Introductory remarks by Martin SCHULZ, EP President, during the EP plenary session (27-28 April 2016) in Brussels.

Brussels

plenary session

speech

SCHULZ, Martin (S&D, DE)

Chernobyl nuclear disaster (T)

Introductory remarks by Martin SCHULZ, EP President

SOUNDBITE (German), Martin SCHULZ, EP President, It goes back 30 years, to the 26th of April 1986, when in the then Soviet Union, in the Republic of Ukraine reactor bloc 4 of the Chernobyl Nuclear power station exploded. This was a total melt down of the reactor, a super heating of the reactor with unbelievable tragic consequences.

SOUNDBITE (German), Martin SCHULZ, EP President, Few will recall the 'liquaditators', the clean-up workers, mostly young men who worked unprotected and without prior warning in the midst of this catastrophe where they were deployed to try and staunch the accident, we owe thanks to these people that it didn't get more worse than it turned

SOUNDBITE (German), Martin SCHULZ, EP President, Chernobyl remains a ruin and a testimony to the disaster and Chernobyl remains a problem. Dismantling the technical reactor and facilities is extremely difficult and expensive, the concrete of the sarcophagus is established in 1986 will take until 2016 to renew it and will cost 2 Billion Euros.

SOUNDBITE (German), Martin SCHULZ, EP President, There are many different views on the use of nuclear power, whatever view we may take we must bear in mind this disaster and agree that together that must make sure that nuclear power stations in Europe in our environment are safe and that is the warning and duty conferred on us with the melt down of Chernobyl 30 years ago and the more recent disaster of Fukushima, Ladies and Gentlemen, we in the European Parliament must take that task very seriously.