mr president while the question of pursuing our energy strategy with or without nuclear power is now being debated in the member states concerned we should keep in mind that whichever decision is taken nuclear safety will remain a long-standing issue for several generations
we should obviously develop and enforce common standards on nuclear safety at international level since radioactive contamination knows no borders as the chernobyl disaster revealed and as is confirmed by what is still happening in fukushima
twenty-five years after events in chernobyl we still need further assessment and research on past and current impacts of contamination of human health and the environment
we have to think about nuclear safety not as a protection measure but as a long-term and encompassing strategy
we should also address the issue of nuclear waste
what has remained from chernobyl is waste and this is a serious and threatening issue in the region
it is also becoming a european challenge for the future of nuclear energy
we need more research in this field and we need to guarantee the long-term safety of storage or disposal of these materials
whatever decision we take now reversibility and retrievability are therefore required
i would welcome a clear position from the commission on this matter
