Brussels, 13/05/2005 (Agence Europe) - At a pledging meeting in London on 12 May organised by European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and attended by representatives of the European Commission, all G8 countries and Ukraine, the European Commission announced an additional €49 million for the international Chernobyl Shelter Fund (CSF). Russia will contribute to the fund for the first time. This additional contribution comes on top of more than €600 million already pledged to the fund by 28 donor governments in 1997 and 2000. With today's pledge, the Commission has now committed a total of €239.5 million for the Fund since 1997, making it the main donor.
In the context of the European Neighbourhood Policy, the Action Plan agreed with the Ukraine in 2004 includes as an important priority the objective of closing the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, in compliance with the internationally accepted nuclear safety standards. The Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighbourhood Policy, Benita Ferrero-Waldner said “Nuclear safety is a priority for the European Union and the Commission is committed to provide generous assistance to the region affected by the Chernobyl catastrophe. Today's additional pledge for the Shelter Fund underlines the EU's determination to support Ukraine's reform process. The Chernobyl Shelter Fund is managed by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and was established in 1997 to fund the Shelter Implementation Plan (SIP). The European Union, leading player in addressing the problems caused by the accident at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in 1986, has been the largest contributor to the fund. The main objective of the SIP, which was developed collaboratively by the EU, the United States and the Ukraine, is to convert Chernobyl's reactor 4, destroyed by the accident, into an environmentally-safe site. The project is estimated to cost $1,091 million and will be complete by 2008-2009.