EU Presidency Statement - The Effects of Atomic Radiation

Mr. Chairman,

I have the honour to speak on behalf of European Union. The countries of Central and Eastern Europe associated with the European Union Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and the Associated Countries Cyprus, Malta and Turkey as well as the EFTA country of the European Economic Area Iceland align themselves with this statement.

Let me start by recalling that the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation is the principal international body in its field. All Member States of the United Nations benefit from the work of the Scientific Committee, which plays a pre-eminent role in radiation risk assessment worldwide and delivers state-of-the-art reports. The quality of the Scientific Committee's work is such that its reports are generally used as a basis for drafting national and international standards to protect populations against the effects of atomic radiation.

The European Union fully supports the work programme adopted by the Scientific Committee at its meeting in April 2001, particularly with regard to the studies on the health effects of the Chernobyl accident and initiatives to examine the effects of radiation in the environment as part of a study of radioecology. The European Union welcomes the efforts to make the work of the Committee available to the larger audience by presenting its reports on the Internet.

The European Union endorses the intentions and plans of the Scientific Committee for its future activities of scientific review and assessment. Therefore, the European Union considers that a solution to the recent budget crisis of the Scientific Committee should be found as quickly as possible, since disruptions in the cost-effective work of the Scientific Committee might otherwise lead to adverse impacts on other international organizations, that depend on the Committee's assessments.

Mr Chairman,

The European Union reiterates its full support of the Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation. By virtue of its scientific authority it provides the international community with an essential and independent contribution towards evaluation of the levels and effects of exposure to atomic radiation.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

| Arriba |

• EU Presidency Statement - Effects of Atomic Radiation (14/10/2004)
• Declaración de la Presidencia, en nombre de la UE sobre el nuevo Tratado entre los EEUU y la Federación Rusa relativo a la reducción de sus respectivos arsenales nucleares estratégicos.  (24/5/2002)
• EU Presidency Statement - The Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty (11/11/2001)
• EU Presidency Statement - The effects of atomic radiation (17/10/2001)