A DAMNING report on France鈥檚 nuclear installations around Mururoa has provoked a showdown between Brussels and the French government. In the report, scientists from the European Commission who visited French Polynesia say they were not allowed to inspect equipment and data as required under Europe鈥檚 Euratom Treaty. The Commission has asked France to hand over the data before next week or risk being ordered to stop its nuclear tests by the European Court of Justice.
The Euratom Treaty charges the Commission with ensuring that health and safety are not endangered by the nuclear activities of member states. Article 35 says that states must set up 鈥渇acilities necessary to carry out continuous monitoring of the level of radioactivity in the air, water and soil鈥�. The Commission has 鈥渞ight of access to such facilities鈥� to 鈥渧erify their operation and efficiency鈥�.
On 4 September, Ritt Bjerregaard, the commissioner for environment and nuclear safety, asked France not to begin testing until the Commission had verified its radiation monitoring plans. But two days later, France went ahead and detonated its first bomb. Only then did it allow three Commission scientists to visit French Polynesia.
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In their report, the scientists say they could not conclude that France has adequate facilities because they were not granted the access required by the treaty. 鈥淲e were shown laboratories on Mururoa quickly,鈥� says Augustin Janssens, who headed the team. 鈥淏ut we were not told what was measured, or allowed to see any results.鈥� This would appear to breach article 35.
President of the Commission Jacques Santer has not forced the issue, but the European Parliament is not being so coy. If the Commission does not apply article 35 soon, MEPs can seek an injunction in the European Court of Justice to stop the tests. Last week, the Parliament threatened to do just that. Santer responded by giving France until 24 October to hand over data that the Commission needs to decide if the treaty has been breached.
It is not clear how France can do this without allowing another inspection. Janssens and his team say they found sampling by French civilian agencies 鈥渟atisfactory鈥�, although some equipment had only just been installed.
But the team had only limited access 鈥� and in some cases none 鈥� to the most important sites, which are run by the military鈥檚 Directorate for Nuclear Experimentation Centres. DIRCEN conducts the tests and collects most of the data. The team says it received 鈥渘o comprehensive overview of the DIRCEN sampling programme鈥�.
The Commission scientists were not allowed to see monitoring equipment on Faaa, an island near the test sites, and on Fangataufa atoll where the second test was detonated the day after they left Polynesia. The French, they write, would not even 鈥渃onfirm or deny鈥� that monitoring equipment existed on Fangataufa.
The scientists also asked questions about 鈥済eological and hydrological aspects鈥� of the tests and about long-term consequences. These issues are critical for deciding if the tests constitute 鈥減articularly dangerous experiments鈥�, which the Commission can prohibit under another article of the Euratom Treaty. But their request was denied.