Therefore I would both ask and call upon the European Commission to conduct long-term and comprehensive research into the health-related consequences of the Chernobyl disaster. In this context, we cannot forget that the question of how to approach nuclear safety is relevant across all borders around the world, and should therefore be considered in a spirit of solidarity and cross-border responsibility. On the 25th anniversary of the disaster, the European Commission announced that EUR 110 million would be allocated to stabilising the situation and protecting the environment around the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. Let us not forget that the European Union, which set up the Chernobyl Shelter Fund, has contributed most in financial terms in the fight to mitigate the effects of the Chernobyl disaster. According to the latest research, the residents of at least two Ukrainian districts are still eating contaminated food. Other sources estimate that around 200 000 people have already died from radiation-related diseases, and that a further 100 000 people may die from cancers caused by the Chernobyl disaster in future. According to the World Health Organisation, the number of those killed by cancers caused by contamination following the explosion in the nuclear power plant may be as many as 9000. Specialists are still unable to determine the number of deaths caused by the disaster. It is very hard to assess the ravages wreaked by the disaster, both in terms of health and the environment. Around 115 000 people were evacuated from the areas in the vicinity of the reactor, and around 220 000 people were relocated from Belarus, the Russian Federation and Ukraine after 1986. Radioactive substances also reached Scandinavia and Central Europe, including Poland, as well as Greece and Italy in Southern Europe. The explosion of the reactor at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant resulted in the contamination of around 100 000 km 2 of land, of which 70% was in Belarus. Let us remind ourselves of just a few facts, which give some indication of the scale, extent and dimensions of the tragedy. The Chernobyl tragedy also revealed the powerlessness and thoughtlessness of the then Communist authorities in Ukraine, which tried to conceal from the world the disaster and its scale. Particularly in the light of recent events in Japan, this anniversary has become a tragic reason for assessments and considerations regarding nuclear safety. − (PL) Mr President, I would like to say how happy I am that this sitting of the European Parliament is commemorating the victims and all those injured by the Chernobyl disaster, which was the greatest nuclear disaster in history. − The next item is the debate on the oral question to the Commission on nuclear safety 25 years after the Chernobyl disaster by Bogusław Sonik, on behalf of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety ( O-000109/2011 – B7-0312/2011).īogusław Sonik, author. Nuclear safety 25 years after the Chernobyl disaster (debate)
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