 29/04/2010 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 28 April, the European Parliament decided by 47 votes to 4, with one abstention, to back the amended draft regulation on the provision of Community financial assistance for the decommissioning of the Kozloduy nuclear power station in Bulgaria. The amendments brought by the committee seek to strengthen the provisions in the regulation on the environmental safety of the decommissioning programme and to set out details of the financial monitoring. The committee stresses that the closure programme for Units 1 to 4 at the Kozloduy power station must help restructure, modernise and improve energy generation, transmission and distribution in Bulgaria, with focus on renewables and energy efficiency and on training programmes to help those employed in the Bulgarian nuclear industry find work in these sectors. The committee also highlighted that the loss in generation capacity related to the early closure of Kozloduy had led to a significant increase in CO2 emissions, requiring additional efforts from Bulgaria on CO2 emissions reduction. The committee approved a €300 million envelope for the implementation of the programme, to take account of its long-term impact on the environment, the economy and security of energy supply. The programme will be monitored by the Commission and may be audited, either by the Commission or by independent auditors, and the energy committee has called for the Parliament and the Court of Auditors to have the same rights of access to information as the Commission. The Commission, OLAF and the Court of Auditors will also carry out checks on the ground. The Commission will be responsible for the implementation of the regulation and will also report back at regular intervals to the Parliament and the Council. The plenary session vote on the Kozloduy programme will take place in May. (E.H./transl.rt)