B3-1689/93

Resolution on nuclear safety

The European Parliament,

-having regard to its previous resolutions, especially those of:

.11 July 1991 on the revision of the Euratom Treaty,

.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 Member States of the European Community,

.29 October 1992 on bringing the Chernobyl reactor back into service,

.19 November 1992 on the international transport of plutonium,

.16 July 1993 on the environmental and public health aspects of the storage, transport and reprocessing of spent nuclear fuels,

.15 December 1993 on nuclear safety in the countries of Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States,

A.whereas nuclear installations and, in particular, nuclear power plants and fuel cycle facilities may accidentally release radioactivity leading to serious health risks and contamination of the environment without regard for borders and artificial constraints,

B.whereas in both Eastern and Western countries a considerable proportion of electricity is produced by nuclear power stations,

C.whereas the European Community must work to reduce still further the risk posed by nuclear installations and limit the future impact of the waste they produce through energy and environmental policies and international cooperation,

D.whereas nuclear installations in Eastern Europe and the CIS present serious safety shortcomings and whereas it is of vital importance that European aid for improving these installations should be subject to a coherent strategy taking into account an awareness of technological factors, safety 'culture' and practices and the overall energy and political situations,

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

F.whereas the European Community has taken various initiatives and measures in Central and Eastern Europe and the CIS in the sector of nuclear and non-nuclear energy,

G.whereas radioactive materials are moved around daily in the European Community, Eastern Europe and the CIS,

1.Takes the view that nuclear safety requirements should be harmonized in the Community as well as in Eastern Europe and the CIS, taking into account the highest technical and safety standards;

2.Asks for a commitment by the political authorities in Eastern Europe and the CIS to produce a plan as soon as possible for phasing out immediately the most dangerous power stations (the VVER 440-230 and RBMKs) as soon as possible;

3.Stresses the need for the countries of Eastern Europe and the CIS to make use of a variety of energy sources taking into account environmental considerations;

4.Calls for coordination between the different aid programmes and the setting up of a task force in the Commission to deal with all issues relating to energy and nuclear safety in Eastern Europe and the CIS;

5.Calls on all countries to become signatories to the Vienna and Paris Conventions on the civil liability of operators, and to establish adequate legal structures to this effect;

6.Calls on the Commission and Council to ensure that Community funding and aid are not used for the construction or renovation of nuclear units in the countries of Eastern Europe and the CIS designed to underpin plans to export to the countries of the European Union and EFTA electricity generated at low cost but with scant regard for safety rules and ethics;

7.Calls on the Commission and the Council to take all the precautions necessary to ensure that the Community and all states involved in shipments of radioactive materials are protected from accidents and that means used for transporting radioactive materials are in line with the safety standards laid down by the IAEA;

8.Calls on the Commission to find a solution to the storage of radioactive waste and to analyse the feasibility of long-term storage in each Member State, including an appraisal of the medium and long-term radiological impacts on man and the environment;

9.Calls on the Commission to provide it with regular assessments of the aid programmes to Eastern Europe and the CIS, and of the level of nuclear safety in nuclear installations in the Community;

10.Insists that initiatives to improve the safety and safety procedures of nuclear installations in Central and Eastern Europe and the CIS be strengthened, making use inter alia of exchanges of experts and technology;

11.Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission, Council and the governments of the Member States.