STCU Participates in inauguration of the EU funded project for Ivankiv located near Chernobyl Exclusion Zone

30 Apr 2013

On April 26, 2013, the European Union inaugurated a € 4 million EU-funded project to protect the health of the people living around the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. Members of the European Parliament, Ms. Michèle Rivasi and Ms. Corinne Lepage, and the Head of the EU Delegation to Ukraine, Ambassador Jan Tombinski, described the expected results of the project in the Ivankiv hospital. Together with representatives from the Ukrainian government and Parliament representatives, Ambassador M. Michael Einik, Executive Director of the Science and Technology Centre of Ukraine, paid tribute to the victims of the Chernobyl accident.

“"The Science and Technology Center in the Ukraine is honored to have the opportunity to support this project. As one of the first international organizations active in the region, the STCU has supported Ukrainian and regional non-proliferation efforts for almost 20 years.

It has undertaken some 1,500 projects supporting thousands of local scientists and research Institutes. The European Union has been and continues to be one of the Center’s main funders. In recent years the Center has moved to address environmental risks associated with Chemical, Biological, and Radioactive and Nuclear activities. This project is important for Europe, the Ukraine, the region, but most importantly for the local population of Ivankiv. It represents the best of what we do, and should continue to do in the future."” added Ambassador M. Michael EINIK, Executive Director of the Science and Technology Center in the Ukraine.



In his welcome video-address, co-president of the Greens/EFA Alliance M. Daniel COHN-BENDIT expressed hope that the project will “keep on researching and explaining the continuing contamination in the Chernobyl zone”.

Michèle RIVASI, Vice-President of the Greens/European Free Alliance Group, said: “Millions of people are still living in contaminated areas surrounding Chernobyl. After spending millions of Euros to improve the safety of the nuclear power plant and the so-called 'sarcophagus', the EU will at last help the victims of this permanent nuclear disaster thanks to an amendment tabled by the Greens and voted by the European parliament. I am very pleased that this programme will contribute to the understanding of the consequences of chronic radioactive contamination."

Corinne LEPAGE, Member of the Liberal Democrat Group stated: "It is important for me to pay tribute to the thousands of liquidators who participated in clean-up operations following the Chernobyl disaster. So far, research programmes were essentially technical. I am pleased that we have at last a research programme that focuses on local people living in contaminated areas and especially to children and pregnant women.”

“Implementation of the project in Ivankiv will allow for early detection of diseases and for providing respective medical services to people who suffered from the Chernobyl disaster,” says Olexandr LELIAK, head of the Ivankiv rayon state administration.

With its new initiative, the EU earmarked €1.4 million to provide the Ivankiv Hospital with equipment to:
• Measure the radioactive and chemical agents in human beings and their food;
• Monitor the levels of internal radioactive contamination of the population;
• Prevent diseases in mothers and children by medical control to pregnant women;
• Create a counseling centre to teach the population about healthy nutrition.
This work is part of an overall support package of €4 million relating to:
• Support to small farmers and construction of greenhouses;
• Creation of an incineration plant for contaminated wood, to avoid further spreading of radioactivity through forest fires;
• Further study on the contamination in the area in and around Chernobyl.


You may find more information of the events by clicking at the link below:
www.euronews.com