Brussels, 03/09/2015 (Agence Europe) - MEPs at the Environment Committee on Thursday 3 September in Brussels indicated that it is time that the European Commission draws lessons at a legislative level from the major industrial disaster almost five years ago that contaminated ecosystems due to a river of red alkaline mud escaping in Hungary.
During the debate they had, as well as at the examination of the draft legislation on the subject, consensus was attained on the need to reinforce the EU's legislative framework. The European Commission, however, does not appear to be listening.
Benedek Javor (Greens/EFA, Hungary), the author of an oral question to the Commission on the lessons to draw from the disaster on 4 October 2010 provoked by the toxic mud that leaked from a reservoir containing poisonous waste from the bauxite-aluminium factory in Ajka, said that they needed to improve inspections in existing installations and improve the legislative framework in an effort to protect public health and the environment.
Piernicola Pedicini (EFDD, Italy) said that there was obviously responsibility at an EU level because the inspection system proved lacking. He deplored the fact that “in order to prevent this kind of accident, we should listen more to citizens that raise the alarm. The EP relays these alerts to the Commission, but nothing happens”. He believed that the victims and citizens in general are usually those who pay a heavy price for this wait-and-see attitude. Mireille D'Ornano (ENF, France) said that the European Commission should extend storage security requirements to help rectify the technical dysfunction that caused this disaster. The Commission cannot be held responsible for developing land and local issues and called for “a European investment plan” that would help modernise dilapidated plants at low cost. This would also involve insisting that authorisation for operating in this field is only granted once the company in question has financial guarantees to cover accidents.
Jozsef Nagy (EPP, Slovakia) said that “Solidarity had to play a role in the EU” and called for “the introduction of a financial framework at a European level that would help tackle the many different disasters” on the basis of a fund that the US uses in these cases. Zoltan Balczo (Non-attached, Hungary) said that, “compensation should not just be financed out of public office”. He deplored the fact that “five years later, we are still trying to encourage the Commission to revise legislation and take action”, although no legal decision has yet been taken and there are still extremely dangerous mining areas. Michèle Rivasi (Greens/EFA, France) said that in addition to requirements regarding the social responsibility of companies and solvency guarantees for companies before granting authorisation to operate, as well as stepping up inspections, “we need companies to provide solutions to tackle toxic effluents” so that their accidental leakage or deliberate dumping into the environment can be avoided.
The Commission representative said: “The framework in force should be enough to prevent or at least minimise the consequences of these accidents if it is correctly implemented”. The Commission will provide all the information requested and will focus all the necessary attention on the resolution Parliament adopts, at an appropriate time, explained the Commission representative. The debate is planned for the first plenary session in October. The investigation carried out by the Commission into the causes of the Ajka disaster concluded that classification of the red mud was inadequate when the company's permission to operate was granted because these kinds of mud had been classified as non-hazardous. (Aminata Niang)