WRITTEN QUESTION E-3468/01 by Marialiese Flemming (PPE-DE) to the Council. Nuclear power plant safety standards.
Date: 2001-12-18
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: International Atomic Energy Agency, competence of the Member States, nuclear safety, revision of the Treaty (EU), safety standard

C 205 E/36

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

29.8.2002

Answer given by Mr Monti on behalf of the Commission

(19 February 2002)

Directive 98/30/EC of the Parliament and of the Council of 22 June 1998 concerning common rules for
the internal market in natural gas (1) has opened up the natural gas market in Europe. According to this
directive, natural gas customers above a certain level of consumption are free to choose their supplier of
natural gas.

Under these circumstances, the Commission fails to see why the creation of a new regasification plant in
Sagunto would prevent eligible customers (presumably including customers from the tile industry) to
source their gas needs from the supplier of their choice. Currently, there are more than 20 authorised
suppliers of natural gas in Spain. Additionally, the Sagunto regasification plant is not and will not be the
only plant of this kind in Spain. Indeed, Spain is the Member State where the number of regasification
plants is the highest in Europe: three already are in operation and at least three others are planned.

The Honourable Member further inquires whether the creation of a subsidiary by the three largest
electricity companies in Spain to build and run the regasification plant constitutes a restriction of
competition and whether the Commission will take some action in this case.

Given the absence of precision as to the project at this early stage, the Commission is unable to consider
whether it is appropriate to take some action in this case under the EC competition rules.

(1) OJ L 204, 21.7.1998.

(2002/C 205 E/038)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3468/01

by Marialiese Flemming (PPE-DE) to the Council

(18 December 2001)

Subject: Nuclear power plant safety standards

Is the Council prepared:

1.

2.

3.

4.

to take steps to review the safety standards of all Europe’s nuclear power plants?

to grant the International Atomic Energy Agency more safety inspection powers?

to give the public comprehensive information about the outcome of such inspections?

to agree to an amendment to the Euratom Treaty which would result in greater democratisation and
greater involvement of the European Parliament?

Reply

(13 May 2002)

The Council would firstly like to stress that a clear distinction needs to be made between the rules
governing the safety of nuclear power plants and those governing their security.

In general, the Laeken European Council undertook to maintain a high level of nuclear safety in the Union.
It stressed the need to monitor the security and safety of nuclear power stations. It called for regular
reports from Member States’ atomic energy experts, who would maintain close contact with the
Commission.

Chapter 7 of the Treaty establishing the European Atomic Energy Community includes provisions relating
to security checks (safeguards).

29.8.2002

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 205 E/37

On the other hand, the Council would like to point out that the safety of nuclear power plants is not of
Community but of national competence, as the EAEC Treaty does not contain specific provisions giving
powers to the Community in this respect.

As a consequence, no specific legislation setting common safety standards for nuclear installation safety
has been developed at EU level. The safety of a nuclear installation is the responsibility of the operator
under the control of its authorities in the framework of national legislation.

in the context of the IAEA, which issues safety recommendations, and the Convention on
However,
Nuclear Safety, to which all Member States as well as Euratom are Parties, safety arrangements in the
Member States are already subject to an in-depth peer review.

An amendment of the EAEC Treaty is not a matter for the Council, but for the Intergovernmental
Conference; the EU Treaty stipulates in Article 48 that the government of any Member State or the
Commission may submit to the Council proposals for the amendment of the Treaties on which the Union
is founded; the Council has, for the time being, not received such proposals.

(2002/C 205 E/039)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3482/01

by Charles Tannock (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(8 January 2002)

Subject: The Commissioner’s Special Advisers

According to the Code of Conduct for Commissioners, ‘Commissioners can call on the services of paid or
unpaid special advisers,’ the list of advisors being ‘adopted by the Commission within a strict budget
allocation and on the basis of a transparent procedure.’ They must be acknowledged experts in their field’
and they are not ‘Commission staff.’

Can the Commission provide a list of all special advisors appointed by each Commissioner since the
beginning of Commission President Prodi’s and the new Commission’s term of office in 1999, the length
of time which they served or have served, the areas in which they are acknowledged experts and the
amount which they have been paid?

Answer given by Mr Kinnock on behalf of the Commission

(19 March 2002)

The Commission is bound by the data protection provisions of Directive 2001/45/EC of the Parliament
and of the Council of 27 June 2001 amending Council Directive 89/655/EEC concerning the minimum
safety and health requirements for the use of work equipment by workers at work (second individual
Directive within the meaning of Article 16(1) of Directive 89/391/EEC) (1) and is consequently not in a
position to release details of individual Special Advisor’s contracts or remuneration to the Honourable
Member.

However, the Commission can confirm that since the beginning of its mandate in 1999, it has called on
the services of 48 Special Advisors. An alphabetical
list of their names is being sent directly to the
Honourable Member and to the European Parliament’s secretariat, together with a list indicating which
Members of the Commission called upon this special advice at some time.

Of the 48 advisors, 17 are retired senior Commission officials with significant experience and recognised
expertise in their fields. These Special Advisors are unpaid.