A3-0396/93

Resolution on nuclear safety in the countries of Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States

The European Parliament,

-having regard to the motion for a resolution tabled by Mrs Larive on nuclear safety in the countries of Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States (B3-1309/93),

-having regard to Petition No. 450/93 by Mr Bradley and others on nuclear power stations in Eastern Europe,

-having regard to its resolutions of 9 April 1992 on nuclear safety in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States, 17 September 1992 on the safety of nuclear installations in the Member States of the European Community, 29 October 1992 on bringing the Chernobyl reactor back into service, and 22 April 1993 on the accident at the Tomsk 7 nuclear plant,

-having regard to the Commission report of May 1992 on technical assistance for nuclear safety drawn up on the occasion of the G7 summit in Munich in 1992,

-having regard to the conclusions of the European Council meeting in Lisbon on 27 June 1992,

-having regard in this connection to the initial unofficial conclusions of the report on nuclear safety and electricity production in certain countries of Eastern Europe and the CIS drawn up jointly in June 1993 by the World Bank, the International Energy Agency and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), as well as the feedback from the Commission, the G24 and other bodies involved in those countries,

-having regard to the report of the International Atomic Energy Agency of May 1992 on the safety of VVER-440 nuclear power stations (IAEA STI-Pub 912) and its report of March 1993 entitled 'safety assessment of proposed improvements to RBMK Nuclear Power Plants' (IAEA TECDOC-694),

-having regard to the statement by the Minister for Atomic Energy of the Russian Federation at the public hearing held by the Committee on Energy, Research and Technology on 21 September 1993,

-having regard to Rule 45 of its Rules of Procedure,

-having regard to the report of the Committee on Energy, Research and Technology (A3-0396/93),

A.having regard to the ever-present threat caused by the serious safety shortcomings of civilian nuclear installations in Eastern Europe and the CIS,

B.whereas it is of vital importance that European aid for improving nuclear safety in Eastern Europe and the CIS should be subject to a coherent strategic vision entailing a long-term approach and taking into account for each country involved, an awareness of technological factors, safety 'culture' and practices, and the overall energy and political situations,

C.having regard to the close overlap between the civilian and military nuclear sectors, particularly in the Russian Federation,

D.having regard to the consensus of opinion in the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) as to the serious safety shortcomings inherent in the very design of the VVER 440-230 and RBMK power stations and the disturbing problems which are continuing to dog the VVER 440-213 and VVER 1000 power stations,

E.whereas a purely technical approach does not allow a proper understanding of the real safety situation of nuclear installations; whereas, instead, more complex factors relating to human behaviour must also be taken into account,

F.whereas safety practices at the stages of designing, building and operating nuclear installations, and the existence of an independent authority monitoring the power station operators, are factors which have a decisive influence on nuclear safety,

G.having regard to the need to refocus on the question of nuclear safety when considering the global energy choices facing the countries of Central and Eastern Europe and the CIS,

H.having regard to the differences between the countries of Central and Eastern Europe and the CIS as regards the degree to which they depend on nuclear production of electricity, the wealth of scientific knowledge they possess in the nuclear sector and their attitude to compliance with international safety standards,

I.having regard to the Russian authorities' decision to build new power stations (including the RBMK-type), which would have the effect of doubling nuclear power generation capacity by the year 2000, and to export their nuclear reactor technology,

J.whereas it is vital to ensure that any new nuclear power stations are built to the most up-to-date Western nuclear safety standards,

K.whereas the Community's financial contribution to improving nuclear safety in Eastern Europe and the CIS is the highest in the world,

L.whereas, however, this funding has mainly been allocated to short-term projects aimed at improving nuclear installations in the countries of Eastern Europe and the CIS; whereas such measures were only included at a later stage in the PHARE and TACIS programmes,

M.having regard to the overall criticisms of Community action in this sector, especially:

-cumbersome procedures and slowness in implementing measures involving nuclear safety under the PHARE and TACIS programmes,

-the lack of a specific framework of regulations governing the safety of nuclear installations,

-the division of responsibilities among several Directorates-General handling this issue,

N.having regard to the diversity of initiatives and measures undertaken by the Community in Central and Eastern Europe and the CIS in the sector of nuclear and non-nuclear energy, such as:

