WRITTEN QUESTION E-4038/03 by Herbert Bösch (PSE) to the Commission. Processing of radioactive waste in Ukraine.
Date: 2004-01-12
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU financing, Ukraine, action programme, radioactive waste, waste management

C 88 E/666

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

8.4.2004

(2004/C 88 E/0684)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-4019/03

by Margrietus van den Berg (PSE) to the Commission

(9 January 2004)

Subject: Burma Forum

On 15 December 2003 a meeting arranged by the government of Thailand on the road map for Burma
took place in Bangkok. The EU (and critics such as the Netherlands, United Kingdom and Scandinavian
countries) were not invited to attend. Only a few EU Member States were invited because in practice they
have always obstructed more stringent measures against the Burmese regime (Germany, France, Italy and
Austria).

Significantly, those EU countries that attended the meeting followed the line taken in the EU’s common
position on Burma. The EU should also ask to be involved in the follow-up. It is very important to make it
clear to all Asian countries that there can be no solution to the problems in Burma without the active
involvement of both the democratic opposition (NLD) and the ethnic minorities. The EU must not allow
itself to be divided as a result of some countries being played off against others.

1. What measures is the Commission taking to promote such an approach?

Can the Commission give details of the outcome of the recent review of the EU’s common position

2.
on Burma in the light of the impact of the current sanctions?

3. Will the Commission encourage the EU delegations in China and India in particular to facilitate
discussions between those two governments and relevant Burmese democratic and opposition forces in
some way, possibly maintaining a low profile? As the Chinese and Indian governments now have contacts
with the junta, will the EU take greater advantage of its links with them and specifically ask them to use
those contacts or bring pressure to bear on the Burmese regime?

Answer given by Mr Patten on behalf of the Commission

(11 February 2004)

The Commission, and all Member States, continue to call on the Government of Burma/Myanmar to enter
in to substantive dialogue with Aung San Suu Kyi, the National League for Democracy and ethnic minority
groups. This was also the line followed by those Member States who participated in the Bangkok meeting
on 15 December 2003.

The Common Position is up for renewal before 29 April 2004. As discussions are on-going in relevant
Council working groups, the Honourable Member will understand that the Commission is currently not in
a position to comment, or anticipate the outcome of these discussions.

The European Union has on several occasions raised its concerns regarding the situation in Burma/
Myanmar with neighbouring Asian countries, including India and China, encouraging them to use their
influence to encourage the Burmese regime to undertake some firm steps towards national reconciliation
and a return to democracy.

(2004/C 88 E/0685)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-4038/03

by Herbert Bösch (PSE) to the Commission

(12 January 2004)

Subject: Processing of radioactive waste in Ukraine

On 10 November 2003, the Commissioner for External Relations, Chris Patten, attended a conference in
Kiev on the ‘Wider Europe (cid:1) New Neighbourhood’ initiative. He also visited the Chernobyl nuclear power
plant and laid the foundation stone of an industrial centre for radioactive waste treatment.

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Official Journal of the European Union

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1.

Can the Commission state the overall cost of the project?

Can the Commission provide details of the project’s funding and the amounts contributed by

2.
individual financial backers?

Through which projects and how substantially is the European Union committed to financing the

3.
processing of nuclear waste in third countries?

Answer given by Mr Patten on behalf of the Commission

(24 February 2004)

The Member of the Commission responsible for External Relations laid the foundation stone of the
1.
Industrial Complex for Solid Radioactive Waste Management (ICSRM). The ICSRM is a part of the complex
which is being built in Chernobyl to address the important issue of radioactive waste. The overall budget
for the ICSRM is EUR 44 million. Other installations, funded by the Nuclear Safety Account, managed by
EBRD, are the Liquid Radwaste Treatment Plant (LRTP (cid:1) EUR 25,7 million) and the plant to handle and
store the spent fuel (ISF (cid:1) EUR 95,3 million).

2.
The budget of the ICSRM is provided by the EU TACIS Nuclear Safety Programme (EUR 41,3 million)
and Ukrainian Government (EUR 2,7 million). Additionally an on-site coordination unit is being financed
to pursue project management, with an amount of EUR 4,25 million until July 2004 and a likely extension
(EUR 3,5 million) up to the completion of the ICSRM.

3.
The Commission follows the strategy laid out in the TACIS Regulation 99/2000, which states, as one
of the priorities, the improvement of nuclear safety by ‘supporting the development and implementation of
spent fuel, and decommissioning and nuclear waste management strategies, including in North West Russia
in the context of wider international co-operation’.

Besides the projects mentioned under point 1 for Chernobyl, the TACIS Program is funding projects to
tackle the issue of nuclear waste in North West Russia.

For instance, the Commission is:

(cid:1) taking part in the Northern Dimension Environmental Fund (NDEP), managed by the European Bank
for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), to which the TACIS programme contributes with
EUR 40 million and,

(cid:1) funding projects like the ‘Lepse’ Project to take care of spent nuclear fuel from ice-breakers, which is
stored aboard this ship. Some preliminary works (about EUR 2 million) were carried out in 1998-
1999. Further support is foreseen for the completion of the works regarding defuelling.

In Kazakhstan, the TACIS Program is to carry out a project in two steps to remedy the nuclear waste
problems of the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site, resulting from more than 460 nuclear weapons tests that
took place during the period 1949-1989. For this project, EUR 1 million is allocated in the Annual
Programme 2003. Furthermore, up to EUR 4 million are foreseen in the 2004-2006 Multiannual Indicative
Programme.

(2004/C 88 E/0686)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-4051/03

by Hiltrud Breyer (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(12 January 2004)

Subject: Export of nuclear facilities to the People’s Republic of China

The plutonium contained in fuel rods used in civilian nuclear reactors in China cannot be used for MOX
production because no reprocessing plant is available. Military stocks of plutonium are not sufficient to
run the MOX factory economically. It is also doubtful whether existing nuclear reactors can operate with
MOX fuel rods. Leading experts consider it possible that the plant can be converted to process weapons-
grade plutonium.