Sommaire: European Community Statement - Special Commemorative Meeting in Observance of the 20th Anniversary of the Chernobyl Catastrophe (New York, 28th April 2006)
Statement by the European Commission on behalf of the European Community by Mr. Angel Carro Castrillo, Chargé d'affaires and Deputy Head of the Delegation of the European Commission to the United Nations.
Distinguished colleagues, ladies and gentlemen,
Twenty years ago, the Chernobyl accident was one of the largest industrial disasters in human history. This accident brought devastation and suffering to Ukraine, Belarus and Russia as well as having effects well beyond these borders. On an occasion like today, our first thoughts must be for the victims and their families and communities affected by the disaster. I would also like to pay tribute to the lives lost and also to the bravery of the fire-fighters and rescue workers who, at great
personal cost, fought to contain the accident. They deserve our gratitude and respect.
The scale of the accident and the negative impact on the economies of the neighbouring countries attracted widespread public concern and created a wave of solidarity to help Ukraine and the other affected countries. The European Commission and the European Union Member States have been at the forefront of the assistance to deal with the effects of the accident.
Since 1986, the European Commission has allocated over €470 million (or $588 million) to Chernobyl-related projects. This assistance has supported safety improvements at Chernobyl, and provided help to people whose lives are still affected by the disaster. The largest proportion of the Commission's efforts (€240 million, or $300 million) have been dedicated to the Chernobyl site itself, inter alia through the Chernobyl Shelter Fund for the construction of a new shell over the damaged reactor.
This will help prevent the release of radiation from the existing sarcophagus. The Commission has also supported projects to help the local populations with programmes addressing the social, health and environmental consequences of the accident.
Over and above the aid provided specifically to cope with the aftermath of Chernobyl, the Commission has also made a major contribution of some €1.2 billion (or $1.5 billion) over the last 15 years to the improvement of nuclear safety across the countries of the former Soviet Union.
The Chernobyl accident caused devastation and suffering on a large scale and this brought out the best in terms of human solidarity and cooperation. 20 years on, many lessons have been learnt on preventing accidents, mitigating their consequences and on emergency preparedness.
The European Commission will continue supporting projects for the improvement of nuclear safety, as well as projects dealing with the consequences of the Chernobyl accident. This includes assistance for the sustainable social and economic development of the affected regions. The European Commission will remain a fully committed and active partner on the Chernobyl cause. We will also continue working together to ensure that such a catastrophe never happens again and that the lasting legacy of
Chernobyl will be a safer environment for the region and for us all.
To conclude, I would like to join those who have also commended the assistance given by the UN system, in particular OCHA and UNDP.
Thank you.
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