WRITTEN QUESTION P-3375/03 by Antonios Trakatellis (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Nuclear safety: plant decommissioning and incorporation of costs.
Date: 2003-11-10
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Bulgaria, EU financing, Lithuania, Slovakia, accession to the European Union, costing, decommissioning of power stations, nuclear policy, nuclear safety

8.4.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 88 E/141

In its Regular Report published on 5 November 2003 (1), the Commission gives a detailed assessment of
the reform process underway in Turkey and the impact of the measures taken on the human rights
situation.

(1) COM(2003) 676 final.

(2004/C 88 E/0149)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-3375/03

by Antonios Trakatellis (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(10 November 2003)

Subject: Nuclear safety: plant decommissioning and incorporation of costs

Ahead of the accession of ten new Member States, it is a matter of priority to improve nuclear safety in
the European Union, the accession states and the applicant countries. After carrying out an assessment, the
Commission requested the closure of certain units which cannot be brought up to internationally
acceptable safety standards at a reasonable cost (Kozloduy 1-4, Ignalina 1 and 2, and Bohunice 1 and 2)
together with an improvement in safety of the other reactors in the applicant countries to a level
comparable to that for equivalent reactors currently operating in the Union. However, Bulgarian officials
have recently raised the issue of re-opening negotiations on the closure of Kozloduy 3 and 4, which has
justifiably given cause for concern.

the Commission ensure that States comply with the commitments they have given in
How will
memoranda signed between them (e.g. Bulgaria) and the Commission, and in the context of
their
partnerships with the EU, to close down and decommission dangerous plants which cannot be brought up
to internationally acceptable safety standards at reasonable cost?

What measures, appropriations and loans for the decommissioning of dangerous plants which cannot be
brought up to internationally acceptable safety standards at reasonable cost have been authorised or put
into effect and what measures have been taken to prevent the funding of projects and programmes in
States which are in breach of or non-compliance with their international commitments?

What steps will the Commission take to incorporate the external costs of nuclear energy arising from
expenditure on decommissioning or modernisation with safety improvements in order to prevent
distortion of competition on the market in electricity in the Union?

Answer given by Mr Verheugen on behalf of the Commission

(8 December 2003)

Bulgaria committed itself to the closure of units 1 and 2 of Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant by the end of
2002, in the framework of the provisional closure of the Energy Chapter of the Accession Negotiations on
18 November 2002. Bulgaria furthermore committed itself to the closure of units 3 and 4 in 2006. In the
context of the so-called ‘Peer Review’ mechanism under the auspices of the European Council, the Union
has commissioned an expert mission to Bulgaria, as agreed in the Accession Negotiations. This mission
took place on 17 to 19 November 2003, and the results will be assessed by the Council.

The commitments to close the Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant in Lithuania and to close the V1 Bohunice
Nuclear Power Plant in Slovakia have been included in Protocols to the Accession Treaty. The Commission
will propose a similar inclusion of the closure commitments for the Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant in the
Accession Treaty for Bulgaria at the appropriate time.

The Commission expects that the countries fully adhere to their closure commitments as part of future
Union primary law, and will continue to carefully monitor this adherence.

C 88 E/142

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

8.4.2004

In order to support the decommissioning efforts and to address the consequences of the closure and
decommissioning the Community has provided, through financing decisions up to 2003:

(cid:1) Slovakia: EUR 90 million;

(cid:1) Lithuania: EUR 210 million;

(cid:1) Bulgaria: EUR 158,75 million.

Regarding the post-accession period, Lithuania will receive,
from 2004 to 2006, additional financial
assistance for decommissioning, to an amount of EUR 285 million. The Union, furthermore, took a
commitment to continue to provide adequate additional Community assistance to Lithuania’s decom-
missioning effort also after 2006.

Regarding Slovakia, financial assistance for 2004 to 2006 amounts to EUR 90 million. The Union
acknowledges that the decommissioning process will have to continue beyond 2006 and that this effort
represents for Slovakia a significant
financial burden. Decisions on the continuation of Community
assistance in this field after 2006 will take this situation into account.

Regarding Bulgaria, the EUR 158,75 million already programmed could be increased to EUR 200 million
subject to the authorisation of the Budgetary Authority. Moreover, at the occasion of the provisional
closure of the Energy Chapter, in which Bulgaria committed to the closure of units 3 and 4 in 2006, the
Union expressed its
to give consideration to further assistance. A Euratom loan of
EUR 212,5 million, for the modernisation of units 5 and 6, is part of the assistance package.

readiness

The bulk of the assistance provided is channelled through special decommissioning funds administered by
the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and to which other donors contribute.

The rules of the three International Decommissioning Support Funds contain explicit provisions as regards
the conditionality of these programmes to the respect of the closure commitments taken.

In the Union, the operators of nuclear plants set aside provisions for covering the future costs of
decommissioning and management of related radioactive wastes. These provisions are typically raised by
taking a percent from the price of the energy sold. Decommissioning costs are therefore included in the
generation costs of the electricity produced. The modifications to the plants that result from safety
requirements are in general treated as an investment, and as such are subject to the financial rules of each
country.

(2004/C 88 E/0150)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3382/03

by Cristiana Muscardini (UEN) to the Commission

Subject: Kidnapping of a Médecins Sans Frontières volunteer

(17 November 2003)

Arian Erkel, the head of the Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) mission in the Caucuses was kidnapped by
three armed men in Makhachkala, the capital of Dagestan, on 12 August 2003. MSF has had no news of
him since then, nor has it received any demands or any call for a ransom. Dr Erkel is the fourth MSF
volunteer to be kidnapped in the Northern Caucuses since 1996. 56 humanitarian workers have been
kidnapped in this region since 1995. Around 200 000 people (approximately 20 % of the population) have
died since the initial conflict began in 1994, while another 300 000 have been forced to flee either to
camps set up on Chechen territory or to those in Ingushetia. This umpteenth kidnapping of a
humanitarian worker testifies to the insecurity in which they have to operate and the risks run by all
those who want to provide aid to civilian populations but work in areas where violence is a fact of daily
life and no respect is shown for humanitarian actions. In view of this disastrous and distressing situation:

1. What can the Commission do to come to the aid of Dr Erkel.

2. What action will the Commission take to enable independent humanitarian organisations to work in
safety, to guarantee them access to civilian populations, both in Chechnya and in the neighbouring regions
flooded with refugees, and to ensure that negotiations are reopened?