Reims, 12/12/2005 (Agence Europe) - The conference on the management of nuclear waste held at the end of November in Reims by “Les entretiens européens” chaired by Claude Fischer allowed for a broad exchange of views on the various aspects of the problem: technical, health, economic and (given the sensitivity of public opinion) political. François Lamoureux, the Director General for Energy and Transport at the European Commission, appealed for a European framework. Local representatives demanded a referendum before any decision is taken on geological storage in the area, but, according to some legal experts, a local referendum would be unconstitutional because the management of nuclear waste is a matter for the national authorities.
Others emphasised the economic and social opportunities (particularly the creation of jobs) which would be opened up by the nuclear waste storage and management activities. Representatives of large enterprises such as EDF and AREVA declared themselves prepared to sign up to sustainable development commitments in a territorial contract with local partners. According to Rolf Linkohr, a former MEP from Germany, it is an activity which, far from turning the region into a “dustbin”, is in line with the modern concept of industry based on recycling.
Philippe Herzog, the President of the association “Confrontations Europe”, announced that the management of nuclear waste should figure in the programme of the Franco-German conference on “new prospects for nuclear technology” scheduled to be held in November 2006 in Berlin.