Vol. 473 No. 2
27 Mr. R. Burke asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs the Government's and the EU's response to the discovery of illegal uranium in Griefswald, Germany; and the steps, if any, being taken at EU level to ensure unilateral compliance with all regulations concerning transport of nuclear material, safeguards and physical protection. [24785/96]
The case referred to by the Deputy does not concern the discovery of illegal uranium, rather it involves the detection on 14 November 1996 by the operator of the Greifswald facility in Germany of one fuel assembly in a supposedly empty container. This fuel assembly had been part of a shipment from Greifswald to a facility in the United States earlier this year. It appears to have been inadvertently returned to Greifswald from the United States. Inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and EURATOM were coincidentally on the Greifswald site on 14 November for routine inspection purposes, and they sealed the fuel assembly, which was subsequently shipped back to the United States.
The incident underlines the need for nuclear transport regulations to be respected and officials from EURATOM are in contact with the relevant authorities to avoid any recurrence. The Commission and the member states continue to support, liaise and co-operate with the IAEA and other relevant bodies to ensure the prevention of illicit trafficking of nuclear materials and compliance with international regulations governing safeguards and physical protection.
