WRITTEN QUESTION No. 2259/96 by Yiannis ROUBATIS to the Commission. The problem of the burial of nuclear and toxic waste in the FYROM
Date: 1996-08-09
Institutions: European Parliament, ROUBATIS
Subjects: North Macedonia, application of EU law, export of waste, impact study, nuclear safety, radioactive waste, storage of waste, toxic substance, transfrontier pollution, waste disposal













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91996E2259

WRITTEN QUESTION No. 2259/96 by Yiannis ROUBATIS to the Commission. The problem of the burial of nuclear and toxic waste in the FYROM  


Official Journal C 011 , 13/01/1997 P. 0073 





WRITTEN QUESTION E-2259/96 by Yiannis Roubatis (PSE) to the Commission (9 August 1996)Subject: The problem of the burial of nuclear and toxic waste in the FYROMEuropean nuclear scientists and the relevant scientific periodicals suggest that, in response to a request by the German Government, a site in the FYROM (Mavrovo) may be used for the burial of nuclear and toxic waste. Apart from the consequences the burial of such waste will have for the FYROM itself, it will pose very serious dangers for its neighbour, Greece, given that the two countries have common rivers, lakes and groundwater supplies. The very strong seismic activity in the region aggravates these dangers.Will the Commission say:1. Does it have any knowledge of this matter and, if not, does it intend to verify this information?2. How does it view the problem of the uncontrolled burial of nuclear and toxic waste in non-Community European countries which lie on the borders of EU countries, and what pressure does it intend to exert on the former, and particularly those which receive Community funds, such as the FYROM (PHARE)?Answer given by Mrs Bjerregaard on behalf of the Commission (17 October 1996)The Commission does not possess any information on a plan for waste disposal at the Mavrovo site in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.The export of toxic waste is regulated by Council Regulation (EEC) No 259/93 on the supervision and control of shipments of waste within, into and out of the European Community ((OJ L 30, 6.2.1993. )). This Regulation does not cover radioactive wastes. In accordance with Article 14 of this Regulation, export of hazardous as well as non-hazardous waste for disposal to third countries is prohibited, except to the European free trade association (EFTA) countries which are a party to the Basel Convention on the control of transboundary movement of hazardous waste and their disposal ((OJ L 39, 16.2.1993. )). Consequently, irrespective of any link with the Phare programme, export of hazardous waste destined for final disposal (e.g. landfilling, incineration) from a Member State to the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia is prohibited under Community law.As regards radioactive waste, Council Directive 92/3/Euratom of 3 February 1992 on the supervision and control of shipments of radioactive waste between Member States and into and out of the Community ((OJ L 35, 12.2.1992. )) requires that, where radioactive waste is to be exported from the Community to a third country, the shipment has to be authorised by the authorities of the Member State of origin (Article 12.2). Article 11, paragraph 2 of the Directive requires that the Member State concerned shall not authorize shipments of radioactive waste to a third country which, in the opinion of the authorities of the country of origin, does not have the technical, legal and administrative resources to manage the radioactive waste safely.