[E-rundbrief] Info 106 - European Petition against Nuclear Power

Matthias Reichl mareichl at ping.at
So Apr 25 16:38:41 CEST 2004


E-Rundbrief - Info 106 - European Petition 1 Million Europeans demand the 
Exit of Nuclear Power.

Bad Ischl, 25.4.2004

Begegnungszentrum für aktive Gewaltlosigkeit

www.begegnungszentrum.at

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EUROPEAN PETITION  1 MILLION EUROPEANS DEMAND THE EXIT OF NUCLEAR POWER

PRESS RELEASE, April 25th, 2004

Almost 50 organisations and movements from some 20 European countries are 
on the Chernobyl-Memorial-day at April 26th launching a European Campaign 
for collecting 1 million signatures against nuclear power.

For a period of maximum one year, the aim is to collect signatures and 
activate more organisations to join the campaign in order to convince all 
European countries to take the following measures without delay :

to stop or prevent the construction of new nuclear power plants and 
facilities in the European Union,

to launch a plan to abandon nuclear power within the European Union,

to invest massively in energy saving and the development of renewable 
energies,

to repeal the Euratom Treaty which massively supports nuclear power in 
Europe by means of public funding

Only these measures will make it possible to fight against nuclear danger 
and global warming at the same time.

Some of the organisations initiating the European "1 million signature 
campaign" are taking part in the launching of the campaign in Helsinki in 
Finland on April 26th. The organisations will be received by different 
ministeries, there will be a press conference and a street action where 
speeches will be held and signatures will be collected. The organisations 
have also sent their complaints to the Finnish Ministry of Trade and 
Industry  about the plans to build a 1 600 MW  EPR nuclear power plant in 
Olkiluoto on the Finnish west coast. The EPR has not been built anywhere; 
it exists only on paper. It is a prototype that will be tested in Finland 
in spite of several warnings about severe safety deficits and too 
optimistic cost calculation and costruction schedule.

The organisations will also be visiting St. Petersburg during the weekend 
April 23rd  25th in order to promote the signature campaign also in Russia, 
and in order to express deep worries about the plans of the Russian government,

to prolong the utility permit of the oldest Chernobyl type reactor in the 
world at the Leningrad Nuclear Power Plant in Sosnovy Bor,

to let the temporary nuclear waste storage of the Leningrad Nuclear Power 
Plant - situated only 90 meters from the Baltic Sea coast and containing 
radioactivity corresponding to 40  50 Chernobyl accidents - continue its 
existence,

to let harbours in Ust-Luga and Vysotsk be used for transports of 
radioactive material.

The organisations taking part in the events in Helsinki and St.Petersburg 
are amongst others:

Reseau "Sortir du Nucléaire", a French anti-nuclear network of some 700 
organisations. This network is  launching a one month anti-nuclear rally in 
France on the 24th of April and this rally will cover 4 000 kilometres and 
some 50 cities and localities. During the rally signatures will be 
collected for the European petition, and protests will be made against any 
construction of new nuclear power plants in France.

The German section of the IPPNW (International Physicians for the 
Prevention of  Nuclear War). The IPPNW in Germany is heavily critisising 
the use of nuclear power as a source of material for producing nuclear 
weapons. IPPNW is organising a big conference against nuclear power in 
Berlin May 7th  9th this year.

The Austrian organisation "Atomstopp International", one of the 
coordinators of the European 1 million signatures campaign. "Atomstopp" is 
also organising a big conference against nuclear power next autumn.

The "World Information Service on Energy" (WISE) situated in Holland, a 
large network of organisations against nuclear power and for the use of 
renewable energy sources.

"Aktionsbündnis CASTOR-Widerstand" from Germany, having a long tradition of 
successful actions against nuclear transports in Germany.

The German party Liberale Demokraten

The Green Party of Sweden

The Peoples Campaign against Nuclear Power/Nuclear Weapons from Sweden

Women against nuclear power from Finland

The "No more nuclear power movement" from Finland

Women for Peace from Finland


This campaigning against nuclear power all over Europe is supported by a 
Youth action, an open-end fast (hunger strike) for a "Nuclear-Free France", 
starting on the 21st of June 2004.

A clear majority of the citizens of Europe are against the use of nuclear 
power for energy production. Of the current EU Member States (EU-15) seven 
are not using nuclear power as an energy source. In addition five 
member-states have decided to give up the use of nuclear power. Amongst 
these is Spain where the new Prime Minister Jose Luis Zapatero reaffirmed 
the Spanish decision to phase-out nuclear power in a speech during his 
swearing-in ceremony in Madrid on April 15th.

Nuclear accidents do not respect geographical borders. An accident anywhere 
in Europe or the rest of the world can affect the lifes of millions of 
people living not only today but also in the far future.

Therefore organisations from all over Europe have joined forces to fight 
nuclear projects by democratic means.

WE DO NOT FIGHT INDIVIDUAL STATES OR ENERGY PRODUCERS, WE FIGHT AGAINST 
NUCLEAR POWER IN THE NAME OF THE MAJORITY OF THE PEOPLE IN EUROPE!

The petition can be signed online on  HYPERLINK "http://www.atomstopp.com" 
www.atomstopp.com.


For further information:

Ulla Klötzer  Women against nuclear power, Finland: +358-50-569 09 67

Lea Launokari  Women for Peace, Finland: +358-50-55 22 330

Anna-Liisa Mattsoff -  No more Nuclear Power movemen, Finland: +358-50-468 2895

Jean-Yvon Landrac  Réseau "Sortir du nucléaire": +33-699 562 967

Roland Egger  Atomstopp International: +43-664 421 5613

Lars Pohlmeier  IPPNW, German section: +49-171-416 0139

Maria Braig  Aktionsbündnis Castor-Widerstand: +49-160-957 109 99

Sten  Danielsson  The Green Party of Sweden: + 46-70 362 3404

  HYPERLINK "http://www.atomstopp.com" www.atomstopp.com

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Matthias Reichl
Begegnungszentrum für aktive Gewaltlosigkeit
Wolfgangerstr.26
A-4820 Bad Ischl
Tel. +43-6132-24590
e-mail: mareichl at ping.at
http://www.begegnungszentrum.at





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