EUU, Alm.del - 2019-20 - Bilag 655: Brev fra formanden for Litauens parlament vedr. resolution om energi uafhængighed og truslen fra Astavyets atomkraftværket

Europaudvalget 2019-20, Klima-, Energi- og Forsyningsudvalget 2019-20
EUU Alm.del Bilag 655, KEF Alm.del Bilag 298
Offentligt

SEIMAS OF THE REPUBLIC OF LITHUANIA

RESOLUTION

ON ENERGY INDEPENDENCE AND THE THREAT POSED BY

THE ASTRAVYETS NUCLEAR POWER PLANT

5 May 2020 No XIII-2880

Vilnius

The Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania,

noting

that 30 years ago the resolute and united people of Lithuania restored its independence,

which ensured their right to live in freedom and build a safe and prosperous state,

drawing attention

to the fact that the energy independence of our country has not been fully

secured, our electricity system is still managed by Russia through the energy ring of Belarus,

Russia, Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia (BRELL), and the unsafe Astravyets nuclear power plant

under construction in the vicinity of Vilnius runs counter to the vital national interests of the

Republic of Lithuania,

continuing

with the commitment set forth in the Accord between the Parliamentary Political

Parties of the Republic of Lithuania of 10 February 2017 on Joint Actions against the Unsafe

Nuclear Power Plant in Astravyets to draft a joint action plan to ensure that other countries and

international organisations contribute to the implementation of the provisions relevant to

Lithuania, namely, that the electricity produced in the Astravyets nuclear power plant will not be

allowed into Lithuania nor will it be allowed to be sold on the Lithuanian electricity market

under any circumstances,

having regard

to the fact that, on 30 May 2017, the Seimas adopted the Law of the Republic of

Lithuania on Necessary Measures of Protection against the Threats Posed by Unsafe Nuclear

Power Plants in Third Countries, which provides that access to the electricity market of the

Republic of Lithuania shall not be allowed for electricity from the third countries in which

unsafe nuclear power plants operate,

EUU, Alm.del - 2019-20 - Bilag 655: Brev fra formanden for Litauens parlament vedr. resolution om energi uafhængighed og truslen fra Astavyets atomkraftværket

recalling

that, on 15 June 2017, the Seimas recognised the nuclear power plant under

construction in the Astravyets District, Republic of Belarus, as unsafe and dangerous by the Law

of the Republic of Lithuania on Recognition of the Nuclear Power Plant under Construction in

the Astravyets District in the Republic of Belarus as Unsafe and Posing a Threat to the National

Security of the Republic of Lithuania, its Environment and Public Health,

having

regard to the fact that the parties to the United Nations Convention on Environmental

Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context recognised on 7 February 2019 that, in selecting

a site for the construction of the nuclear power plant, the Republic of Belarus breached Articles

4, 5 and 6 of the Convention by improperly assessing the environmental impact of the nuclear

power plant, improperly consulting the affected parties and adopting an inappropriate final

decision on the site selection, and thus the parties to the Convention admitted that the

construction of the Astravyets nuclear power plant was in violation of international requirements,

welcoming

the statement of 24 November 2017 by Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the

European Commission, that the Astravyets nuclear project is not merely a bilateral issue between

Lithuania and a neighbouring country but a European issue,

stressing

that in response to the EU’s concerns about the unsafe Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant,

Lithuania has closed it,

having

regard to the Statement of the Seimas Committee on European Affairs of 15 November

2019 that the nuclear power plant in the Astravyets District, Republic of Belarus, is being

constructed on the improperly selected site in the vicinity of the border with the Republic of

Lithuania and in inadmissible proximity to its capital Vilnius and constitutes an environmental,

energy, military, health, and territorial safety problem not only for Lithuania but also for the

whole EU and therefore cannot and should not be operated,

emphasising

that the recommendations following from the stress tests of the Astravyets nuclear

power plant carried out by the nuclear safety authorities of the EU Member States in 2018 must

be fully implemented before the power plant is likely to be put into operation,

noting

that the Republic of Lithuania will demand that the Republic of Belarus compensate for

any damage that might arise in Lithuania as a result of a nuclear accident at the Astravyets

nuclear power plant,

committing itself

to making full use of parliamentary diplomacy by mobilising support from the

parliaments of the EU Member States and other countries for the elimination of the threat posed

by the Astravyets nuclear power plant,

urges

the Government of the Republic of Lithuania:

1) to immediately implement all requirements of Article 4 of the Law on Necessary Measures of

Protection against the Threats Posed by Unsafe Nuclear Power Plants in Third Countries for

EUU, Alm.del - 2019-20 - Bilag 655: Brev fra formanden for Litauens parlament vedr. resolution om energi uafhængighed og truslen fra Astavyets atomkraftværket

preventing the access of electricity from Belarus to the electricity market of the Republic of

Lithuania and to apply the technical measures that, prior to the launch of the Astravyets nuclear

power plant, would restrict the access of electricity from Belarus to the electricity system of the

Republic of Lithuania to the level necessary to ensure the reliable operation of the national

electricity system;

2) to seek that the EU adopt a legally binding decision on the threat posed by the Astravyets

nuclear power plant to the EU population and take appropriate actions with regard to Belarus and

Russia;

3) seek that Lithuanian allies impose sanctions against the constructor of the Astravyets nuclear

power plant and other enterprises and intermediaries engaged in the construction of the

Astravyets nuclear power plant and the trade in the dirty energy generated by this plant;

to achieve that the EU support Lithuania’s position of principle regarding the prevention of

access of electricity, to the markets of the EU Member States, from neighbouring countries

which operate unsafe nuclear power plants that do not meet the EU requirements of stress tests

on nuclear safety or violate international nuclear safety and environmental conventions;

5) to immediately draw up and submit to the Seimas draft legal acts containing provisions on

response to the consequences of possible accidents at the Astravyets nuclear power plant for the

Republic of Lithuania and on the procedure and conditions for assessing the expenses already

incurred in the course of preparatory work and for compensating for all damages;

6) to seek, by all political and diplomatic means, the support of the EU, the EU and NATO

member states, Ukraine, other countries in the region and the entire international community in

addressing the issue of elimination of threats arising from the Astravyets nuclear power plant;

7) to immediately draft an appropriate plan for strategic communication and integrated

implementation of Lithuania’s measures.

Speaker of the Seimas

Viktoras Pranckietis