Today members of the European Parliament's Industry Committee (ITRE) voted by an absolute majority to support nuclear decommissioning in Lithuania with €780 million, higher than the Commission's proposal of only €552 million. During Lithuania's accession to the EU it was agreed that the Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant, which includes two Chernobyl-type reactors, was to be dismantled over safety concerns.
The ITRE committee position voted on today would see the EU support 86% of the costs of decommissioning the Ignalina Plant to Lithuania's 14%. This is up from the Commission's proposal of 80% to 20%. The Greens/EFA group expect the European Parliament Plenary to confirm the ITRE position.
Rebecca Harms , Greens/EFA Rapporteur on the Ignalina decommissioning programme, comments:
"Today's vote sends an important sign of solidarity to the people of Lithuania from the European Parliament. The vote also shows the trust in the reliability of the management of the decommissioning processes at Ignalina NPP. The increased funds are necessary to allow for the safe and efficient decommissioning of the two reactors and prevent costly and dangerous disruptions of the process.
"Nuclear decommissioning is a long, difficult and expensive process connected with many risks. Other nuclear countries can learn from the Lithuanian experience. A well-managed process will contribute to the security of Lithuania and Europe."
