Strasbourg, 19/05/2000 (Agence Europe) - With 465 in favour, 19 against and 23 abstentions, the European parliament adopted a joint resolution tabled by three political groups (EPP/ED, PES and ELDR) condemning the falsification of MOX tests by the personnel of British Nuclear Fuels Ltd (BNFL), as well as the layed-back safety culture that prevails at the Sellafield site (see EUROPE of 18 May, p.12). It calls on BNFL to implement the recommendation of the Nuclear Installation Inspection (NII), and welcomes BNFL's action plan aimed at improving the security of its operations, as well as management changes. It calls on the Commission and British Government to supply, in case of a reduction in the umber of jobs, additional financial support for the region concerned.
Parliament calls on the European Commission to propose legislation aimed at establishing high minimum European standards regarding the safety and reliability on the design, construction and running of nuclear and related installations, as well as nuclear safety management systems, especially in the perspective of practical problems and any policies linked to the forthcoming accession of new Member States.
Parliament did, however, reject a draft resolution tabled by the Green/EFA, EDD Groups, as well as by a dozen Irish MEPs of different groups, calling for an immediate end to the reprocessing and production of MOX at Sellafield.