7. Calls on the Commission to act to prevent the formation of vertical bottlenecks and horizontal mono-
polies; calls on the Member States to subsidise —in accordance with Community law —digital TV recei-
vers (either set-top boxes or boxes integrated into TV sets) such as the Multimedia Home Platform system,with an open API (Application Program Interface) to prevent the development of bottlenecks; calls on theMember States to promote and develop interactive services in order to increase the level of digital expertiseand the competitiveness of European society, and jointly to promote technical broadcasting measures with aview to filtering content that might impair the physical, mental or moral development of minors;
8. Calls on the Commission to publish information on best practice with regard to financing aspects and
to provide clear guidance on state aid and issues relating to competition law;
9. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to emphasise the great importance of ensuring
“equitable access ”to the spectrum dividend within the frame of the RRC06 negotiations, and to agree on
a common negotiating position to support the scenario based on the deadline of 2015 for the end ofgeneral protection against interference by analogue channels transmitting from outside the EuropeanUnion, in order to ensure undisturbed digital broadcasting as close as possible to 2012;
10. In order to ensure that the digital divide in society is not exacerbated, calls on the Member States to
ensure as soon as possible that there are adequate provisions in place prior to the transition from analogueto digital, including funding and intelligible information, which will mitigate the cost of conversion for thosein society who will have difficulty in procuring and financing the necessary replacement equipment;
11. Calls on the Commission to ensure that, in regulating the digital transition, a clear distinction is made
between the regulation of transmission of electronic signals and infrastructure and the regulation of content
(including audiovisual content), and to ensure, in order to protect pluralism and diversity in the broadcastingfield, that the majority, or an appropriate part, of the new broadcasting possibilities and broadcasters do notcome under the exclusive control or decisive influence of multinational media undertakings; considers thatthe various additional services transmitted alongside digital broadcasts on the same network should beregulated by making a distinction appropriate to their nature: content services related to broadcasting,other content services and services related to telecommunications;
12. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to ensure full interoperability and technological
neutrality in order to provide a level playing field for all operators and to boost European innovation;
13. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission and the govern-
ments of the Member States.
P6_TA(2005)0432
Decommissioning nuclear power plants
European Parliament resolution on the use of financial resources earmarked for the decommissio-
ning of nuclear power plants (2005/2027(INI))
The European Parliament ,
— having regard to the Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Coun-
cil on the use of financial resources earmarked for the decommissioning of nuclear power plants (COM(2004)0719),18.11.2006 MT C 280 E/117 Il-Ġurnal Uffi ċjali ta' l-Unjoni Ewropea
L-Erbg ħa, 16 ta' Novembru 2005
— having regard to its position adopted at first reading on 13 March 2002 with a view to the adoption of
a European Parliament and Council directive amending Directive 96/92/EC concerning common rulesfor the internal markets in electricity (
1),
— having regard to its position adopted at first reading on 13 March 2002 with a view to the adoption of
a European Parliament and Council directive amending Directive 98/30/EC concerning common rules
for the internal markets in natural gas (2),
— having regard to its position adopted at second reading on 4 June 2003 with a view to the adoption of
a European Parliament and Council directive concerning common rules for the internal market inelectricity and repealing Directive 96/92/EC (
3),
— having regard to Directive 2003/54/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 June 2003
concerning common rules for the internal market in electricity and repealing Directive 96/92/EC andthe related interinstitutional and Commission statements on decommissioning and waste managementactivities (
4),
— having regard to Council Directive 96/29/Euratom of 13 May 1996 laying down basic safety standards
for the protection of the health of workers and the general public against the dangers arising fromionising radiation (
5),
— having regard to the proposals for Council Directives (Euratom) setting out basic obligations and gen-
eral principles on the safety of nuclear installations and on the management of spent nuclear fuel andradioactive waste (COM(2003)0032),
— having regard to the Communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parlia-
ment on nuclear safety in the European Union (COM(2002)0605),
— having regard to the Commission Decision 2005/407/EC of 22 September 2004 on the State aid which
the United Kingdom is planning to implement for British Energy plc (
6),
— having regard to the report of the French Cour des comptes of 20 January 2005 on dismantling nuc-
lear installations and managing radioactive waste and in particular the finding therein that the use forother purposes of provisions which have been earmarked for future decommissioning could createdistortions of competition between producers in the Community,
— having regard to Rule 45 of its Rules of Procedure,
— having regard to the report of the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (A6-0279/2005),
The importance of decommissioning nuclear power plants
1. Recognises that it is important, for the protection of human beings and the environment, that nuclear
power plants are properly decommissioned after they are shut down;
2. Notes that there is a massive reduction in radioactivity following the removal of the nuclear fuel when
a nuclear power plant is shut down; notes however that the residual radioactivity requires a high level ofnuclear protection to meet the requirements of Council Directive 96/29/Euratom;
3. Notes that a lack of financial resources for decommissioning might in some cases delay the decom-
missioning of nuclear power plants and hence should be avoided;
4. Welcomes the Commission's intention to report annually to the Parliament on the use of financial
resources earmarked for the decommissioning of nuclear power plants;
(1) OJ C 47 E, 27.2.2003, p. 351.
(2) OJ C 47 E, 27.2.2003, p. 367.
(3) OJ C 68 E, 18.3.2004, p. 211.
(4) OJ L 176, 15.7.2003, p. 37.
(5) OJ L 159, 29.6.1996, p. 1.
