IP/05/556 Brussels, 12 May 2005 Chernobyl Shelter Fund: Commission announces additional €49 million At a pledging meeting today in London the European Commission will announce an additional €49 million to the international Chernobyl Shelter Fund (CSF). The conference is organised by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and attended by representatives of the European Commission, all G8 countries and Ukraine. Russia will contribute to the fund for the first time. This additional contribution comes on top of more than €600 million already pledged to the fund by 28 donor governments in 1997 and 2000. With today’s pledge, the Commission has now committed a total of €239.5 million for the Fund since 1997, making it the main donor. The Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighbourhood Policy, Benita Ferrero-Waldner said “Nuclear safety is a priority for the European Union and the Commission is committed to provide generous assistance to the region affected by the Chernobyl catastrophe. Today’s additional pledge for the Shelter Fund underlines the EU’s determination to support Ukraine’s reform process.” The Chernobyl Shelter Fund is managed by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and was established in 1997 to fund the Shelter Implementation Plan (SIP). The European Union, leading player in addressing the problems caused by the accident at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in 1986, has been the largest contributor to the fund. The main objective of the SIP, which was developed collaboratively by the EU, the United States and the Ukraine, is to convert Chernobyl’s reactor 4, destroyed by the accident, into an environmentally-safe site. The project is estimated to cost $1,091 million and will be complete by 2008-2009. The strong commitment of the European Commission to the problem was demonstrated through its pledge of €190.4 million for 1997 and 2000. Now the Commission is earmarking an additional pledge of €49.1 million to allow the project to be completed on time. In addition to the Shelter Fund, from 1998 to 2004, the European Commission has committed €117 million to Ukraine through its Tacis nuclear safety programme. This programme aims at increasing nuclear safety of Nuclear Power Plants and at improving the management of nuclear wastes, notably in Chernobyl. This support to Ukraine will be continued in 2005 and 2006. The Commission funds allocated to Chernobyl site have been used to assist Ukrainian authorities for the decommissioning of units 1-3 by the construction of the facilities for solid waste retrieval. The programme also supports the Ukrainian nuclear safety regulatory authority. The European Commission contributed also to the Nuclear Safety Account, managed by EBRD, in charge of the construction of the plants dealing with spent fuel and Liquid radioactive waste. In the context of the European Neighbourhood Policy, the Action Plan agreed with the Ukraine in 2004 includes, as an important priority, the objective of closing the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, in compliance with the internationally accepted nuclear safety standards. 2 .