WRITTEN QUESTION No. 3954/98 by Nuala AHERN Radiological and environmental impact of French nuclear tests on the Mururoa and Fangataufa atolls
12. 11. 1999 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 325/41 Answer given by Mr Pinheiro on behalf of the Commission (21 January 1999) The Commission is monitoring closely the food situation in Southern Somalia and works in close co-operation and co-ordination with the United Nations world food programme (WFP). Based on reports of the food security assessment unit, co-funded by the Community, it shares WFP concern about the deterioration of the food situation due to poor harvests, increased insecurity in Southern Somalia and the effects of El Niño floods. The Somalia aid co-ordination body in which the Commission is actively participating has also confirmed the imminent crisis and has launched an emergency appeal. It will co-ordinate the response of the international community. The Commission has already pledged 10 million euro in food aid. 10 899 metric tons of food, including 9 130 tons of cereals, 1 000 tons of beans, and 559 tons of vegetable oil, will be distributed through WFP to the most vulnerable people in the worst affected areas in Southern Somalia. (1999/C 325/049) WRITTEN QUESTION E-3953/98 by Nuala Ahern (V) to the Commission (4 January 1999) Subject: Euratom’s budget for 1999 Why has the Commission proposed to reduce by 15 % the resources to be made available to Euratom for the application of ‘specific safeguards for large-scale plutonium processing plants’ (Item B4-2021) in the 1999 budget? Answer given by Mr Papoutsis on behalf of the Commission (8 March 1999) The reduction under budget line B4-2021 amounts to only 1,5 % in terms of commitment appropriations. It is mainly due to the fact that two major investment projects will be finalised early in 1999, namely the on-site safeguards laboratories at the reprocessing plants at La Hague and Sellafield. Since the large scale plutonium processing plants are already in production or undergoing the commissioning phase, the focus of spending will change in the coming years from investments in safeguards equipment to maintenance activities and the recruitment and training of qualified inspectors for the highly complex inspection activities to be performed in these plants. (1999/C 325/050) WRITTEN QUESTION E-3954/98 by Nuala Ahern (V) to the Commission (4 January 1999) Subject: Radiological and environmental impact of French nuclear tests on the Mururoa and Fangataufa atolls What were the main findings of the study undertaken by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on behalf of the Commission and the French authorities into the radiological and environmental impact of French nuclear tests on the Mururoa and Fangataufa atolls? To whom has the report been circulated, and what further studies into the problem does the Commission plan to support? Answer given by Mrs Bjerregaard on behalf of the Commission (26 January 1999) The Mururoa study was conducted by an international advisory committee (IAC) established by the International atomic energy agency (IAEA) at the request of the French government. The Commission was