Madam President, Commissioner, I should like to start by thanking my fellow member, Mrs Isler Béguin, for her work as the initial rapporteur for this report, and to say that I am sorry she was unable to see the report through to the end and that, as chairman of the committee, I had to take over, because the final version of the report does not reflect the rapporteur's views. The subject matter of this report is, as I am sure you realise, a real hot potato which has divided public opinion in numerous Member States of the European Union. Nuclear energy alone has divided the European Parliament on other occasions, for obvious reasons. I should like to make it clear from the start, however, that the Committee on Regional Policy, Transport and Tourism was quite right to choose not to use this report, on which it has been working for a very long time, since before the European elections, as a platform for discussing the question of principle, that is, the question of whether there should even be nuclear energy, and to focus purely and simply on the subject of the transport of radioactive material within the European Union. It was right to do so, if, for no other reason than, from a legal point of view, it is not up to the European Union to say whether or not nuclear energy should be used, it is up to the Member States. Rightly or wrongly, I do not intend to go into this now, but that is the fact of the matter. We in the Committee on Transport had no reason to extend the debate beyond our remit; the subject of the report is the transport of radioactive material and that is therefore what we were required to focus on. Having said which, we know that, at international level, we have the International Atomic Energy Agency, which has been issuing recommendations on the safe transport of radioactive material – in the form of Safety Standard No 6 – since 1961 and that, although these standards are not binding, all Member States have incorporated them into their national legislation. The Agency's rules place the emphasis on the packages used in transporting the material, meaning that packages governed by the Agency's rules must be capable of ensuring confinement of the materials transported, both in normal circumstances and in the event of an accident, and guaranteeing the safety of those exposed to them. Obviously, I agree that safety has absolute priority over profitability and supply and that the nuclear industry must strictly abide by international transport regulations. We must not overlook the fact that radioactive material is regularly transported over long distances, not only within the European Union but also to and from other continents. Without quoting specific examples, I need only say two particularly meaningful words, I need only refer to two particularly meaningful sites: La Hague in France and Sellafield in Great Britain, where radioactive material is processed. There are four particularly important points in the report to which I should like to refer, as pointers, because we do not have as much time as we would like at our disposal. First, the report stresses that the European Union should make an effort to reduce the volume and distance that radioactive material is transported. This is the proximity principle and was the subject of a European Parliament resolution back in 1996. Secondly, it is most important, as this report makes quite clear, that we cooperate with the Central and Eastern European countries and that they comply with International Atomic Energy Agency regulations, irrespective of whether or not enlargement takes place quickly – as we all hope it will – because there are problems in these countries which could jeopardise the health and safety of European citizens. Thirdly, as the report stresses, everyone responsible for transporting radioactive material must comply with existing rules, specifications and standards. Having legislation is not enough; it must be complied with. Fourthly, we examined the question of information about convoys transporting radioactive materials and decided that regional and local authorities should be kept informed. My last point concerns protests by various groups in this area. We are all in favour of freedom of expression for all European citizens, but it is important to avoid violence. This, too, is highlighted in the report. I have to tell you that the report attracted a large majority in committee and that the two main political groups are in agreement, which is why I regret to tell the House that I am unable to accept individual amendments from my fellow members. IN THE CHAIR: MR COLOM I NAVALVice-President

Political group: PPE-DE