(6) OJ L 142, 6.6.2005, p. 26.C 280 E/118 MT 18.11.2006 Il-Ġurnal Uffi ċjali ta' l-Unjoni Ewropea
L-Erbg ħa, 16 ta' Novembru 2005
5. Notes the Commission's intention to adopt a non-binding recommendation on this subject in the
coming weeks;
6. Notes, also, the Commission's intention to undertake significant survey work on this subject during
2006 in order to support the formulation of Community policy and legislative initiatives;
Financial resources earmarked for decommissioning
7. Considers it necessary to ensure that in all Member States all nuclear undertakings have sufficient
financial resources available when needed to cover all the costs of decommissioning, including waste mana-
gement in order to uphold the polluter pays principle and avoid any recourse to State aid;
8. Calls on the Commission, with due regard for the principle of subsidiarity ,to draw up precise defini-
tions concerning the use of financial resources earmarked for decommissioning in each Member State,
taking into account decommissioning as well as the management, conditioning and final disposal of the
resultant radioactive waste;
9. Notes that the approach to the management of such financial resources differs from one Member State
to another, and calls for their sound management;
10. Calls for these financial resources to be used for fair investments fully in line with Community
competition law, thereby avoiding distortions;
11. Considers it necessary for these financial resources to be managed and used with maximum transpa-
rency, and for external auditing to be guaranteed;
Safety and environmental aspects
12. Regards the above mentioned Commission communication on the use of financial resources earmar-
ked for the decommissioning of nuclear power plants as an opportunity to draw attention to the safetyaspects of decommissioning nuclear power plants;
13. Notes that at each step in the decommissioning of nuclear power plants the safety of humans and the
environment must be considered and that previous experience should be put to good use as far as possible;
14. Notes the existence of immediate decommissioning and staged decommissioning strategies whose
respective advantages and disadvantages should be weighed up in view of the location and the characteris-tics of the reactor;
15. Is of the opinion that safety issues relating to the protection of humans and the environment should
be paramount in respect of the choice of decommissioning strategy;
16. Notes that the dismantling or decommissioning of nuclear power plants is subject to an impact
assessment under the provisions of Council Directive 97/11/EC of 3 March 1997 amending Directive 85/337/EEC on the assessment of the effects of certain public and private projects on the environment (
1);
17. Calls for a review in all Member States of the practice of releasing low-level radioactive substances in
particularly large quantities in areas subject to nuclear and radiation protection legislation when a plant isdecommissioned;
Economic aspects
18. Considers it acceptable for exceptions to apply, for example in the new Member States ,due to safety
considerations;
19. Questions whether the accounting provisions made so far in a number of Member States and the
corresponding financial resources are equal to the real needs;
(1) OJ L 73, 14.3.1997, p. 5.18.11.2006 MT C 280 E/119 Il-Ġurnal Uffi ċjali ta' l-Unjoni Ewropea
L-Erbg ħa, 16 ta' Novembru 2005
20. Welcomes the financial support, subject to certain basic conditions, granted by the European Union
to certain decommissioning projects in the new Member States;
21. Supports the Commission's position that the cost of nuclear decommissioning, which is to be
understood as covering inter alia other external costs and subsidies for other types of electricity production,
must also be taken into account in assessing the economic viability of any power plant in such a way as toavoid distortions of competition;
22. Notes that the operator of a nuclear power plant is responsible for arranging insurance to cover civil
liability during the entire decommissioning period against unforeseen incidents or accidents in line withinternational liability conventions;
23. Notes that the Paris Convention of 29 July 1960 on third party liability in the field of nuclear energy
and the Convention of 31 January 1963 Supplementary to the Paris Convention of 29 July 1960 as amen-ded by the Additional Protocol of 28 January 1964 and by the Protocol of 16 November 1982 are still inforce and cannot be unilaterally terminated by the EU; notes moreover that the Parliament in its resolution
of 26 February 2004 on third party liability in the field of nuclear energy (
1) gave its assent to the proposal
for a Council decision authorising the Member States which are Contracting Parties to the Paris Conventionof 29 July 1960 to ratify, in the interest of the European Community, the Protocol amending that Conven-tion, or to accede to it;
*
**
24. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission and the govern-
ments of the Member States.
(1) OJ C 98 E, 23.4.2004, p. 123.
P6_TA(2005)0433
Beating global climate change
European Parliament resolution on “Winning the Battle Against Global Climate Change ”(2005/2049
(INI))
The European Parliament ,
— having regard to the Communication from the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament,
the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions: Winning the BattleAgainst Global Climate Change (COM(2005)0035),
— having regard to the Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
(UNFCCC) and to the application procedures for its implementation adopted at the Conferences of theParties in Bonn (July 2001), Marrakech (November 2001), New Delhi (October and November 2002),Milan (December 2003) and Buenos Aires (December 2004),
— having regard to its previous resolutions relating to climate change, and in particular those of
13 January 2005 on the outcome of the Buenos Aires Conference on Climate Change (
1), and of
12 May 2005 on the Seminar of Governmental Experts on Climate Change (2),
— having regard to the statements conveyed to the G8 Summit in Gleneagles by 24 international business
leaders representing the World Economic Forum, for example on the need to adopt long-term climatestabilisation targets,
(1) P6_TA(2005)0005.
(2) P6_TA(2005)0177.C 280 E/120 MT 18.11.2006 Il-Ġurnal Uffi ċjali ta' l-Unjoni Ewropea
L-Erbg ħa, 16 ta' Novembru 2005