Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2009-04-23-Speech-4-414"
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"en.20090423.66.4-414"2
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".
Mr President, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction has arisen as a serious challenge in recent years, and the international community must be ready to face those challenges with conviction and to tackle them resolutely.
In our view, there has been some progress with the new US Administration in the context of the negotiations on the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), and positive dynamics on arms control between Russia and the United States should clear the path for a new momentum on nuclear issues.
For the European Union, the NPT is based on three mutually reinforcing pillars: non-proliferation, disarmament and the peaceful use of nuclear energy. Ms Beer’s report on nuclear non-proliferation gives me a welcome opportunity to describe the Community’s responsibilities and activities under these three pillars.
Under the Euratom Treaty the Commission is responsible for verifying that fissile nuclear materials, like plutonium, uranium and thorium, are not diverted from their intended uses, as declared by the Community users, whether in the nuclear industry or others, like research centres and medical institutes.
The Commission is currently developing an action plan on how best to address chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear terrorism threats. This policy will be put forward in the middle of this year, with recommendations on further strengthening a culture of safety and security among the 27 Member States. Moreover, the EU export control system is another key component of our weapons of mass destruction prevention policy.
The Commission action on non-proliferation and disarmament does not stop at the frontiers of the Union. With the new Instrument for Stability and the Nuclear Safety Instrument – together taking up almost EUR 1 billion of the financial perspective – there is an opportunity for the Commission to enhance its worldwide contribution to non-proliferation by promoting security and safety throughout the world in the coming years.
The purpose of the Community instruments is to develop complete programmes of threat reduction that will offer to third countries a full range of possible cooperation on export control, border monitoring, maritime surveillance, redirection of scientists, bioscience and nuclear safety. The logic of coherent programmes is very much in line with the G8 Global Partnership goals that were defined in 2002, where the Commission committed EUR 1 billion for the 10-year period 2002-2013.
Finally, initiatives to build a new model for civil nuclear cooperation should also be encouraged so that countries can get access to nuclear energy without increasing the risks of proliferation. The international fuel bank of IAEA, to which the Commission plans to contribute EUR 20 million, is a step in the right direction, provided we can explain the rationale that supports such a programme.
In conclusion, the Commission is working quite hard in supporting all three pillars of the Non-Proliferation Treaty, and, indeed, both the time and the international climate are ripe for change in the way we handle nuclear issues. The Commission stands ready to work with others and seize the great opportunities before us and to strive to create a safer and more secure world also in this regard."@en1
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