EU CONVENTION PRESSED TO REJECT
‘NUCLEAR CONSTITUTION’

Members of the European Convention are being called upon to reject proposals that would effectively introduce in a new European Union constitution a primary legal requirement to promote nuclear power.

In a letter sent to all Convention members, Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace, WWF, the European Environmental Bureau and over 100 other organisations have urged support instead for earlier proposals that would require the abolition of the Euratom Treaty in its current form. The 1957 agreement has maintained a European institutional bias towards the nuclear industry for over forty years.

Today’s move follows a controversial Convention paper quietly released at the close of the last full plenary two weeks ago (18 March). In the document, the Convention’s 12-member ruling Praesidium propose that Euratom is incorporated into a new Constitutional Treaty with only minimal changes required. If this move was to succeed, then the European Union would maintain special nuclear research grants and a subsidised project finance regime, both free from democratic supervision by the European Parliament.

"The Praesidium’s proposal tries to defend the indefensible." said Mark Johnston, a campaigner for Friends of the Earth Europe. "We call on all other Convention members to reject it. The Euratom agreement is unquestionably biased, out of date and undemocratic. It would be foolish, unpopular and risky to blight a new Constitution by including it unchanged and therefore requiring each member state to promote nuclear power. The Convention must recommend that Euratom is radically overhauled."

The Convention meets again tomorrow and Friday, 3-4 April.

ENDS

Contact(s): Mark Johnston, FoE Europe, +4479 7331 9249

1. Euratom is the short name for the Treaty establishing a European Atomic Energy Community (EAEC). It was signed in Rome in 1957 on the same day as the original EEC Treaty. Whilst other European Treaties have been modified over time (or, in the case of the Coal and Steel Community, have lapsed), Euratom has remained effectively unchanged. Article 1 of Euratom states the “task” of the Community shall be to facilitate the speedy establishment and growth of nuclear industries.

2. Proposals to radically reform Euratom have been laid before the Convention in a Contribution by Marie Nagy, Renee Wagner, and Neil MacCormick (CONV 563). Essentially, the proposals retain regulatory aspects in respect of public safety and security of nuclear materials, while repealing the promotional aspects that aim to fulfil the overall task stated in Article 1 and noted above.

3. Over one hundred civil society organisations from across Europe have called for Euratom to be abolished in its current form. A civil society declaration was submitted to the Convention on 3 March. Full details at http://www.foeeurope.org/activities/Nuclear/nuclear.htm

To all members and alternate members of the European Convention;

Brussels, Wednesday, 2 April 2003

Dear Madam/Sir,

PRAESIDUM’S PROPOSED APPROACH TO THE EURATOM TREATY

In addition to our main submission on this topic (on 3 March), we write now to urge you to reject the recent Praesidium proposal (CONV 621, 18 March) to incorporate the Euratom Treaty, effectively unchanged, into a new European constitutional settlement. We urge you instead to recommend the abolition of Euratom. Such a radical overhaul would remove the Treaty’s promotional aspects whilst retaining necessary provisions on safety and security.

Euratom is clearly biased, out of date and undemocratic. It is contrary to the aims for reforming the internal market for electricity, and contrary to the provisions of the Amsterdam Treaty requiring the integration of a high level of environmental protection into all other EU policy areas. Should the Praesidium’s proposal prevail, then there is a significant risk of European citizens being asked to back a new Constitution that inter alia will:

- Require the promotion of nuclear power
- Maintain a separate nuclear research and development budget;
- Maintain the absence of co-decision with the European Parliament;
- Continue to offer subsidised finance exclusively to nuclear projects.

It is clear that this view does not reflect the view of a substantial majority of EU citizens, as a recent Eurobarometer energy poll has shown. We believe therefore that a majority of the Convention will consider that to proceed with the present proposal is a position that is indefensible and so unsustainable.

We urge you to publicly state to the Praesidum that you cannot support their approach. A compromise on how to deal with Euratom is already illustrated in the Contribution (CONV 563) by Nagy, Wager, MacCormick and Lichtenberger, and we respectfully ask that you consider adding your support to it.

Thank you for your time in considering this important matter. If you would like to discuss it further with us, please contact my colleague Mark Johnston via +4479 7331 9249 (mob) or email abolish.euratom@foeeeurope.org.

Sincerely,
Martin Rocholl,
Director, Friends of the Earth Europe

Also on behalf of:

Karla Schoeters, Director, Climate Action Network Europe;
John Hontelez, Secretary General, European Environmental Bureau;
Clairie Papazoglou, Acting Head European Community Office, BirdLife International;
Manfred Pils, Secretary General, Friends of Nature International;
Jorgo Riss, Greenpeace International European Unit;
Tony Long, Director, WWF European Policy Office.

The campaign to abolish Euratom in its current form is also supported by more than 100 other non-governmental organizations across Europe who, on the 3 March 2003, together submitted a ‘civil society declaration’ to the European Convention. The full list of these groups is available on the FOE Europe website.