Is Britain still the 'dirty man of Europe'?

In 1998, the UK Government promised a 'progressive and substantial' reduction of radioactive discharges from the Sellafield spent fuel reprocessing plant into the Irish Sea.

At the time of the decision, the UK's Deputy Prime Minister, John Prescott, famously declared "I was ashamed of Britain's record in the past but now we have shed the tag of the Dirty Man of Europe and have joined the family of nations".

Yet discharges from Sellafield are higher now than in 1998 and are set to double over the next few years (Find out more in Greenpeace's briefing paper on OSPAR and radioactive discharges from Sellafield).

Environment minister Elliot Morley is likely to face severe criticism from our European neighbours when signatories to the OSPAR Convention meet in Germany on June 25th and 26th.

OSPAR was established in 1998 to protect the North-East Atlantic (including the North Seas). The convention has been signed by 16 countries.

Since then, discharges of radioactive substances into the sea have dominated OSPAR discussions. The UK and France have actively obstructed OSPAR's progress at every step. So in effect, OSPAR has achieved almost nothing.

The tactics used by the UK and France have ensured its "business as usual" for Sellafield and the reprocessing plant in La Hague.

At the 1998 meeting, all Parties agreed to:

1. Work towards achieving further substantial reductions of discharges, by the year 2000; and

2. Progressive and substantial reductions in radioactive discharges to achieve by the year 2020 close to zero concentrations in the marine environment above historic levels.

In the five years since its supposedly "groundbreaking" decision, OSPAR has failed even to agree a 'baseline' against which progress is supposed to be measured.

In 2000, all signatories - except for the UK and France - agreed to implement "the non-reprocessing option", such as dry storage. The decision has had no effect, because of its non-acceptance by the UK and France.

The credibility of OSPAR, and therefore its future value as a progressive and protective regional convention, will be seriously damaged if the UK and France are not held to account.

These countries should not be allowed to get away with signing up to "progressive and substantial reductions" in radioactive discharges and then increasing them!

Until the 2003 meeting, the non-reprocessing countries can legitimately blame the UK and France for preventing the progressive and substantial reduction in radioactive discharges to the marine environment. After 2003, unless they are prepared to hold UK and France fully and publicly to account, the blame will lie with all of them.

Find out more in Greenpeace's briefing paper on OSPAR and radioactive discharges from Sellafield.