Groenen/EVA vragen afschaffing Euratom

• 2003-01-22

European Convention:
Greens/EFA call for the abolition of EURATOM

The Green/European Free Alliance group in the European Parliament today called for the abolition of the Euratom Treaty. In a symbolic burial in front of the meeting room of the European Convention, the Greens/EFA group in the European Parliament reminded Members of the Convention that the Convention should not end without having agreed on a deep reform of EURATOM. Precise demands were made at a press conference, in which the Greens/EFA presented a new report on "The Future of the Euratom Treaty in the framework of the European Convention", which contains specific proposals for reform.

At a press conference in the European Parliament, Claude Turmes (Luxembourg), energy co-ordinator of the group, said:
"The Euratom Treaty is a relic of the 1950s unbroken faith into technological progress and the times of the cold war. The special economic zone which was created by the Euratom Treaty in 1957 in order to promote the use and the growth of nuclear energy, today has become completely anachronistic and obsolete. The Euratom Treaty is the only stand alone Treaty since the European Coal and Steel Community has expired in July 2002. It still guarantees special privileges for the nuclear industry. This is unacceptable in the age where Europe is building an internal energy market, because this leads to distortions in the competition and gives unjustified privileges to this outdated energy form at the detriment of others, namely renewable energy forms."

Scottish MEP Neil Mc Cormick , Substitute Member of the European Convention, said:
"In order to create a level playing field in the internal market for energy and to improve the democratic control of energy policies in the EU, we call for the abolition of the Euratom Treaty. We have to get rid of all the specific economic advantages given to nuclear power under Euratom. All the aspects related to safety, health and environment protection from radioactive sources must fall under the environmental protection provisions of the EC Treaty. The necessary provisions for nuclear safeguards and non-proliferation could be integrated in a future EU Treaty or specified in an additional act to the Constitution.

Irish Green MEP Nuala Ahern called on the Irish government to use the Convention on the Future of Europe as a means of getting rid of the Euratom Treaty:
"It is time the non-nuclear governments, who are in the majority in the EU, stopped supporting nuclear research. More money goes into nuclear research than into renewable energy research, and the non-nuclear states are footing the bill for this. It is time Euratom was called to a halt."