TNAG-1505-FCO40-2063-Guangdong-nuclear-power-station-project-at-Daya-Bay-safety-c-1986 — Page 177

EQUALLY SOME OTHER INSTRUMENT MIGHT PROVE APPROPRIATE. WHATEVER WAS DECIDED IT SEEMED LIKELY THAT PARLIAMENT AND THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE WOULD HAVE TO BE CONSULTED BEFORE THE COUNCIL MADE A DECISION. A REASONABLE GUESS WAS THAT THIS PROCESS MIGHT BE COMPLETE BY 30 JUNE 1987. THE COMMISSION COULD NOT SUGGEST A DATE BY WHICH THE COMMUNITY WOULD CEASE TO NEED SOME SORT OF REGULATORY REGIME. THE AREA AROUND CHERNOBYL WAS VERY HEAVILY CONTAMINATED BUT MIGHT NEVERTHELESS BE FARMED AND THERE WAS ALSO FOOD IN STORE WHICH HAD

BEEN HARVESTED AFTER THE ACCIDENT.

6. FRANCE EMPHASISED THAT HER AGREEMENT TO ANY PROLONGATION OF THE PRESENT REGIME COULD NOT BE TAKEN FOR GRANTED. IN HER VIEW THE PRESENT REGULATION WAS ''CRUDE AND RUDIMENTARY'' IT WAS IMPORTANT THAT THE COMMUNITY ARRIVED AT A SET OF STANDARDS WHICH WERE COHERENT BOTH WITH THE EXISTING BASIC SAFETY STANDARDS AND WITH THE INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC CONSENSUS. THE COMMISSION SHOULD ACCELERATE ITS PROCEDURES SO AS TO ACHIEVE THIS RESULT AS RAPIDLY AS POSSIBLE. IT SHOULD ALSO MAKE AVAILABLE TO MEMBER STATES ALL RELEVANT DOCUMENTATION NOTABLY THE INTERIM REPORT OF THE ARTICLE 31 COMMITTEE AND THE REPORT OF THE GROUP OF WISE MEN. THE UK AGREED THAT THE IMPORTANT THING WAS TO ACHIEVE SCIENTIFICALLY BASED STANDARDS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. IN THE MEANTIME THE COMMUNITY SHOULD AGREE ON A PROLONGATION WHICH WOULD PRECLUDE THE NEED FOR FURTHER DISCUSSION BEFORE PERMANENT STANDARDS WERE AVAILABLE. THE ACCOUNT THAT THE COMMISSION HAD JUST GIVEN SEEMED INCONSISTENT WITH THEIR PROPOSAL FOR A 4 MONTH PROLONGATION. THE NETHERLANDS SAID THAT PROLONGATION SHOULD BE FOR AT LEAST 9 MONTHS AND PROBABLY ONE YEAR. GERMANY

ARGUED FOR 9 MONTHS.

7. THE PRESIDENCY CONCLUDED THAT THE GROUP WOULD REPORT TO COREPER THE TIMETABLE FOR WORK AS SET OUT BY THE COMMISSION. CLEARLY THE PROPOSAL FOR A 4 MONTH PROLONGATION WAS NOT REALISTIC. WITH SOME ACCELERATION OF WORK 6-8 MONTHS MIGHT BE MORE SO. THERE WAS NO CONSENSUS AT THE LEVEL OF THE GROUP THAT 9 MONTHS WAS THE RIGHT DURATION. NOR WAS THERE A CLEAR DATE BY WHICH SOME FORM OF FOOD IMPORT REGIME WOULD CEASE TO BE NECESSARY

ARTICLE 3 FOOTNOTE

8. MOST DELEGATIONS WERE DISPOSED TO ACCEPT THE COMMISSION'S

PROPOSAL THAT THE SCOPE OF THE FOOTNOTE TO THE FIRST TIRET OF

ARTICLE 3 BE EXTENDED TO INCLUDE THE SECOND TIRET. GREECE ASKED THAT

THE FOOTNOTE BE AMENDED TO INCLUDE A REFERENCE TO TRANSFORMED

PRODUCTS' GRAIN FOR EXAMPLE MIGHT BE ASSESSED ON THE BASIS OF ITS WEIGHT WHEN MADE INTO BREAD. ITALY AND OTHERS, INCLUDING THE COMMISSION, SAID THAT SUCH A REFERENCE WAS TOO VAGUE TO BE OF ANY

USE TO THE CUSTOMS AUTHORITIES WHICH MUST IMPLEMENT THE REGULATION.

THE PRESIDENCY CONCLUDED THAT THIS PARTICULAR POINT SHOULD BE TAKEN

UP IN THE ARTICLE 6 GROUP BUT GREECE RESERVED THE RIGHT TO PRESS IT

AGAIN AT COREPER. ITALY ASKED THAT THE FOOTNOTE BE AMENDED SO AS TO

CONFINE ITS APPLICATION TO GOODS SO DOCUMENTED OR PACKAGED AS TO

MAKE CLEAR THE EXTENT TO WHICH THEY WOULD BE DILUTED WHEN THEY WERE

RECONSTITUTED FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION. A NUMBER OF DELEGATIONS

PREFERRED THE PRESIDENCY'S SUGGESTION WHEREBY A COUNCIL AND

Restricted

COMMISSION