WRITTEN QUESTION No. 610/98 by Esko SEPPÄNEN to the Commission. Chernobyl nuclear power station and funding of new nuclear power stations in Ukraine
C 323/54 EN Official Journal of the European Communities 21. 10. 98 Moreover, funicular railways are not listed amongst those projects for which an environmental impact assessment is obligatory under Directive 85/337/EEC on the assessment of the effects of certain public and private projects on the environment. The Commission has asked the Spanish authorities for their assurance that this project will not be detrimental to the environment. (1) OJ C 102, 3. 4. 1998, p. 51. (2) Debates of the European Parliament (March 1997). (3) OJ L 103, 25. 4. 1979. (98/C 323/72) WRITTEN QUESTION E-0610/98 by Esko Seppa¤nen (GUE/NGL) to the Commission (9 March 1998) Subject: Chernobyl nuclear power station and funding of new nuclear power stations in Ukraine Chernobyl nuclear power station represents a major hazard to the whole of Europe. It evidently remains in operation because the EU and the EBRD have not fulfilled all their obligations as regards funding alternative modes of energy production in Ukraine. What will the Commission do in this respect and will it fund new, unfinished nuclear power stations in Ukraine so that Chernobyl can be closed? Answer given by Mr Van den Broek on behalf of the Commission (30 March 1998) The Commission shares the view expressed about the risk associated with the continued operation of the Chernobyl reactors. The closure of the Chernobyl plant by the year 2000 is of prime importance. In this context the Commission fully supports the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the closure of Chernobyl by the year 2000 signed between the G7 and Ukraine in December 1995. The implementation of the MoU has already progressed well. US$ 1 billion (MECU 925) have been mobilized, mostly in the form of loans, for the supply of fuel, for plant rehabilitation and for energy efficiency measures. $ 500 million (MECU 465) are mobilized in the form of grants for the Chernobyl plant decommissioning and for the sarcophagus. A Commission proposal for a Council decision to make a contribution of up to MECU 100 to the new Chernobyl shelter fund (1) is at present under examination by the Parliament. On the occasion of the Community-Ukraine summit of 5 September 1997, President Kuchma confirmed again a clear link between the closure of Chernobyl and the completion of the two nuclear reactors at Rovno and Khmelnitsky. The Commission agrees in principle to finance up to 50% the Rovno 4 and Khmelnitsky 2 project under the Euratom loan facility provided that the following conditions are met: › the safety level of the completed reactors correspond to international standards; › the necessary complementary financing sources, such as from the European bank for reconstruction and development (EBRD), should become available; › Ukraine meets the technical, financial and other conditions which will be laid down in the loan agreement to be negotiated. (1) OJ C 364, 2. 12. 1997