WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1697/98 by Kirsi PIHA to the Commission. Closure of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant
C 50/74 Official Journal of the European Communities EN 22. 2. 1999 Answer given by Sir Leon Brittan on behalf of the Commission (24 June 1998) The European Union attaches great importance to the human rights situation in Tibet and has consistently raised the issue in the bilateral dialogue on human rights between the EU and China. EU delegations composed of diplomatic representatives to Beijing have visited Tibet on several occasions in the course of this dialogue. In its contacts with China, the EU has regularly argued for a peaceful solution of the outstanding problems and as a step in this direction has called for the Chinese authorities to start talking to the representatives of the Tibetan people, including the Dalai Lama. (1999/C 50/109) WRITTEN QUESTION E-1697/98 by Kirsi Piha (PPE) to the Commission (29 May 1998) Subject: Closure of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant The closure of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant by the year 2000 is a crucial funding project in the interest of EU citizensí safety. Hitherto resources to overcome the problems caused by the Chernobyl reactors have been derived inter alia from TACIS appropriations granted to the Ukraine. How much of the TACIS appropriations for1997 was targeted at projects seeking to close Chernobyl down › rather than to improve its condition › and have any appropriations been used on measures aimed at keeping the reactors in use? Answer given by Mr van den Broek on behalf of the Commission (1 July 1998) The Commission has allocated Tacis funds for the following projects directly related to the closure of Chernobyl: › preparation of the decommissioning operations units 1-3 (ECU 1,5 million); › environmental impact assessment of the Chernobyl decommissioning plan (ECU 0,04 million); › assistance to the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in the implementation of the decommissioning of units 1-3 (ECU 5,5. million); › design and construction of facilities aimed at the retrieval, sorting and processing of low and intermediate level waste resulting from the decommissioning of units 1-3 (ECU 33 million); › design and construction of low and intermediate level waste repository (ECU 5,5 million); › defining and initiating a business development agency in Slavutich/Chernobyl (ECU 0,35 million). No Tacis funds aiming at continuing use of the reactors have been used. (1999/C 50/110) WRITTEN QUESTION E-1698/98 by Kirsi Piha (PPE) to the Commission (29 May 1998) Subject: Measures aimed at the closure of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant The purpose of the measures for the closure of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant is to close down the whole plant finally by the year 2000. Ukraineís political will in this matter is very ambiguous, and the funding for the project from several sources has not been implemented. The European Union has decided not to fund the project and the European Parliament has approved the decision