WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1641/97 by Undine-Uta BLOCH von BLOTTNITZ to the Commission. Safeguard inspections in the German nuclear power station at Unterweser
C 60/32 EN Official Journal of the European Communities 25. 2. 98 Answer given by Mrs Cresson on behalf of the Commission (17 June 1997) The Commission has not received any substantive evidence of the criticism to which the Honourable Member refers. The criteria and procedures used for evaluating proposals and selecting projects under the specific research and technological development (RDT) programmes are clearly set out in the information packages prepared by each RTD programme and made available to potential proposers. These criteria are applied by the independent experts who evaluate the proposals and provide advice to the Commission. In the context of the discussions on the forthcoming fifth framework programme for research and technological development, management issues, including selection procedures, are currently being examined with a view to learning from best practice and making the procedures even more transparent. Any changed management procedures which result from these discussions will be subject to the fundamental principles which have always governed the implementation of Community research programmes, namely equal access, equitable treatment, excellence as a priority, efficiency and transparency of procedures. A total of 195 Spanish participants (research institutions, universities and industries) are involved in the 360 research projects selected for funding so far, under the first four calls for proposals of the Agriculture and fisheries specific RTD programme, FAIR, (1994-1998). (98/C 60/58) WRITTEN QUESTION E-1641/97 by Undine-Uta Bloch von Blottnitz (V) to the Commission (14 May 1997) Subject: Safeguard inspections in the German nuclear power station at Unterweser Internal IAEA reports maintain that (a) the IAEAís Euratom authority does not allow any inspections in the German nuclear power station at Unterweser. They also note that there are (b) qualitative differences in respect of the technical inspection options between the IAEA and Euratom, the options offered by the Euratom authority being inferior to those of the IAEA. Are these reports correct? If so, on what grounds are access to and inspection of MOX fuel in the Unterweser nuclear power station being refused? If so, why is it that the Euratom authorityís inspection options are inferior and why is the best possible technology not being used? Answer given by Mr Papoutsis on behalf of the Commission (22 July 1997) The Commission wishes to inform the Honourable Member that access was not denied but that the accurancy of measurements is the issue. The Commission would refer the Honourable Member to its answer to her written question E-1642/97 (1). (1) See page 33