Commission confirms that there is no delay in Eastern nuclear safety projects
Ensuring the safety of nuclear reactors in Russia, the Ukraine and parts of Eastern Europe continues to be one the top priorities of the European Commission's assistance programmes, PHARE and TACIS. These programmes have been allocated a budget of ECU 275 million for a variety of projects including the provision of nuclear experts for permanent on-site missions at six Russian and two Ukrainian plants. Since the beginning of this and other international assistance programmes, the question of liability in the event of accidents has been an important issue. The Paris and Vienna Conventions deal with the question by making the country where the plants are located responsible for any accidents. However neither Russia nor the Ukraine are signatories to this convention and the main international aid donors such as the EU and the US have negotiated separate arrangements to cover liability. This means that for all EU projects currently underway, Russia would accept all liability for all TACIS projects and there consequently has been no delay with these projects. Negotiation are currently underway to establish coverage for the next stage of the TACIS programme in this area which will include the supply and installation of hardware. It is hoped that the arrangements will reflect the current international norms in this area, where the host country accepts liability for work carried out in their respective country. This will be the permanent arrangement when Russia and the Ukraine join the Paris and Vienna conventions.
Countries
Russia, Ukraine