WRITTEN QUESTION E-0335/04 by Astrid Thors (ELDR) to the Commission. Extension of operating licence for Sosnovy Bor nuclear power plant.
Date: 2004-02-10
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Russia, UN convention, nuclear law, nuclear power station, nuclear safety, radioactive waste, supervisory power, waste management

3.4.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 84 E/775

Has the Commission been able to detect major improvements in the People’s Republic of China since

2.
1989 with regard to freedom of association, freedom of speech and freedom of the press?

3.
Has the Commission been able to detect major improvements in the People’s Republic of China since
1989 as regards refraining from arresting political dissidents, ending the monopoly on power of a single
political party or abolishing the frequently used death penalty?

4.
Has the Commission been able to detect major improvements since 1989 in the handling of the
efforts of the inhabitants of the former British crown colony of Hong Kong, now part of China, towards a
fully fledged parliamentary democracy based on the rule of law?

5.
Has the Commission been able to detect major improvements since 1989 as regards setting aside
plans to conquer the island of Taiwan, which belonged to China only between 1945 and 1949, and whose
original population is now opting for lasting independence and neighbourly relations with China?

Is the Commission sure that tragic events involving the power of the State, comparable with the

6.
crackdown on the uprising in 1989, could now never happen again?

7.
Is the Commission prepared to contribute to ensuring that the arms embargo against the People’s
Republic of China is maintained at the same level for as long as there is no constitutional democracy in
that country, obstacles are placed in the path of democracy in Hong Kong and no non-aggression pact is
concluded between China and Taiwan?

Answer given by Mr Patten on behalf of the Commission

(26 March 2004)

Although acknowledging certain improvements in the situation of Human Rights in China over recent
years, the EU remains concerned with the present state of play in many respects and, in particular, in the
field of civil and political rights. Most issues mentioned by the Honourable Member have been addressed in
the framework of the EU-China dialogue on Human Rights and it is the intention of the EU to proceed
soon with an overall assessment of this dialogue. At the same time, the EU has been following (cid:1) and will
continue to follow (cid:1) closely the situation in Hong Kong and Taiwan. These issues, be they related to the
human rights situation in China or of a regional nature, will certainly have to be carefully considered in
the discussions on eventually lifting the embargo on arms sales to China.

(2004/C 84 E/0872)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0335/04

by Astrid Thors (ELDR) to the Commission

(10 February 2004)

Subject: Extension of operating licence for Sosnovy Bor nuclear power plant

In the autumn of 2003, the operating licence for the Sosnovy Bor nuclear power unit, the same type as
Chernobyl, expired and an application has been made to extend it.

In the light of the EU’s cooperation with Russia under TACIS, does the Commission consider that safety at
this nuclear plant meets international standards? Does the administration granting the licence meet the
standards that must be required of such an authority? Any there any guarantees that the nuclear waste is
managed and dealt with in accordance with international conventions?

C 84 E/776

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

3.4.2004

Answer given by Mr Patten on behalf of the Commission

(13 April 2004)

The Sosnovy Bor nuclear power plant has four RBMK-type reactors (1) of which two are first generation
(commissioned in 1973 and 1975) and are considered by experts as not complying with internationally-
recognised safety standards. The Commission has always recommended the decommissioning of these and
other Soviet first-generation reactors. The Commission and the Russian Federation form part of a joint
working group (JWG) which has been set up to look at how Russian first-generation reactors might be
decommissioned. The Group’s work programme was endorsed by the G8 Nuclear Safety and Security
Group at its last meeting in Geneva on 4 February this year.

The Russian Federation has been a contracting party to the International Atomic Energy Agency’s
Convention on Nuclear Safety since 1996 and the Russian government has undertaken to guarantee the
independence and authority of the nuclear regulation agency (Gosatomnadzor) under the Convention.

The Russian Federation is responsible for the development and implementation of
its own nuclear
regulation system. Since 1994 Gosatomnadzor has received assistance under the Tacis programme from a
European consortium of European national safety authorities which has been helping it build a strong,
independent and competent organisation tailored to Russia’s particular needs and respecting the
fundamental principles set out in the Nuclear Safety Convention. Assistance has focused on promoting a
licensing system, developing quality assurance systems and improving safety analysis criteria. Significant
progress has been made on legislation,
regulations, procedures and working methods. However,
Gosatomnadzor’s independence vis-à-vis the operator of power plants and the political authorities is of
course a matter for the national authorities.

Although Russia signed the IAEA’s Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety
of Radioactive Waste Management in January 1999, the Convention has not yet entered into force in
Russia. It is therefore impossible at this stage to guarantee that the management and handling of waste
comply with international practices.

(1) Graphite-moderated water reactors.

(2004/C 84 E/0873)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-0337/04

by Gabriele Stauner (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(4 February 2004)

Subject: Subsidies for Parmalat

According to press reports, the financial scandal surrounding the Italian food manufacturer Parmalat seems
to be taking on ever greater proportions.

Can the Commission say whether the bankrupt dairy manufacturer Parmalat has received funding from EU
sources?

If so, can the Commission say what amounts were paid out and over what period?