Brussels, 12/09/2002 (Agence Europe) - Energy Commissioner Loyola de Palacio's package of proposals on nuclear energy was transmitted for discussion by various services at the European Commission on Thursday. The Commissioner said that it could not be denied that one could not abandon nuclear energy in the years to come of one wished to meet the Kyoto Protocol objectives. She said her three objectives were to promote greater transparency around the nuclear issue in the general public, ensure security and diversity of the EU's energy supplies and guarantee a high level of safety for nuclear energy.
Nuclear safety. The proposal aims to introduce compulsory EU standards, based on the Vienna standards, for all EU Member States, particularly with an eye to enlargement since as de Palacio explained, five of the ten candidate countries have nuclear power stations. When it comes to inspections, she said German nuclear safety experts could visit Spanish power stations, which would be a guarantee of equivalent safety measures respected by all.
Funds for decommissioning. The proposal consists of settling up a system to guarantee decommissioning grants of sufficient magnitude were available for decommissioning nuclear plants, which the Commissioner explained was a problem at the moment in candidate countries.
Management of radioactive waste and spent fuel rods. At present (apart from in Finland and Sweden) such waste is stored at nuclear power stations or in ground-level dumps. The proposal aims to determine suitable sites for nuclear waste dumps. De Palacio explained that each country is normally responsible for its own waste, but some countries (like Lithuania) will have a problem storing their own nuclear waste. The proposal also aims to encourage research in this connection.
Providing candidate countries with fissile material. The proposal aims for a negotiating mandate to be granted for Russia, with a view to settling the sensitive matter of providing candidate countries with fissile material since at present, 100% of their supplies come from Russia. According to the 1994 Corfu agreement, the EU as a whole cannot provide any more than 20% of a non-EU Member State's fissile material, meaning candidate countries will have to cut the amount of fissile material they import from Russia. This will deprive Russia of a huge source of income. The negotiations will take place as part of the energy dialogue between the EU and Russia (the next EU-Russia Summit is scheduled for the end of November).