EU Commissioner Andris Piebalgs announced the European Commission's pledge of around €110 million to ensure that the Chernobyl site is made stable and environmentally safe. The announcement has made on Tuesday 19th April, when 25 years after the tragic Chernobyl accident. The Commission has so far committed  €470 million to Chernobyl-related projects, mainly for nuclear safety, but also on programmes to help the local population and provide affected families with access to quality healthcare.

The Commission has so far committed  €470 million to Chernobyl-related projects, mainly for nuclear safety, but also on programmes to help the local population and provide affected families with access to quality healthcare. However a further €740 million are needed from the international community in order to complete the major projects on the site by 2015.

On 19 April President Barroso and Commissioner Piebalgs attended the Chernobyl pledging conference to help raise the funds still needed to make the Chernobyl site entirely safe by 2015. The Kiev Nuclear Safety Summit which will strengthen global cooperation and capacities to prevent and mitigate nuclear accidents.

The new pledge will be used mainly to complete the New Safe Confinement, a giant arch structure which will cover the damaged Chernobyl unit 4, to isolate it and to allow its deconstruction in the future. The pledge will also help to complete the construction of the Spent Fuel Storage Facility, which, once built, will store the spent fuel from the units which remained in operation after the accident, which is required for the decommissioning of the plant.

EU support to make the Chernobyl site safer

In the wake of the Chernobyl accident, the European Commission has been working to improve nuclear safety and to deal with legacy of the disaster. Key achievements in the Commission's work so far have been the stabilisation of the existing shelter, the implementation of infrastructure which meets international health regulations and provides the best possible protection for on-site workers and the construction of facilities in view of future decommissioning.

In addition to contributions to the international funds managed by the EBRD (the Chernobyl Shelter Fund and the Nuclear Safety Account) the Commission has funded projects to study, assess and mitigate the consequences of the accident. It has also provided its own contribution to the radioactive waste management projects needed for the restoration of the site. The actions of the EC in Chernobyl already implemented have created the conditions that have made the start of the construction of the New Safe Confinement possible.

Moreover in order to secure the environment, the Commission has carried out social projects in areas such as healthcare, education and horticulture to help those suffering the effects of the accident to rebuild their lives. For example, the "Children of Chernobyl" projects have been set up to help mothers and children who were contaminated by the catastrophe by providing access to quality healthcare for all newborns in the area, as well as giving parents access to a "better parenting" course. The Commission has also supported a rehabilitation programme to develop economic opportunities in the agricultural sector and set up private businesses, helping to create new jobs and provide taxes for the area.