Brussels, 27/05/2003 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission decided on Tuesday to amend its statement on funds for dismantling and management of nuclear waste, which was proposed at the trialogue on the legislative package relating to the liberalisation of the internal energy market. This amendment aims to "clarify" the text by specifying that the funds are submitted to provisions of Community law in their entirety, and not just to the provisions of the Euratom Treaty, as indicated in the original text, explained Gerrassimos Thomas, European Commission spokesperson. If the use of funds meant for the dismantling of power stations or for managing nuclear waste create competition distortions, the provisions of the internal market will apply. Once the text is finalised, it will be submitted to the Council and also to the European Parliament, which will vote on the whole of the legislative package relative to the liberalisation of the internal energy market next Tuesday, in its plenary session in Strasbourg.
In this "clarification", the Commission has taken account of concerns voiced by various MEPs, led by Luxembourg Green Claude Turmes, rapporteur for the proposed directive on the internal electricity market, at the vote of the Parliament's committee on energy on this dossier last Thursday. Mr Turmes had requested that the Commission's initial statement be amended, as he feared it would bring about "a division of the energy market, in which nuclear energy, unlike all other forms of energy, would not be subject to competition".