Brussels, 15/01/2004 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday the European Parliament adopted (consultation) two reports on proposals from the directive in the nuclear sector. These proposals were presented in January 2003 by the European Commission and aim to establish high standards of nuclear safety in the context of enlargement of the EU. Parliament supports the Commission's objectives, while reducing the prerogatives that it hoped to obtain in this area. Although the vote is welcomed by the industrial sector, the Greens/EFA consider that "MEPs feel into the nuclear trap of Commissioner de Palacio".
By approving the GUE/NGL report of Esko Seppänen (Finland) on the draft directive" on the basic obligations and general principles in the area of nuclear plant facilities, Parliament has clearly reduced the Community's competencies in the area. Parliament considers that the safety of nuclear plants has to remain in the remit of the national governments. It also recommended the setting up of a "regulation authorities committee", consisting of representatives from Member State regulatory bodies and which is in charge of preparing and analysing assessments contained in the directive. Parliament also adopted several amendments by the Greens/EFA demanding that nuclear plants were subject to standards that reflected the practices corresponding to the level of technology in the EU according to technical, regulatory and operational levels (299 for, 210 against, 12 abstentions) and that Member States ensure that exposure of people and workers to radiation during construction, work and the dismantling of nuclear facilities is limited to the lowest level technically possible (275 for, 240 against, 2 abstentions). It also adopted an amendment from the Greens/EFA on the management of nuclear plant dismantling (299 for, 212 against, 11 abstentions) according to which: the Commission has to propose legislation guaranteeing the availability of these funds and avoid obstacles to fair competition on the energy market; Member States have to adopt distinct compatibilities for funding future dismantling operations; these funds must be examined and inspected every year by an independent organisation to check that they are exclusively for dismantling operations. Parliament, however, did reject Green/EFA amendments for setting standards and an exact timetable for guaranteeing workers' safety levels as well as that for the local inhabitants and that parliament (and the public) has access to inspection reports.
By approving the report of Alejo Vidal-Quadras Roca (EPP-ED Spain) on the draft directive on irradiated nuclear fuels and radio-active waste, Parliament has recommended swift action for managing the increasing quantities of radio-active waste, which are currently being placed in temporary storage sites. By adopting the amendment by the Greens/EFA (288 for, 196 against, 25 abstentions), Parliament is excluding certain radio active waste evacuation methods, because of environmental reasons (immersion in the sea, evacuation depots under the sea and in space). It has approved the idea of burying high level radio active waste in deep geological rock formations but, due to national differences, recommended, that instead of a single timetable proposed by the Commission (EUROPE 31 January 2003), a two stage approach: Member States submit to the Commission by 2006 at the latest, their management programmes and then they set their own deadlines for implementing these programmes. As opposed to the opinion of the Greens/EFA, parliament will allow the transfer of nuclear waste from a Member State to a third country, explaining, nevertheless, that a country has the right to refuse imports onto its territory of this waste and that Member States are banned from signing waste transfer contracts to third countries where facilities do not conform to European and international legislation on nuclear safety. Parliament also approved the implementation of a European programme for raising public awareness about nuclear waste management and considers that research into other waste management options should be encouraged. Funding for waste management is controlled in the same way as dismantlement funds 'see above). Parliament threw out the Green/EFA amendments demanding an end to practices that produced too much nuclear waste (134, 373 against, 10 abstentions) and that the transport of waste is subject to preliminary authorisation from the local authorities in the territory transited (124 for, 385 against, 7 abstentions).
In a press statement, Irish Green Nuala Ahern sharply criticised this vote. She said that parliament had fallen into the nuclear trap of Commissioner de Palacio. She explained that the proposals superficially appealed for increased nuclear safety but that the real goal was to revitalise this totally declining industry. She declared that the ball was now in the camp of the Council and that she hoped that non-nuclear countries would adopt a firm position against these directives. She called on the Irish presidency to throw them out.
Foratom, however, the European nuclear industry association said that parliament's response to the Commission's proposals was "cautious and constructive".