WRITTEN QUESTION No. 2689/98 by Doeke EISMA to the Commission. Limitation of citizens' rights in involvement in the decision-making process surrounding the completion of the Khmelnitsky 2 and Rovno 4 nuclear plants in Ukraine
21. 5. 1999 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 142/33 The discussion will be continued in 1999, notably in the light of a contribution from the Commission and the imminent entry into force of the Amsterdam Treaty. The European Union was not represented as such at the flagship event of the European Drugs Prevention Week held in Vienna on 5 and 6 November 1998. (1999/C 142/039) WRITTEN QUESTION E-2689/98 by Doeke Eisma (ELDR) to the Commission (1 September 1998) Subject: Limitation of citizens’ rights in involvement in the decision-making process surrounding the completion of the Khmelnitsky 2 and Rovno 4 nuclear plants in Ukraine Is the Commission aware that the Convention on the Environmental Impact Assessment in a Trans- boundary Context (Espoo Convention) requires the ‘Party of origin’ − in this case the project sponsors of K2/R4 − to provide the same opportunities for public participation in the environmental impact assessment process to the public of potentially affected States as it provides to its own citizens? Is the Commission aware that the Environmental Procedures of the potential co-funder of the two nuclear power plants K2/R4 with the Commission, the EBRD, require compliance within the Espoo Convention? Does the Commission agree that the project sponsors, including the Commission, have done little to facilitate meaningful participation of NGOs and the public at international level? If it agrees with the foregoing, is the Commission prepared to guarantee that the Euratom loan will be approved only if the Espoo Convention is implemented in full, namely: − requests from individuals, citizens’ groups and local and regional governments for notification of the public participation process are properly respected, − appeals to the project sponsors for public discussions in potentially affected states are met in full, − that the Commission appoints an independent auditor to review and monitor the public participation process, − that the Commission guarantees that no final decision will be taken on Union funding for K2/R4 until the Commission has received the opinion of Parliament on the appropriateness of EU funding for the project? Answer given by Mr van den Broek on behalf of the Commission (23 September 1998) The procedures of the European bank for reconstruction and development (EBRD) and of the Commission provide that projects with environmental impact must follow the provisions of the Convention on the environmental impact assessment in a transboundary context (ESPOO convention) when applicable. However, this is not the case for the K2R4 project, as it consists in the completion of plants under construction and, more importantly, as Ukraine is not a signatory to the ESPOO convention. However, the Commission as well as the EBRD have encouraged Ukraine to engage in a broad public participation and consultation process based on openness and transparency and to supply in a timely manner neighbouring countries with the results of the environmental impact assessments. Hence, this public participation process, responsibility for which lies with the project owner, started on 18 August 1998 and will last 120 days. The Commission will assess the result in due course in the framework of its Euratom loan approval procedure. Finally, the Commission reconfirms its readiness to continue to keep the Parliament fully informed about the status of the loan approval procedure