WRITTEN QUESTION E-1182/00

by Cristiana Muscardini (UEN) to the Commission

(12 April 2000)

Subject: EU enlargement and nuclear safety

According to International Atomic Energy Agency figures, there have been 508 incidents in nuclear power stations from 1993 to date, or more than one for each of the 434 such power stations operating world-wide, where 16 % of the energy consumed is now nuclear-generated. In Europe, the proportion of energy produced by nuclear power stations is higher in the countries whose nuclear facilities are most antiquated 45 % in the Ukraine, as much as 77 % in Lithuania and a substantial proportion of energy is produced by potentially dangerous power stations such as Ignalina or Kola in Russia, Bouhunice in Slovakia, Kozloduy in Bulgaria and Metsamor in Armenia. Even today, in the former Soviet Union, 15 of the 58 power stations still in operation are the LWGR type, identical to the one at Chernobyl, built without any safety containment around the reactor itself.

In the course of the accession negotiations with the candidate countries and discussions on trade relations with other countries:

1. What guarantees were obtained in terms of action to be taken to decommission these power stations?

2. On what conditions would the candidate countries be prepared to comply with the EU's requests in this regard?

3. By what date should these facilities be decommissioned?

Answer given by Mr Verheugen on behalf of the Commission

(5 June 2000)

The closure agreements reached with Slovakia, Lithuania and Bulgaria in autumn 1999 refer to the following closure dates and are based on the cited decisions by the national authorities of these three candidate countries.

As the result of an intensive dialogue with the Commission, the Slovak Government decided on 14 September 1999 (Government Resolution No 801/1999) to close the Bohunice V1 nuclear power plant. Reactor block 1 will be closed in 2006, and reactor block 2 in 2008.

Similarly, the Lithuanian Parliament decided on 5 October 1999 (Parliament Resolution No VIII-1348) to approve the national energy strategy submitted by the Lithuanian Government. This strategy includes the commitment to close the Ignalina nuclear power plant. Reactor unit 1 is to be closed before 2005. The final decision on the closure of reactor unit 2 will be taken on the occasion of the 2004 review of the national energy strategy. The closure is expected by 2009 as the Parliament resolution calls upon the Government to establish an action plan to replace the RBMK-type Ignalina reactors by this date.

The Prime Minister of Bulgaria met the Commissioner responsible for Enlargement on 29 November 1999. On that occasion, the Commission and Bulgaria reached an understanding, signed by the Bulgarian Minister of Foreign affairs, on the issue of the closure and decommissioning of units 1 to 4 of the Kozloduy nuclear power plant. The Bulgarian Government committed itself to definitively close units 1 and 2 before 2003. The final decision on the closure dates for units 3 and 4 will be taken on the occasion of the 2002 review of the Bulgarian energy strategy. According to the understanding, closure dates for units 3 and 4 will be before the presently envisaged closure dates of 2008 and 2010, respectively. The Commission's position is that the definitive closure of those units should take place in 2006 at the latest.

Honouring these closure commitments, the Commission has undertaken to provide financial assistance to the implementation of the decommissioning of the Bohunice V1, Ignalina and Kozloduy 1-4 nuclear power reactors as well as in support of consequential measures in the energy sector. Financing memoranda on such support from PHARE funds from the 1999 budget have already been signed with Slovakia and Lithuania, committing 10 million to each of these countries. The Commission has firmly indicated further annual support of 20 million each over the forthcoming years. This support will amount to 150 million for Slovakia as well as for Lithuania by the end of the present 2000-2006 financial perspective. As part of the understanding reached with Bulgaria, the Commission offered a multi-annual assistance package amounting to 200 million for the period until 2006. The delivery of half of this amount will depend on the confirmation of the understanding on definitive closure dates for units 3 and 4 in 2002. The Commission has further engaged in preparatory steps to deliver the bulk of this financial support via European bank for reconstruction and development (EBRD)-managed international grant funds to be established during the course of this year. In addition, Euratom loans have been offered to the three countries. On 18 April 2000, the Commission approved a loan of 212 million for Bulgaria.

With regard to particular conditions which the three candidate countries set in return for their decisions to close these reactors, it needs to be noted that Lithuania and Bulgaria made the reservations to take the final decisions on the closure of Kozloduy units 3 and 4 and Ignalina unit 2 in the revised national energy strategies to be adopted in 2002 (Bulgaria) and 2004 (Lithuania). The debate in some of these countries has also exposed the wish of some political forces to link effective closure to financial assistance from the Community. The Commission has categorically rejected such linkage, whilst agreeing to provide support to the implementation of the decommissioning decisions as mentioned above. The Commission is closely monitoring the implementation of necessary steps towards closure and decommissioning and has made its financial assistance conditioned on the beneficiary countries' compliance with the closure commitments. This includes the adoption of adequate provisions under domestic legislation.

Apart from this, no particular guarantees in terms of action to be taken to decommission the reactors were agreed. The Commission and the candidate countries are, however, aware that the negotiation process on accession, in particular the opening and closure of negotiations on the energy chapter and the ratification of the accession instruments themselves, offer the Community appropriate means to ensure compliance with the closure commitments.

The end of the decommissioning effort is not predictable at this stage. The decommissioning process covers a period of 50 to more than 100 years (final storage of spent fuel, nuclear waste and contaminated debris). Its precise end is also influenced by the technical solutions chosen within various decommissioning options.