Brussels, 23/01/2003 (Agence Europe) - The Greens/EFA Group in the European Parliament presented a report to the press on Tuesday on the future of the 1957 Euratom Treaty intended for the European Convention. The Greens/EFA call for the abolition of the Euratom Treaty and the articles relating to the promotion of nuclear research (they consider that the common nuclear research programme must be included in the general budget of the EU's research framework-programme) to Euratom investments and loans, as well as the articles enabling the European Commission to negotiate directly with third countries over nuclear issues. The articles on the protection of workers and the public, on the other hand, and the control of security and nuclear non-proliferation should be integrated in the future treaty.
The Greens consider, notably, that the advantages conferred on the nuclear industry by the Euratom Treaty through loans and the specific research and development programme, play in favour of the nuclear industry to the detriment of other electricity generators, thereby creating distortions to competition. Regarding this, Gilles Gantelet, spokesman for Loyola de Palacio, Commissioner responsible for energy, replies that there is also aid for other sources of energy, notably renewable energy. Furthermore, "the Euratom research programme essentially concerns waste management, security and the decommissioning of existing nuclear power plants", he explains. Other argument of the Greens: the Euratom Treaty presents a democratic deficit, as it does not provide for co-decision. "It's true that it is a sensitive issue and that Member States do not want co-decision in this field" Gantelet acknowledged. The question of the abolition of the Euratom treaty obviously comes within the problem of energy efficiency and the reform of the transport sector.