Novethic: Rivasi in 1986 as a result of Chernobyl, you created CRIIRAD, Commission for Independent Research and Information on Radioactivity. Why create a new association?
Rivasi: CRIIRAD was created in France for radioactivity measurements and answer the State lie on the Chernobyl cloud (which according to the government of the day did not exceed the border, ed.) Nuclear Transparency Watch (NTW), she is interested in nuclear safety in Europe: the aim is to provide access to information in countries where civil society does not have access. NTW wants to empower civil society against a second opinion and be a support to citizens' initiatives.
Jean-Claude Delalonde: NTW The idea to create comes from the work of ANCCLI in Brussels around the Aarhus Convention (which establishes the right to information and public participation in decisions that affect the environment, ed) applied to nuclear power. Our partners have found the organization of Local Information Committees (CLI) and very interesting - without the "crowing" - unique in Europe. We decided to go with MEPs further.
What are the European partners of the initiative?
Rivasi: We should have both MEPs from all sides, as the Hungarian Edit Herczog, which is pro-nuclear but defending public access to nuclear information and Central European associations such as the Regional Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe (present in 17 countries of Central Europe) or the Foundation for Environment and Agriculture in Bulgaria. Greenpeace Europe should also join us. This is only the beginning, it will be built gradually.
Jean-Claude Delalonde: I rely heavily on MEPs to bring civil society in Central Europe to join us
According to the director of the Institute for Radiological Protection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN) Jacques Repussard, "citizen vigilance" and the presence of independent observers are essential to nuclear safety. Does this opinion is shared in Europe?
Rivasi: No. In countries such as Bulgaria, representatives of civil society have a hard time obtaining information on nuclear power plants (1). In France, it took a long fight - CRIIRAD was created there almost 30 years - before the nuclear industry recognizes civil society as a stakeholder. Today, there are always gray areas, for example the decision to extend the life of plants.
Your first working group will focus on preparedness for nuclear emergencies. Why?
Jean-Claude Delalonde: Firstly because there was Fukushima. I am very surprised that in the minds of many people this accident is over, then there will be a permanent emergency for years. The other reason is that in Europe there are no plans to share national responses to an accident beyond the borders: the Cattenom (located in Lorraine, at the border with Luxembourg, Belgium and Germany), a recent exercise of border security has raised questions from our Belgian friends, Dutch or German, which demonstrate that there is no dialogue.
(1) In Belarus, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, nuclear activities are covered by specific laws and not subject to the Aarhus convention on the right to environmental information, yet signed by these countries.
