European nuclear strategy
28.3.2011
Question for written answer E-003309/2011
to the Commission
Rule 117
Giovanni Collino (PPE)
The grave situation in Japan, with the earthquake crisis followed by the explosions at the Fukushima nuclear plant, now obliges Europe's legislators to re-examine the issues of energy supply and nuclear safety.
In addition, the crisis in North Africa, which has reached near-civil war proportions in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya, has made the question of Europe's energy self-sufficiency even more urgent, in the wake of the political upheavals in a region that produces more than a quarter of the world's crude oil supplies.
While the Member States are debating, both nationally and in the Council, what attitude should be taken regarding the Japanese and Libyan crises, the EU, France and the entire world are closely following developments regarding the ITER project for producing nuclear energy by fusion exploiting the properties of deuterium and tritium.
In view of the above:
- 1.Does the Commission believe it is necessary to pursue an ever more integrated European energy policy, in terms not only of coordination but also of evaluating the desirability or otherwise of establishing nuclear power stations in different locations in the Union on the basis of a pre-established agenda?
- 2.Is the Commission working on a study evaluating the impact of the Europe-wide planning of nuclear energy policy, as an alternative to national policies which do not appear to be the best solution in terms of the ever-growing need to define the agenda in global terms?
- 3.What role does the Commission believe ITER could play in a possible European strategy for energy supply, including nuclear power, given that the energy produced via this project exploits elements of which abundant resources exist and which are non-polluting and are produced at plants that do not pose the same risks as fission plants?
OJ C 309 E, 21/10/2011