Statement by the Commission and the High Representative ahead of the 40 years since the Chornobyl disaster

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission.

Forty years ago, the disaster at the Chornobyl Power Plant marked one of the gravest nuclear disasters in human history. Its true toll, long obscured by Soviet secrecy, has only become clearer over time. To this day, its legacy remains a stark reminder that ensuring nuclear safety depends on transparency, robust safeguards and international cooperation.

Yet today, Moscow’s relentless strikes on Chornobyl’s ‘New Safe Confinement’, the structure built to contain the remains of reactor 4, undermine decades of international efforts and investment amounting to €2.1 billion, to mitigate the consequences of the disaster.

At the same time, Russia’s illegal seizure and continued occupation of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, the largest nuclear facility in Europe, significantly increase the risk to human life and environmental protection. Equally, Moscow’s systematic attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure threaten the stable power supply required for the safe operation of nuclear facilities.

On this gruesome anniversary, we call on Russia to immediately cease all attacks on nuclear facilities in Ukraine and to comply with the Seven Indispensable Pillars for Nuclear Safety and Security during an armed conflict. Russia will be held accountable for putting public safety in danger, must compensate for the damage caused, and return full control of the Zaporizhzhia plant to Ukraine.

The European Union has long supported nuclear safety, nuclear security and radiation protection in Ukraine. Not least with over €1 billion in financing. The EU has also been the largest donor to the international funds managed by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) to make the Chornobyl site environmentally safe.

Today, we also reaffirm our own commitment to the highest standards of nuclear safety, nuclear security and safeguards worldwide. We call on the international community to sustain and reinforce its support for Ukraine, including efforts to repair the New Safe Confinement, and to collectively reflect on how to protect nuclear facilities better, especially in time of war. The G7 initiative to discuss repairs to the Chornobyl site at the upcoming meeting in May is an important step.

Background

The European Union has long been supporting nuclear safety, nuclear security and radiation protection in Ukraine having financed more than €1 billion worth of activities.

The EU has also been the largest donor to the international funds managed by the EBRD to make the Chornobyl site environmentally safe. The EU alone contributed more than €423 million towards the construction of the New Safe Confinement in Chornobyl and just last year, through its Instrument for Nuclear Safety Cooperation provided an additional €37 million for nuclear safety in Ukraine, part of which will support urgent repairs to the New Safe Confinement. Final repairs to the damage caused by the Russian drone strike will require at least €500 million in additional funding. The EU will continue supporting Ukraine and assisting in ensuring nuclear safety, security and radiation protection.

The Commission’s role is to ensure that Member States using nuclear energy employ the highest standards of nuclear safety, radiation protection, security, and non-proliferation. The EU has established a strong regulatory framework for nuclear safety, radiation protection and radioactive waste management, including the amended Nuclear Safety Directive 2014/87/Euratom, Basic safety Standard Directive 2013/59 Euratom, and the Radioactive Waste Directive 2011/70/Euratom.