WRITTEN QUESTION E-3277/01 by Hiltrud Breyer (Verts/ALE) to the Commission. Nuclear power stations as potential targets for terrorist attacks.
Date: 2001-11-26
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: energy policy, nuclear power station, nuclear safety, safety standard, terrorism, transport of dangerous goods

C 172 E/32

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Is the Commission aware of these facts, and if so, does it intend to take any action?

(1) OJ C 318 E, 13.11.2001, p. 164.

Answer given by Mr Bolkestein on behalf of the Commission

(22 January 2002)

In the reply to written question P-0964/01 (1) from the Honourable Member, the Commission outlined the
VAT arrangements applicable to used cars. As these arrangements have been transposed into national law
since 1995, the Commission does not find it unusual that there was limited reaction to its reply.

The control of Value Added Tax is a matter for Member States. Nevertheless, the Commission was
conscious of the particular problems created in the control of transactions relating to used cars. In this
context, a seminar was held under the Fiscalis programme (2) in 1999 for the purpose of examining these
problems in detail. One of
the conclusions from that seminar was that VAT control officials had
experienced difficulty in establishing whether intra-Community supplies of used cars were made using the
margin scheme or the normal VAT arrangements.

It was for this reason that the Commission, when making its proposal on simplifying, modernising and
harmonising the conditions laid down for invoicing in respect of value added tax (3), proposed that one of
the obligatory details to be mentioned on an invoice would be a reference to Article 26a of the Sixth VAT
Council Directive 77/388/EEC of 17 May 1977 on the harmonisation of the laws of the Member States
relating to turnover taxes 9 Common system of value added tax: uniform basis of assessment (4) in cases
where the margin scheme was applied. This proposal was retained by the Council, and it will therefore be
obligatory from 1 January 2004 for taxable persons, where the margin scheme is applied, to make
reference to Article 26a, to the corresponding national provisions, or to any other indication that the
margin scheme has been applied.

(1) OJ C 318 E, 13.11.2001.
(2) Decision No 888/98/EC of the Parliament and the Council of 30 March 1998 establishing a programme of
Community action to ameliorate the indirect taxation systems of the internal market (Fiscalis programme). OJ L 126,
28.4.1998.

(3) OJ C 96 E, 27.3.2001.
(4) OJ L 145, 13.6.1977, Directive as last amended by Council Directive 2001/44/EC of 19 January 2001 (OJ L 22,

24.1.2001).

(2002/C 172 E/035)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3277/01

by Hiltrud Breyer (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(26 November 2001)

Subject: Nuclear power stations as potential targets for terrorist attacks

Is the Commission also of the opinion that nuclear power stations are in principle potential targets

1.
for terrorist attacks like those on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon in the USA?

2.
In the event of a plane being deliberately crashed into a nuclear plant, the possibility cannot be ruled
out that in unfavourable circumstances (full fuel tank, large plane, high speed, specific angle of impact) the
reactor building would be damaged or pierced, even in the case of a modern nuclear power station. Has
the Commission investigated the possible consequences of such an event for Europe?

3.
The transport of nuclear material presents a particular security risk, as even the crash of a small
plane or other forms of terrorist attacks could lead to large areas of Europe becoming contaminated by

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radioactivity. How does the Commission intend to combat these security risks? Would it not be better to
suspend the transport of nuclear material
in Europe for the time being, that is for as long as the
international security situation remains tense?

Can the Commission force European nuclear power station operators or the Member States in which
4.
nuclear power stations are located to revise their safety standards in view of these new forms of terrorist
attacks and their inherent danger?

How does the Commission view the proposal to close down until further notice nuclear power plants

5.
which do not have appropriate safety standards?

Answer given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission

(4 February 2002)

1. and 2.
forms of power generation, are not risk-free.

Nuclear power stations, like any other industrial installations such as chemical plants or other

However, particular concerns about non-proliferation and radiation protection have made the nuclear
sector one of the industrial sectors with the most stringent safety and security standards.

An accidental plane crash into a nuclear power station falls in the risk category of external events
associated with human activity, a type of accident taken into account in nuclear power station design. The
national authorities are responsible for ensuring that practical action is taken at the design stage, though
the situation varies according to the State and the generation of nuclear plant concerned.

According to the information available to the Commission, in most countries the relative risk of an air
crash has been taken into consideration, with the probability of such an event generally estimated at one
in 10 million (10-7).

The most recent nuclear power station designs feature a containment building strong enough to withstand
an aircraft collision.

That does not mean, however, that power station containment buildings not specifically designed to
withstand impact will yield under the force of such a collision.

3. and 4.

Nuclear safety and security are still chiefly the preserve of the national authorities.

Nonetheless, after the terrorist attacks of 11 September, there is a need to review factors that make nuclear
installations vulnerable. The Commission is liaising with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in
Vienna on the specific issue of nuclear installation safety. Discussions should indicate the value of action at
Community and/or international level.

All power stations operating within the Union are subject to strict standards prescribed by the

5.
national safety authorities.

(2002/C 172 E/036)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3295/01

by Jonas Sjöstedt (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(28 November 2001)

Subject: Deregulation of seaports

The Commission has submitted a communication on improving the quality of services provided in
seaports. Firms are to compete to load and unload ships, maintain docks and warehouses, and provide
lead to wage
other dockside services. The trade unions are deeply concerned that deregulation will