WRITTEN QUESTION No. 2689/98 by Doeke EISMA to the Commission. Limitation of citizens' rights in involvement in the decision-making process surrounding the completion of the Khmelnitsky 2 and Rovno 4 nuclear plants in Ukraine
Date: 1998-09-01
Institutions: EISMA, European Parliament
Subjects: EBRD, Euratom loan, Ukraine, administrative transparency, environmental impact, nuclear power station, public opinion, siting of power stations

21.5.1999

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 142/33

The discussion will be continued in 1999, notably in the light of a contribution from the Commission and
the imminent entry into force of the Amsterdam Treaty.

The European Union was not represented as such at the flagship event of the European Drugs Prevention
Week held in Vienna on 5 and 6 November 1998.

(1999/C 142/039)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2689/98

by Doeke Eisma (ELDR) to the Commission

(1 September 1998)

Subject: Limitation of citizens’ rights in involvement in the decision-making process surrounding the

completion of the Khmelnitsky 2 and Rovno 4 nuclear plants in Ukraine

Is the Commission aware that the Convention on the Environmental Impact Assessment in a Trans-
boundary Context (Espoo Convention) requires the ‘Party of origin’ − in this case the project sponsors of
K2/R4 − to provide the same opportunities for public participation in the environmental impact
assessment process to the public of potentially affected States as it provides to its own citizens?

Is the Commission aware that the Environmental Procedures of the potential co-funder of the two nuclear
power plants K2/R4 with the Commission, the EBRD, require compliance within the Espoo Convention?

Does the Commission agree that the project sponsors, including the Commission, have done little to
facilitate meaningful participation of NGOs and the public at international level?

If it agrees with the foregoing, is the Commission prepared to guarantee that the Euratom loan will be
approved only if the Espoo Convention is implemented in full, namely:

− requests from individuals, citizens’ groups and local and regional governments for notification of the

public participation process are properly respected,

− appeals to the project sponsors for public discussions in potentially affected states are met in full,

− that the Commission appoints an independent auditor to review and monitor the public participation

process,

− that the Commission guarantees that no final decision will be taken on Union funding for K2/R4 until
the Commission has received the opinion of Parliament on the appropriateness of EU funding for the
project?

Answer given by Mr van den Broek on behalf of the Commission

(23 September 1998)

The procedures of the European bank for reconstruction and development (EBRD) and of the Commission
provide that projects with environmental impact must follow the provisions of the Convention on the
environmental impact assessment in a transboundary context (ESPOO convention) when applicable.
However, this is not the case for the K2R4 project, as it consists in the completion of plants under
construction and, more importantly, as Ukraine is not a signatory to the ESPOO convention.

However, the Commission as well as the EBRD have encouraged Ukraine to engage in a broad public
participation and consultation process based on openness and transparency and to supply in a timely
manner neighbouring countries with the results of the environmental impact assessments.

Hence, this public participation process, responsibility for which lies with the project owner, started on
18 August 1998 and will last 120 days. The Commission will assess the result in due course in the
framework of its Euratom loan approval procedure.

Finally, the Commission reconfirms its readiness to continue to keep the Parliament fully informed about
the status of the loan approval procedure.