Brussels, 14/12/2012 (Agence Europe) - EU Commissioner Algirdas Semeta announced on Friday 14 December that the European Commission has frozen the cash for decommissioning a Soviet nuclear reactor in Lithuania, which was closed down in 2009, due to delays in the decommissioning. In a visit to Vilnius, Semeta told reporters that the decision had been taken to suspend the finance for one of the reactor projects, and the donors hope the freeze will act as an incentive to conclude the negotiations.
In a press release, the European Commission says that the suspension will be lifted once an agreement has been signed between Lithuania and the German-Russian consortium GNS/Nukem which is doing the decommissioning. Lithuania shut down the Ignalina nuclear power plant in 2009, as required as a condition of entry to the EU in 2004. The Lithuanian government admits that the decommissioning has been delayed, but says that is Nukem's fault. The EU has earmarked €1.37 billion from 2009 to 2013 for the Lithuanian decommissioning. In the EU's budget for 2014-2020, the European Commission suggests that €400 million more be granted to Lithuania for decommissioning Ignalina. (LC/transl.fl)