Moscow insists on lifting of non-market restrictions on Russian nuclear fuel supplies to the EU

20.11.2007 // Interfax

Russia will insist on lifting of non-market restrictions on Russian nuclear fuel supplies to the EU

During the upcoming negotiations with the European delegation, Russia is going to insist on the lifting of the non-market restrictions on the Russian nuclear materials and fuel supplies to Europe, the head of Rosatom Sergey Kiriyenko said during a press-conference on Monday.

“During the last visit of Russian Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov to Paris, the sides agreed that a European delegation would visit Russia shortly to discuss this problem. We hope that the practice of dual standards will be dropped and the EU will start complying with the principles declared in its market economy policy. We are ready for open market competition,” Kiriyenko said.

He pointed out that there is one painful point in the dynamically developing nuclear cooperation between Russia and Europe – non-market restrictions on the import of Russian nuclear products into the EU market, imposed by the so-called Corfu Declaration, a document that is contrary to WTO standards. «This declaration is kept secret, perhaps, its authors are ashamed to make it public,» Kiriyenko said.

Today, there are all prerequisites for solving this problem as the declaration will shortly expire. «Today, we have a chance not to prolong the declaration and to solve the problem in the framework of a partnership agreement where Russia and the EU will pledge to ensure transparent conditions for trade in fissile materials. Our production is absolutely competitive and the only way to prevent it from entering the European market is to apply non-market restrictions,» Kiriyenko said.

Meanwhile, uranium enrichment has been recognized as service and is not subject to restriction. Kiriyenko explained to the journalists that the Corfu Declaration restricts Russian nuclear fuel imports into Europe to 25%, while, in reality, they make up 35%-40% as most of the Eastern European nuclear power plants, built with the support of the USSR and Russia, fully depend on Russian fuel. The old contracts are still effective but Russia’s attempts to make new ones are strongly opposed by Euroatom. «We don’t need any special conditions, our products are competitive, but we are not going to stand such discriminatory restrictions any longer»

«This is a matter of principle for us. Russia is not going to stand such a situation any longer,» Kiriyenko said. He said that he pinned great hopes on the forthcoming talks with the French delegation. «France has a big role here. It is the leader of Europe’s nuclear market and will shortly take up the chairmanship of the EU,» Kiriyenko said.