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Commission pledges €110 million to complete safety work on Chernobyl site

18 Apr 2011 11:53 PM

On Tuesday 19th April, 25 years after the tragic Chernobyl accident, EU Commissioner Andris Piebalgs will announce the European Commission's pledge of around €110 million at a high-level conference in Kiev to ensure that the Chernobyl site is made stable and environmentally safe.

The Commission has so far committed a lion's share - some €470 million - to Chernobyl-related projects, mainly for nuclear safety, but also on programmes to help the local population and provide affected families with access to quality healthcare.

Yet a further €740 million are needed from the international community in order to complete the major projects on the site by 2015.

Commission President José Manuel Barroso, who will participate in the Kiev Nuclear Safety Summit said: "Nuclear safety is a global issue that requires a global response. Our pledge, which reflects the European Commission's leading role on nuclear safety, will be key in making the Chernobyl site safe again. We hope that our key partners will also step up their contributions in order to complete the works of the shelter by 2015. At the Nuclear Safety Summit I will also press for progress towards the highest possible global standards for nuclear plants."

Development Commissioner Andris Piebalgs, who will represent the Commission at the Pledging Conference, said: "The recent accident at Fukushima in Japan shows that nuclear safety remains a critical issue. The EU will continue to work steadfastly in its citizens' best interests, making nuclear sites safe and preventing accidents. Today's pledge is a big step forward in helping to meet the funding shortfall, and sends a clear signal that the Commission is committed to doing all it can to ensure that Chernobyl is made safe, both for the local people and the environment."

Commission's participation at events in Kiev
On 19 April President Barroso and Commissioner Piebalgs will attend the Chernobyl pledging conference to help raise the funds still needed to make the Chernobyl site entirely safe by 2015.

On 19 April in the afternoon President Barroso will open the Kiev Nuclear Safety Summit which will strengthen global cooperation and capacities to prevent and mitigate nuclear accidents.

On 20 April, Commissioner Piebalgs will attend a high profile conference “Twenty-Five Years after the Chernobyl Disaster. Safety for the Future”. The event takes place in Kiev from 20-22 April - UN Secretary General, Ban Ki Moon, and Yukiya Amano, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, are expected to attend, amongst others – and is organised by the Government of Ukraine.

What will the new pledge be used for?
The new pledge will be used mainly to complete the New Safe Confinement – a giant arch structure which will cover the damaged Chernobyl unit 4, to isolate it and to allow its deconstruction in the future.

The scale of the structure is unprecedented and, once built, the arch will be long enough to cover almost two football pitches and high enough to house the Statue of Liberty.

The pledge will also help to complete the construction of the Spent Fuel Storage Facility, which, once built, will store the spent fuel from the units which remained in operation after the accident, which is required for the decommissioning of the plant.

EU support to make the Chernobyl site safer
In the wake of the Chernobyl accident, the European Commission has been working to improve nuclear safety and to deal with legacy of the disaster. Key achievements in the Commission's work so far (largely through the Chernobyl Shelter Fund and the Nuclear Safety Account international funds) have been the stabilisation of the existing shelter, the implementation of infrastructure which meets international health regulations and provides the best possible protection for on-site workers and the construction of facilities in view of future decommissioning.

In addition to contributions to the international funds managed by the EBRD (the Chernobyl Shelter Fund and the Nuclear Safety Account) the Commission has funded projects to study, assess and mitigate the consequences of the accident. It has also provided its own contribution to the radioactive waste management projects needed for the restoration of the site.

Crucially, the actions already implemented have created the conditions that have made the start of the construction of the New Safe Confinement possible.

In addition to securing the environment, the Commission has carried out social projects in areas such as healthcare, education and horticulture to help those suffering the effects of the accident to rebuild their lives.

The Children of Chernobyl projects have been set up to help mothers and children who were contaminated by the catastrophe by providing access to quality healthcare for all newborns in the area, as well as giving parents access to a "better parenting" course.

The project has also provided equipment to hospitals (infant resuscitation set, ventilation set, infant incubator, phototherapy lamp), set up classes in nutrition for vulnerable families in the region and installed open-air playgrounds for young children.

The Commission has also supported a rehabilitation programme to develop economic opportunities in the agricultural sector and set up private businesses, helping to create new jobs and provide taxes for the area.

For example, 70 families in the region were given on-the-ground training on how to grow fruit and berries and all the equipment needed. Since then, the participants have already achieved some success – selling their first strawberries and apples - helping to revitalise the region and encourage others to set up their own businesses.

More information:
MEMO/11/252

For information on the Commission's work on Chernobyl and Nuclear Safety
http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/what/energy/chernobyl_en.htm

http://eeas.europa.eu/nuclear_safety/index_en.htm

A press pack detailing what the Commission is doing in Chernobyl is available at:
http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/what/energy/documents/press-pack-chernobyl_en.pdf

Website Chernobyl25 featuring the actions of international community in Chernobyl:
http://chernobyltwentyfive.org/

Website of EuropeAid Development and Cooperation DG:
http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/what/energy/chernobyl_en.htm

Website of the European Commissioner for Development, Andris Piebalgs:
http://ec.europa.eu/commission_2010-2014/piebalgs/index_en.htm