Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-02-12-Speech-3-224"
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"en.20030212.7.3-224"2
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". – Let me start by saying that serious scientific studies have shown that there is no reason for anxiety in relation to the issue of the harmful effects of depleted uranium ammunitions on health. From the Commission perspective, I want, in particular, to refer to the opinion of the Euratom Treaty Article 31 Expert Group which was convened in early 2001, with the participation not only of Member States experts but also representatives of UNEP, the IAEA, the WHO and Nato.
In 2001, under the new APL regulation providing for a dedicated legal basis for coordination at European Union level, the Community budget contributed up to EUR 30 million for demining actions. Using various Community instruments such as geographical, ECHO, APL and RRM budget lines in an integrated way, the European Commission has mainly supported surveys, clearance, assistance to victims, as well as the economic and social rehabilitation of the demined regions and the resettled populations.
At European Union level the European Community efforts and the Member States' activities combined total EUR 143 million. The European Union is, therefore, with the US, the top contributor in the fight against APLs, including stockpile destruction and creation of local capacity-building.
In order to ensure sustainability over the years, the Commission approved in December 2002 the European Commission mine action strategy and multiannual indicative programming for the period 2002-2004. This document was prepared on the basis of strong coordination with the Member States, the United Nations, the US, and the wider mine action community. The Commission will, in the coming weeks, make the necessary arrangements to present this strategy to the European Parliament Committee on Foreign Affairs, Human Rights, Common Security and Defence Policy.
Finally, coming to the issue of cluster bombs and other forms of unexploded ordnance, the Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW) is the current international framework that provides the basis for the prohibition and elimination of weapons which operate in an indiscriminate fashion or cause excessive injury and suffering.
Most EU Member States are parties to the CCW and are working on the revision of the Convention to further prohibit certain designs of weapon, such as explosive remnants of war, anti-handling devices, and to establish common principles on fuse insensitivity, self-destruction or self-neutralising weapon modes. These principles, if agreed, would be applied to anti-vehicle mines and submunitions – or munitions delivered by a remote carrier such as an aircraft, missile, minefield launcher and so on.
The revision of the CCW is still at the level of working groups: one on anti-vehicles mines, the other on submunitions. The Commission closely follows the debates of both groups. This revision would lead to a new protocol to the CCW to address the problems caused by explosive remnants of war, thus covering cluster bombs and submunitions, so that these weapons are detectable and equipped with effective self-destruction mechanisms.
The work being carried out in view of the new protocol is strongly sponsored by the EU through a common position and a number of joint démarches requesting that concrete steps be undertaken to address this issue under the CCW framework. Currently, the opportunity to prepare a further common position on the suggestions tabled is being explored.
Let me conclude by mentioning that, in addition to its participation in the international framework of the CCW, the Commission, on a concrete and operational level through its activities related to APLs, is already providing an indirect but tangible contribution to the reduction of the threat posed by cluster bombs and other unexploded ordnance. Mine-clearance encompasses
and
clearance of other unexploded ordnance, although this is not a specific submunitions instrument.
We are already engaged in such broader clearance activities in countries such as Laos, Kosovo and Afghanistan, where the APL problem is inextricably connected to unexploded ordnance pollution.
The group focused on the lasting contamination from the use of depleted uranium ammunitions in the Balkans and the potential post-war radiological risk for the health of the local population and the international assistance teams.
The group did not look at the actual health effect on soldiers who had been on mission in that region, this being outside the Community remit and to be handled in other fora such as Nato. Again I refer Parliament to the conclusions of its own STOA report of May 2001, when it came to much the same conclusion in relation to this issue.
On 6 March 2001, the opinion of the Article 31 Expert Group was released to the press. In a nutshell, it concluded that there is no major concern, from a radiological point of view, either in terms of inducing short-term cancer, or in terms of a wide impact on the environment. Widespread intervention in the concerned regions was not required.
Other reports issued by UNEP on 13 March 2001, the WHO on 1 May 2002 and the UK Royal Society on 12 March 2002 present similar conclusions. In addition, the latter two reports also address the chemical toxicity of the uranium, concluding that it is not expected that adverse effects on the kidneys or any other organ will occur.
At the end of March 2001, my colleague, Commissioner Wallström, concluded that no further actions seemed to be required with regard to the application of the basic safety standards for the protection of the health of workers and the general public against the dangers arising from ionising radiation. As mentioned above, further investigations into the chemical toxicity not addressed in the report of Mrs Wallström have since been analysed in the WHO and the UK Royal Society reports.
While the Article 31 Expert Group had concluded that there was no need for individual monitoring of the Commission's own staff and contractors sent to the region, the Commission's medical services nonetheless proposed a check-up and urine analysis programme for the staff members concerned.
No single health effect related to depleted uranium has been observed.
Coming now to the Commission's activities related to anti-personnel landmines following the European Parliament and Council Regulations 1724/2001 and 1725/2001 on the reinforcement of the European Union contribution to the fight against APLs, the European Union has taken a leading role in fostering better coordination of programmes and in providing momentum, predictability and effectiveness for cooperation between partners on the ground. This is very strong support by the European Community for the implementation of the mine ban treaty that is the Ottawa Convention, according to which all APLs should be eliminated by 2009."@en1
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