WRITTEN QUESTION E-2001/03 by Jan Dhaene (PSE)and Patricia McKenna (Verts/ALE) to the Commission. Radioactive discharges from Sellafield.
Date: 2003-06-16
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: United Kingdom, marine pollution, pollution control, pollution control measures, radioactive effluent, radioactive pollution

C 78 E/66

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

27.3.2004

There is no evidence available to the Commission to suggest that either the Commission in its initial
8.
enquiry or the Belgian police and the judicial authorities encountered any opposition in seeking to
establish the facts in this case.

9. Where substantial amounts of money are at stake in complex subsidy schemes, it is impossible for
the Commission or any other body to absolutely guarantee that fraud will not be attempted or occur. It
should be noted, however, that since 1992 the Common Organisation of the Market (COM) of the raw
tobacco sector has been profoundly reformed. Among other changes, the three mechanisms which had
given rise to fraudulent activities (cid:1) and in particular intervention and sale by auction, export refunds and
differential primia according to variety (cid:1) have been stopped. See Regulation (ECC) No 2075/92 (1).

The structure of the COM was later simplified in 1996 and in 1998. See Regulation (EC) No 415/96 of
4 March 1996 (2) and Regulation (EC) No 1636/98 of 20 July 1998 (3).

The Commission regularly carries out discharge exercises and preventive audits.

An external independent assessment of the tobacco sector is underway and will be finalised in the
10.
course of
the coming weeks. The Commission is currently working on the framework for further
substantial reform of the COM in raw tobacco which should be in line with the objectives laid out in the
Commission communication on sustainable development presented at the European Council Meeting in
Göteborg (15 and 16 June 2001).

The Commission will put forward a proposal to Parliament and Council in the course of autumn 2003.

(1) OJ L 215, 30.7.1992.
(2) OJ L 59, 8.3.1996.
(3) OJ L 210, 28.7.1998.

(2004/C 78 E/0066)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2001/03

by Jan Dhaene (PSE)
and Patricia McKenna (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(16 June 2003)

Subject: Radioactive discharges from Sellafield

The ‘Fisheries Section Committee’ of the International Transport Federation (ITF) has called on North Sea
states to demand that the UK stop radioactive discharges from Sellafield. Several national transport unions
have adopted this request. The problem is not limited to the UK; Cogéma in La Hague causes widespread
radioactive pollution of the local environment.

One of the isotopes that concerns the ITF the most is Technetium-99 (Tc99). This isotope is discharged
into the Irish Sea, although it is technically possible for it to be filtered out and collected before the waste
water is discharged in to the sea.

1.
Is the Commission aware of the threat to the maritime environment connected with the discharge of
radioactive waste from plants such as Sellafield and, in particular, to fish and shellfish and the consumers
thereof.

Is the Commission aware of the impact on fishermen and other crew on board vessels which

2.
frequently fish these areas close to the pollution source (Sellafield and La Hague)?

3. What is the Commission’s view of the ITF proposal that the Technetium-99 should be filtered out of
the waste water from Sellafield and La Hague?

27.3.2004

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Official Journal of the European Union

C 78 E/67

Answer given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission

(30 July 2003)

The Commission is aware of the issues raised by the Honourable Members.

The Community is a Contracting Party to the Oslo-Paris (OSPAR) Convention and is represented at OSPAR
meetings by the Commission. The central objective of the strategies adopted by the OSPAR Commission to
advance its work,
is the protection of the OSPAR maritime area. One of these strategies concerns
radioactive substances and has the specific objective that by the year 2020 discharges, emissions and losses
of radioactive substances are reduced to levels where the additional concentrations in the marine
environment above historic levels, resulting from such discharges, emissions and losses, are close to zero.

The OSPAR Commission is assisted in the implementation of the strategy with regard to radioactive
substances by its Radioactive Substances Committee (RSC), which meets at
least once a year. The
Commission is an active participant in this Committee contributing significantly to the understanding and
awareness of the discharge of radioactive substances from all sources into the maritime area. As part of
this contribution, the Commission recently completed a study known as Marína II, which examined all
radioactive discharges and their effects on the OSPAR maritime area including effects on biota, consumers
of seafood and individuals engaged in fishing in the proximity of such discharges.

The Commission is firmly committed to the attainment of the objective of the OSPAR strategy with regard
to radioactive substances, which requires the progressive and substantial reduction of all radioactive
discharges by 2020. At the first ministerial meeting of the OSPAR Commission in Sintra, July 1998, the
concern of a number of contracting parties about technetium-99 discharges from Sellafield was noted, and
the United Kingdom ministers indicated that such concerns would be addressed. These concerns were
emphasised again at the recent OSPAR ministerial meeting in Bremen in June 2003. Furthermore, the
initiative of the United Kingdom to request the operator of Sellafield to stop discharges from its medium
active concentrate (MAC) treatment process for nine months while further research and development of
abatement technology is carried out was welcomed.

It should, nevertheless, be noted that while activity concentrations of technetium-99 are relatively high, the
is small compared to other
radiological
radionuclides, including naturally occurring radionuclides.

technetium-99 discharges to the environment

impact of

(2004/C 78 E/0067)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-2031/03

by Antonios Trakatellis (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(12 June 2003)

Subject: Implementation of Community legislation on solid waste and the landfill of waste in Greece

A study carried out by the National Centre for the Environment states that over 90 % of urban waste is
disposed of in landfill sites (legal or otherwise), while a mere 8 % is recycled and 1 % composted. However,
it is reported that the mechanical waste sorting unit is not only not functioning, it also fails to meet EU
specifications and is technologically outdated compared to the optimum available technology.

Given that the Commission has initiated proceedings against Greece for failing to comply with the waste
directives (cid:1) in particular Directive 75/442/EEC (1) on waste (cid:1) and that all EU Member States are obliged,
on the basis of Directive 1999/31/EC (2) on the landfill of waste, to draw up a national strategy and to