Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2010-05-19-Speech-3-459"
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"en.20100519.24.3-459"2
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"Mr President, honourable Members, on the third evening of this plenary session there is another energy-related subject on the agenda. This evening, it concerns extending the financial assistance provided by the EU for decommissioning the reactor units at the Kozloduy power plant in Bulgaria.
It would distort competition, because all the Member States with a nuclear energy programme are required to develop a solution of this kind. Although the final disposal of irradiated fuel elements is part of nuclear waste management, it is outside the scope of the decommissioning process and is not relevant to it. What is needed is a secure temporary storage solution for irradiated fuel elements, which will be covered by the current financial support. The development of a final storage solution, which we believe to be the next logical step, is nevertheless not a consequence of the closure and decommissioning of the four reactor units at Kozloduy.
However, I must emphasise that the Commission, as has already been mentioned, will tackle the subject of final storage and produce a proposal this year for the management of radioactive waste, which will also include the development of secure final storage solutions for irradiated fuel elements. I am relying on you to make constructive proposals and I am also looking forward to an exciting debate.
Finally, I would like to summarise the situation as follows. The Commission welcomes the fact that it has Parliament’s agreement to support Bulgaria over the next four years with the sum of EUR 300 million. We also welcome the fact that we can continue to focus on providing support for safe dismantling measures. In addition, we are pleased that Parliament believes that projects in the energy sector deserve our support. I see the agreement on further financing and its implementation as a sign of the European Union’s solidarity with Bulgaria and as an important contribution to nuclear safety in Europe and beyond. Thank you for your attention.
This is a sensitive and important subject. As a result, I very much welcome the constructive working atmosphere and I would like to thank you for that. The subject has been discussed with Mrs Harms, the rapporteur, the shadow rapporteurs and the relevant committees in a very businesslike manner.
I am also pleased that the report largely follows the Commission’s views and supports our proposal. Firstly, I would like to mention your support for providing initial financing of EUR 300 million from the European budget, in line with EU interests, and therefore for maintaining safety levels in the nuclear industry.
Secondly, I would like to add that the additional aid should be directed at decommissioning and that the amount required, which at present is EUR 180 million, is reasonable. My third point is that, as a result of insufficient financial reserves in the Republic of Bulgaria for historical reasons, the European funding is helping to ensure high levels of safety during the decommissioning work in order to protect people and the environment.
As far as the current amendments are concerned, I would like to emphasise that the majority of the proposed amendments will be accepted by the Commission. Unfortunately, I cannot go into all of them due to a lack of time. I would like to explain the Commission’s view on two subjects which are very important to us and which are addressed directly in the report, both in the amendments and in Mrs Harms’ explanatory statement.
I am referring firstly to the continuation of financial support for measures in the energy sector. In addition to the specific wishes of the Bulgarian Government, several other arguments can be used to justify the necessity of further financial support for measures in the energy sector. These include, on the one hand, equal treatment with Lithuania and Slovakia, where corresponding measures funded by the EU will be under way until 2013 and, on the other, other measures to create replacement capacity, including further investments in energy efficiency. There are huge potential energy savings to be made in Bulgaria’s existing coal-fired power stations.
Following the decommissioning of the nuclear reactors, the focus of generating capacity in Bulgaria has changed. As a result, the Bulgarian power grid is faced with extensive challenges, which can be overcome with additional aid, in order to stabilise and safeguard the electricity network.
The Commission therefore feels that it is appropriate to continue to guarantee support for measures in the energy sector, including measures relating to the network infrastructure.
I would now like to look at the subject of support for the development of a geological final disposal solution for irradiated fuel elements. The Commission supports the rapporteur’s view with regard to the need to develop a solution for the secure final disposal of irradiated fuel elements. However, the development of a solution of this kind cannot be included in the financial aid provided in the Kozloduy Programme for the following reasons:"@en1
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