On occasion of the election to the European Parliament in 2004 nuclear-waste-watch wrote letters to candidates in our countries. The answers are presented here.
Questions 'nuclear waste watch' asked candidates to the European Parliament:
Are you prepared to engage yourself against any proposal to allow the export of nuclear waste to other countries, whether to an ´international repository´ or to countries outside the EU? We support the view that the polluter-pays-principle must be applied strictly also for nuclear waste. Therefore, national solutions have to be pursued.
Are you prepared to engage yourself for citizen and NGO participation in all decisions concerning the treatment of radioactive waste? During licensing procedures, citizens and their organizations must have the same possibilities as project investors have (public participation can only be considered fair when both sides have the possibility to hire experts of their choice and have the financial means to disperse information).
Do you agree with our view that (1) the search for sites for nuclear installations should be conducted only in cooperation with the community and (2) that the population in the vicinity of a proposed nuclear installation must as a precondition agree to its construction?
Are you prepared to engage yourself actively for that transparency and participation of NGOs and citizens are laid down in detail in all relevant EU directives?
We got answers from Austrian candidates. You find the letters (in German) on the next pages. English summaries will follow soon.
