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Protest over nuclear plant

Czech plans to end bilateral agreement further rankle Austria

By Hilda Hoy
Staff Writer, The Prague Post
May 2nd, 2007 issue

Long-standing squabbles between the Czech Republic and Austria over the Temelín nuclear plant in south Bohemia flared up, once again, late last month. The reason this time: The government has expressed its interest in scrapping a 7-year-old bilateral agreement on nuclear safety.

In a 2000 meeting in Melk, Austria, the Czech Republic, eager to enter the European Union, agreed to meet Austrian nuclear safety demands at Temelín, a plant some 60 kilometers (37 miles) from the Austrian border. In return, Austria promised not to contest Czech EU accession.
On April 23, Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek said he considers the Melk Agreement fulfilled, and that it could be replaced by standard international nuclear protocols.   
“We have continually proposed this, but the Austrian side is not yet prepared to take the step,” European Affairs Minister Alexandr Vondra told the Czech News Agency April 26.
That proposal has rankled Austria, which rejected nuclear energy in a 1978 referendum.
The idea is “completely unacceptable,” said Manfred Doppler, spokesman for the Upper Austrian Atomstopp group. “The safety lapses are still there.” Until they’re cleared, Atomstopp will consider Melk unresolved.
The Czech government is arguing its case with semantics. In an April 26 statement, it stressed, “The Melk process is not a treaty under international law.” Therefore, the reasoning goes, the Czechs wouldn’t be breaking a treaty by disbanding the agreements since no treaty exists.
“One [argument] is that the Czech Republic says there is no treaty. The other, it says it has already fulfilled it,” Doppler said. “It’s a sign the Czech side knows there are many parts of this treaty that have not been fulfilled, so it’s trying to argue its way out of it.”
Atomstopp has fought back by frequently blockading border points between the two countries.
Czech politicians argue the blockades violate EU principles of free movement, and some have suggested complaining to the European Commission.
Temelín has been plagued with technical problems: 166 in the past five years, operator ČEZ said April 24. None posed environmental or health threats, ČEZ insists.
Most recently, Temelín’s first unit was reconnected April 20 after nearly three months of upgrades. Within less than a week, technical problems in the unit forced two brief shutdowns.

Hilda Hoy can be reached at hhoy@praguepost.com


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