-the PHARE and TACIS programmes,

-the coordination of the G24 nuclear safety group,

-the proposal to extend EURATOM loans,

-the extension of projects aimed at promoting energy efficiency under the THERMIE programme,

-the financial contribution to the multilateral fund administered by the EBRD,

-participation in the negotiations for the European Energy Charter, and

-participation in the negotiations for an international convention on nuclear safety,

O.whereas, in addition to the plethora of initiatives, Community action lacks an overall coherent strategy,

P.welcoming the establishment of consortia such as TPEG, CASSIOPEE, EFCC, CONCERT and ENAC to assist in the field of nuclear safety in Eastern Europe and the CIS and expressing the hope that they will develop a close partnership with these countries,

1.Calls on the Council and Commission to ensure that, as a general rule, all European aid is subject to:

-the prior definition of a 'strategic safety plan' negotiated with each of the countries concerned, to include details of the country's overall energy planning and safety standards,

-the establishment of an independent safety authority in the country concerned,

-respect for the main international safety agreements, and accession to the international conventions of Vienna and Paris on the civil liability of operators;

2.Calls on the Commission to submit to Parliament as soon as possible:

-the main guidelines for its 'master plan' on nuclear safety in the East,

-a detailed analysis of the abovementioned joint report of the World Bank, IEA and EBRD on the various alternative scenarios for nuclear safety in the East in a global energy context;

-an environmentally sustainable energy strategy for the countries of Eastern Europe, giving priority to the extensive and rapid development of energy efficiency in the production, transport and energy consumption sectors;

3.Calls on the Commission to ensure that the following objectives are fully taken into account when negotiating the strategic safety action plan with the countries concerned:

(a)the commitment by the political authorities of the countries concerned to produce a plan for phasing out the most dangerous nuclear power stations (the VVER 440-230 and RBMK types),

(b)the introduction of a genuinely efficient legislative control framework in each of the countries concerned, in particular:

-the adoption of a law on nuclear power (conspicuously absent in Russia) containing safety standards that comply with those adopted at Community level,

-the setting up of an adequate insurance infrastructure to deal with the civil liability of operators,

-the setting up of independent safety authorities possessing real powers,

(c)the development of energy-saving measures,

(d)the gradual introduction of a real energy price, which is essential if investments and savings in the energy sector are eventually to bear fruit in Central and Eastern Europe and the CIS;

(e)the definition of a general energy programme for each of the countries concerned based, inter alia, on a comparative assessment of the overall economic costs of the various ways of meeting the demand for electricity and on the development of clean technologies (which should, if possible, incorporate standards similar to those in force at Community level);

4.Calls on the Commission, when negotiating the economic and trade cooperation agreements with the countries of Central and Eastern Europe and the CIS, to include clauses providing for the 'master plan' it has laid down to be monitored;

5.Calls on the Commission, as part of the 'master plan', to ensure that the projects funded under the PHARE and TACIS programmes are established on a long-term basis and focus in future on the following objectives:

-assigning priority to aid projects at sites which involve genuine partnership,

-encouraging parallel schemes by operators and safety authorities,

-stepping up twinning schemes between nuclear power plants and safety bodies in Eastern and Western Europe;

6.Calls on the Commission to set up as a matter of urgency - under the authority of a single Commissioner politically responsible for the whole subject - an integrated inter-departmental structure (task-force) capable of dealing with all issues relating to energy and nuclear safety policy in Eastern Europe and the CIS within a coherent, operational, coordinated framework; the task-force should have a single contact desk for any dealings with its external partners;

7.Calls on the Commission to submit a proposal for simplifying the current tendering and management procedures for European multilateral financing contracts for all nuclear safety projects in Eastern Europe;

8.Calls on the Commission to look into the possibility of setting up a regional EURATOM-type body in the CIS which would be responsible for all aspects of monitoring nuclear safety, and to encourage the countries of Europe to come together in a 'nuclear safety area';

9.Calls for the European Community as such to accede to the International Convention on Nuclear Security and for the Commission, in its capacity as coordinator of the G24, to continue its efforts to associate the countries of Central and Eastern Europe and the CIS with that Convention and to ensure that any new nuclear power plant is built to the most up-to-date safety standards;

10.Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission and the governments of the countries concerned in Central and Eastern Europe and the CIS.