Source: European Parliament
Question for written answer E-002601/2025
to the Commission
Rule 144
Francisco José Millán Mon (PPE), Adrián Vázquez Lázara (PPE)
Last week the French oceanographic vessel L’Atalante entered one of the nuclear waste discharge areas in international waters of the Atlantic Ocean, to the north-west of Galicia. The aim of this scientific expedition is to locate and map the barrels dumped there by a number of European countries in the second half of the last century, and to analyse the waste’s impact on the Atlantic’s abyssal plains.
Protecting the oceans, promoting a prosperous and resilient blue economy, and fostering the well-being of coastal communities are priority objectives for the international community, and the European Union in particular, as reflected in the European Ocean Pact. In view of this:
- 1.Is the Commission aware of this initiative?
- 2.Is it in contact with the French authorities to monitor this activity and keep track of the expedition’s progress?
- 3.Does it know if any of the waste could have caused a significant increase in radioactivity levels that could affect European waters?
Submitted: 27.6.2025