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Paks expansion – Dialogue for Hungary: EU law cannot be sidestepped

According to Dialogue for Hungary the European Union should not allow Hungary to construct a new Nuclear Power Plant in Paks without taking into account Community law.

Benedek Jávor stated in a press conference in Budapest that according to information in his possession the EUURATOM did not counter-sign  the fuel-supply contract for the new NNP in Paks, because it does not ensure fuel supply diversification.

He remarked that the current blockage of the fuel supply testifies  of the Hungarian government’s politics built on its “mania for secrecy”, not the failure of the expansion project itself.

The politician from Dialogue for Hungary emphasized that Brussels will not stop at this point in connection with the Paks expansion, rather, it will validate European law to its entirety. This means that there will be more obstacles to make the investment procedure more difficult: the Competition Commissioner of the EU will launch an investigation based on suspicions of prohibited state aid, whereas the Commissioner responsible for the internal market will investigate the lack of an international tender; in addition, a cartel procedure has already been initiated in connection with the issue, said Benedek Jávor, according to whom the grounds for these investigations are sound; therefore, the realization of the expansion of the Paks power plants, based on the current form of contracts, is impossible.

Zoltán Kovács, the government’s spokesman, said on Friday that after intensive consultations the government expects to finalize the contracts on the transportation of fuel elements in connection with the expansion within a few weeks, taking into account the remarks of the Euratom. The spokesperson called the article of the British business paper, Financial Times false and completely misleading, which was based information about European Union’s aim to shut down the execution of the twelve-billion-euro-contract made with Russia on the expansion of the Paks power plant.

 

March 13, 2015
Budapest

Source: MTI