mr president the tragic events in japan have not only revealed mistakes and flaws in japanese reactors
the fukushima events have also revealed shortcomings in the international system of safeguards in nuclear power plants
today many europeans are concerned about nuclear safety here in europe
it is therefore essential that the european union should comprehensively reassess its approach to nuclear safety
the view of the liberals and democrats is that the council's proposed stress tests are too weak
we should not only test technology and geography but also the entire safety culture and preparedness to respond to multifaceted disaster scenarios
it is also absolutely vital that the tests should be made mandatory and be based on common and transparent community criteria
it should be obvious to everyone that we cannot leave it to governments and national authorities to supervise themselves
instead the stress tests should be conducted by independent experts and in full transparency
all facts should be made public under the supervision of the commission
today that is the only credible alternative for this technology
there should also be a comprehensive review of eu nuclear safety legislation by the iaea
we should have european standards and stringent requirements
there is a responsibility for the commission but there is also a responsibility for the council to step forward and take its responsibility
lastly it is essential that we should now also draw the lessons for alternative energy and energy efficiency
it is time to decide on binding targets
