Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2011-05-10-Speech-2-590-000"
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"en.20110510.65.2-590-000"2
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"−
Mr President, I would like to say how happy I am that this sitting of the European Parliament is commemorating the victims and all those injured by the Chernobyl disaster, which was the greatest nuclear disaster in history. Particularly in the light of recent events in Japan, this anniversary has become a tragic reason for assessments and considerations regarding nuclear safety. The Chernobyl tragedy also revealed the powerlessness and thoughtlessness of the then Communist authorities in Ukraine, which tried to conceal from the world the disaster and its scale.
Let us remind ourselves of just a few facts, which give some indication of the scale, extent and dimensions of the tragedy. The explosion of the reactor at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant resulted in the contamination of around 100 000 km
of land, of which 70% was in Belarus. Radioactive substances also reached Scandinavia and Central Europe, including Poland, as well as Greece and Italy in Southern Europe. Around 115 000 people were evacuated from the areas in the vicinity of the reactor, and around 220 000 people were relocated from Belarus, the Russian Federation and Ukraine after 1986.
It is very hard to assess the ravages wreaked by the disaster, both in terms of health and the environment. Specialists are still unable to determine the number of deaths caused by the disaster. According to the World Health Organisation, the number of those killed by cancers caused by contamination following the explosion in the nuclear power plant may be as many as 9000. Other sources estimate that around 200 000 people have already died from radiation-related diseases, and that a further 100 000 people may die from cancers caused by the Chernobyl disaster in future. According to the latest research, the residents of at least two Ukrainian districts are still eating contaminated food.
Let us not forget that the European Union, which set up the Chernobyl Shelter Fund, has contributed most in financial terms in the fight to mitigate the effects of the Chernobyl disaster. On the 25th anniversary of the disaster, the European Commission announced that EUR 110 million would be allocated to stabilising the situation and protecting the environment around the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.
In this context, we cannot forget that the question of how to approach nuclear safety is relevant across all borders around the world, and should therefore be considered in a spirit of solidarity and cross-border responsibility. Therefore I would both ask and call upon the European Commission to conduct long-term and comprehensive research into the health-related consequences of the Chernobyl disaster. Is the Commission prepared to undertake and support long-term research, over a human lifespan, into the effects of the Chernobyl disaster for the health of Europeans in all areas which suffered from nuclear fallout? Does the European Commission have any data regarding environmental contamination in the areas most affected by the explosion? On the anniversary of the disaster, is the Commission going to encourage governments to commit publicly to providing new funding for the fight to mitigate the effects of this nuclear disaster?
In view of the number of nuclear power stations on the territory of the European Union and the current level of coordination within the European Union, what possible scenarios is the Commission aware of regarding the effects of a serious nuclear accident in a power station for the populations resident in the individual Member States? Does the European Commission have any plans to coordinate the national positions in the event of a nuclear disaster? Nuclear disasters always come as a surprise, and always have international and global consequences. It is therefore better to have prepared a set of necessary responses in advance, which will make it possible to minimise the risk and avoid further disasters."@en1
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