WRITTEN QUESTION P-1659/99 by Hubert Pirker (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Krsko nuclear power station.
C 170 E/66 Official Journal of the European Communities EN 20. 6. 2000 (2000/C 170 E/074) WRITTEN QUESTION P-1659/99 by Hubert Pirker (PPE-DE) to the Commission (14 September 1999) Subject: Krsko nuclear power station In his hearing before the European Parliament, Commissioner-designate Günter Verheugen stressed that the accession to the EU of individual applicant countries would be dependent on the decommissioning of unsafe nuclear power stations and the submission of plans for withdrawing from the production of electricity generated by nuclear power in stations posing risks. Mr Verheugen emphasised that, on the matter of the safety of nuclear power stations, there was not the slightest room for compromise. However, the nuclear power station in Krsko, Slovenia was not included among those listed by the Commissioner- designate, although it is situated in an earthquake fault zone and therefore poses a huge threat. What action does the Commission intend to take to ensure that this unsafe nuclear power station in Slovenia, a country applying for accession, is decommissioned, removing the threat which it poses in particular to the adjoining Austrian Länder of Carinthia and Styria? Will the Commission attach the same conditions to the decommissioning of Krsko as those set out by Commissioner-designate Verheugen regarding the unsafe power stations to which he referred? Answer given by Mr Verheugen on behalf of the Commission (8 October 1999) The Commission has already stated that the Soviet designed nuclear power plants (NPP) considered non- upgradable operating in candidate countries, should be closed at the earliest practical date, in accordance with agreed timetables. This is the case of the Ignalina NPP in Lithuania, units 1-4 of the Kozloduy NPP in Bulgaria and Bohunice V1 in Slovakia. Towards this objective, the Commission is negotiating with these three countries through joint working groups. The case of Krsko in Slovenia is different. It is a plant of Western design, similar to other plants of this type operating in the Community and other Western countries. Slovenia continues the safety improvement programmes of the plant. Agenda 2000 states that Where Western-designed plants are in operation (Romania and Slovenia), developments should be monitored to ensure that operations comply with the appropriate safety standards. Technical assistance can be provided if necessaryí. The accession partnership with Slovenia identifies two medium-term priorities in this field namely the strengthening of the nuclear safety authority and the adjustment of the Slovenian nuclear policy and investment plans in line with the results of in the surroundings of the Krsko nuclear power plant. the seismic risk assessment to be carried out In this context, over one M€ has been allocated in the framework of the PHARE programme to support the safety authority, notably through transfer of methodologies and procedure from Community nuclear safety regulators. Also in the framework of the PHARE programme, and with the aim of re-evaluating the seismicity of the area and its potential impact on the plant design, € 500 000 is being provided to the Krsko nuclear power plant. The first results of the study are expected by the end of the present year. (2000/C 170 E/075) WRITTEN QUESTION P-1660/99 by Massimo Carraro (PSE) to the Commission (14 September 1999) Subject: Council Directive 92/0081/EEC of 19 October 1992 on the harmonisation of the structures of excise duties on mineral oils Law No 448 of 1998 adopted by the Italian Parliament provides for a reduction in the cost of fuel oil and liquefied petroleum gases used in administrative districts in certain parts of the country where, because of