WRITTEN QUESTION E-0334/02 by Nuala Ahern (Verts/ALE) to the Commission. Nuclear issues.
Date: 2002-02-12
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU environmental policy, United Kingdom, nuclear research, nuclear safety, radioactive waste, storage of waste, underground storage of waste

C 205 E/120

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

29.8.2002

Cohesion Fund Rail project

Initial funding Decision

Modifications

Thessaloniki-Alexandroupolis

Thriassio-Elefsina-Korinthos (Phase A)

Thriassio-Elefsina-Korinthos (Phase B)

Thriassio Complex

1994

1996

2001

1994

1997 ! 1999

2000

!

2001

Total eligible public expenditure declared by the Greek authorities up to now, under the OP ‘Railways
4.
1994-1999’, is € 547 million. The respective amount for Cohesion Fund rail projects, that is the total
eligible public expenditure declared up to now, is around € 600 million.

It must be noted that payments made up to now for the electrification project cover designs and
6.
preparatory works for the future development of the project. The Commission would also draw the
attention of the Honourable Member to the fact that payments made up to now for this project are
advance and interim payments. When a request for a final payment is made the Commission checks if the
project or phase of project is completed and operational in accordance with the regulations. As far as the
further payments to this project are concerned, the position of the Commission has been presented in the
answer given to written question P-3122/01 (1) of the Honourable Member.

The expertise done on behalf of

7.
the Commission for the electrification and the Evagelismos-
Leptokarya rail projects was communicated to the Greek authorities on 25 July 2001. The Greek
authorities presented their views and comments on this expertise to the Commission on the 30 January
2002.

Ergose has been created in the context of a policy agreed by the Greek authorities and the
8.
Commission under CSF 1994-1999, to create new independent agencies for the management of large
infrastructure projects, so that the problems of design, budget, time and quality of execution for those
projects would be overcome.

Other examples of such agencies created under the previous CSF for Greece are the Attiko Metro
Company, managing the construction of the Athens Metro and its extensions, and the Egnatia Company,
managing the Egnatia motorway construction.

The Commission has the intention, with the help of experts, to examine the efficiency and the quality of
the project management provided by all the above mentioned agencies, starting with the audit of Ergose
which will take place in the next months.

(1) OJ C 147 E, 20.6.2002.

(2002/C 205 E/130)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0334/02

by Nuala Ahern (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(12 February 2002)

Subject: Nuclear issues

1. What contribution did Commission experts make to the report ‘Nuclear Power Plants’ Radwaste in
Perspective’ published by Eurelectric in January 2002?

Has the Commission received any explanation from the United Kingdom authorities on the
2.
implications for environmental safety of the dumping of British nuclear waste in the Atlantic Ocean at a
location 400 km west of Land’s End in Cornwall, England between 1965 to 1982; and in particular, has
any recent communication been received in respect of a recently revealed incident in 1969 involving a
ship, the MV Topaz, on which a full flask of nuclear waste cracked and contaminated the deck of the ship,
and involved the disposal of the damaged waste flask overboard?

29.8.2002

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Official Journal of the European Communities

C 205 E/121

3. What studies have been conducted by (1) the Commission’s Joint Research Centres or (2) Euratom
into the technical possibility and comparative economics of (a) direct disposal (b) long term storage and (c)
reprocessing of irradiated Mixed Oxide (Mox) plutonium nuclear fuel after discharge from reactors?

On what date did Euratom safeguards inspectors first carry out on-site inspections of any facilities at
4.
the BNFL nuclear site at Sellafield in Cumbria, UK; for how long did the inspection visit last; and what
report was produced as a result of the visit?

Has the Commission evaluated the most recent annual report [Annual Report and Accounts for
5.
2000] of the Radiation Protection Institute of Ireland, which claims radioactive contamination from
Sellafield found in seaweed is 150 times higher on the north-east coast of Ireland than in seaweed on the
south and west coasts; and what environmental protection measures does it intend to take to protect Irish
citizens from the hazards posed by this radioactivity?

Answer given by Mrs Wallström on behalf of the Commission

(2 April 2002)

1.
On request from Eurelectric, Commission experts provided text on the status of radioactive waste
management activities in the Directorate General for Transport and Energy (originally managed by the
Directorate General
for Research, which
subsequently appeared as part III.2 in the report. Commission experts had full editorial control over the
content of this part of the report. No other contribution or assistance was provided by the Commission.

for Environment) and those of

the Directorate General

As confirmed in the reply to Written Question E-0500/01 by Mr Davies (1),

the Commission
2.
considered the environmental impact of the past dumping of British nuclear waste in the Atlantic Ocean in
the report ‘The radiological exposure of the population of the European Community from radioactivity in
North European marine waters, project ’Marína’’ (Radiation Protection 47, 1990). This report made use of
a number of sources of data. This report is in the process of being updated by a consortium of
international experts and will again address the significance of nuclear waste dumped in the Atlantic Ocean
using all
information and data available. The study is expected to be published in mid 2002. The
Commission has not received any recent communication regarding the incident involving the MV Topaz to
which the Honourable Member refers.

Research on direct disposal of irradiated nuclear fuel has been part of the Commission’s programme
3.
in Framework Programmes 4 and 5. Only limited research has been specifically dedicated to irradiated
Mixed Oxide (MOX) fuel, mainly on spent fuel dissolution. The more general research on spent fuel and
high level waste disposal is, however, largely applicable also to Mixed Oxide fuel disposal. This research
concerns the behaviour of the fuel or high level waste, the waste package, and the buffer material around
the waste, as well as the behaviour of radioactive substances in the geological medium used for the
disposal.

4.
The first safeguards inspection under Chapter VII of the Euratom Treaty of the British Nuclear Fuels
Limited (BNFL) nuclear site at Sellafield took place from 4 to 6 December 1973. The inspection activities
and results are documented in an internal
the inspection were
communicated to the operator and copied to the British government authorities. Access to civil nuclear
material
liable to be assigned to meet defence
requirements constituted an important issue.

in installations handling simultaneously material

inspection report. The results of

The update of the Marína study is addressing the significance of radioactivity in biota, including that
5.
in seaweed, and is making use of a number of scientific reports,
including those from the Radiation
Protection Institute of Ireland on the Monitoring of radioactivity in the Irish marine environment. While
the Commission is aware of extensive variations in the concentration of radionuclides in seaweed from
place to place the absolute concentrations have no radiological significance.

(1) OJ C 318 E, 13.11.2001.