WRITTEN QUESTION E-1858/02 by Bart Staes (Verts/ALE) to the Commission. Greenhouse gas emissions — alternative fuels and forms of energy.
Date: 2002-06-28
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU environmental policy, European Commissioner, energy policy, greenhouse gas, nuclear energy, public statement, reduction of gas emissions

6.3.2003

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 52 E/111

(2003/C 52 E/124)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1858/02

by Bart Staes (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(28 June 2002)

Subject: Greenhouse gas emissions (cid:1) alternative fuels and forms of energy

Efforts are being made to find alternatives to fossil fuels in order to minimise greenhouse gas emissions.
One proposal is to incinerate waste in cement kilns. This method of incineration may well reduce CO2
emissions, but it releases other harmful substances.

According to articles in the press, Commissioner Loyola de Palacio suggested, after European Environment
Agency figures for greenhouse gas emissions were presented, that greater and more intensive use be made
of nuclear power in order to meet the Kyoto standards.

Will the Commission say whether it is aware that harmful substances other than CO2 may be released
when alternatives to fossil fuels are used? What steps will it take to ensure that action to deal with one
problem does not result in another problem?

Can it confirm whether Commissioner Loyola de Palacio did in fact call for greater and more intensive use
of nuclear energy so as to meet the Kyoto standards?

Is this her personal view, or does she have the backing of the whole Commission? If the latter is the case,
the waste from which is
what arguments does the Commission have for choosing nuclear energy,
extremely difficult to process, over alternatives such as solar or wind energy?

If the Commissioner was expressing a personal view, what arguments has the Commission employed in
order to persuade her otherwise?

Answer given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission

(21 August 2002)

Concerning the use of nuclear energy the final report on the Green Paper on security of energy supply
adopted by the Commission on 26 June 2002 (1) stressed that this remains an inseparable part of the
debate though there continue to be divergent views within the Union on it’s use. It pointed to the
contribution of this source of energy to avoiding greenhouse gas emissions (cid:1) a contribution that currently
estimated at over 300 million tonnes of CO2 emissions reduction.

The final report on the Green Paper noted the fact that no-one disputes this ‘far from negligible’
contribution in the understanding that it is seen in the context of a large range of other measures aimed at
reducing emissions. For example, under the European Climate Changing Programme, the Commission has
announced a set of measures that can potentially cut emissions by some 122 to 178 million tonnes of CO2
equivalent and is identifying further potentials for emission reduction options. The final report notes that,
in order to meet Kyoto commitments, it has to be considered that the total abandonment of nuclear power
would mean that 35 % of the electricity production would have to be replaced by renewable and
conventional sources, to which must be added considerable efforts in energy efficiency and the fact that
energy demand is forecast to rise.

The Commission emphasised that ‘the range of choices available to the Member States has to be as wide as
possible without prejudice to their sovereignty in these matters’ and that the ‘nuclear option remains open
to those Member States who would like it.’

(1) COM(2002) 321 final.