INFORMATION FOR THE PRESS Greenpeace: "Commerzbank will not be able to finance Belene NPP project in Bulgaria"
Frankfurt am Main / Prague - 18 May 2006 - During the Annual General Meeting of the Commerzbank, Commerzbank president Klaus-Peter Müller answered critical shareholders and environmental organisations questioning Bulgaria's claim that Commerzbank was interested in financing the Belene nuclear power plant, that the Commerzbank will only step into nuclear projects if they fulfill the highest standards known globally. On concrete questions whether Commerzbank would finance a nuclear power station in an earthquake zone, or whether Commerzbank would finance a nuclear power station design that would not be able to receive permission in Germany, he answered that such a power station project obviously was not fulfilling the globally highest norms - and that he thought it was clear what that meant in respect to Belene. He added that Commerzbank would never be satisfied with Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) that would only fulfill local norms, but that to be acceptable for the Commerzbank, also the EIA of a nuclear project would have to fulfill the most stringent norms internationally known. He said that Commerzbank honestly wanted to face the challenges to future generations that projects like Belene posed. In reaction to these declarations, Greenpeace nuclear expert for Central Europe, Jan Haverkamp - who also spoke at the AGM - commented: "Commerzbank chief Müller made clear today that a project like Belene cannot count on financing from his bank. Belene is situated in a seismic active zone, its Environmental Impact Assessment is incomplete and manipulated and the proposed design would never be able to get permission in Germany." He added: "Commerzbank confirmed to us what we already were afraid of: Bulgarian Economy Minister Ovcharov had no reason to claim after his visit to Germany in January that Commerzbank was interested in financing Belene. Ovcharov once more bluffed to brainwash the Bulgarian public. Greenpeace hopes that this clear standpoint of Commerzbank will open the eyes in Bulgaria and force the Bulgarian government to stop with this prestige project and turn its efforts to develop a truely sustainable energy policy for Bulgaria." 1994 Goldman Prize winner Heffa Schücking of the German bank watchdog 'urgewald' said: "Although it is clear that Commerzbank has to stop short of saying 'we don't fund nuclear', it is from Müller's statements also clear that Commerzbank is highly aware that its reputation of the largest investor in renewable energy sources would be severely damaged if it would step into Belene." On 23 May, activists and experts of urgewald, the Bulgarian BeleNE! coalition, and the international watchdog organisation Bankwatch will visit with support from Greenpeace and a large number of other organisations the AGM of HVB Bank in Munich. On June 1st, the 1996 Goldman Prize winner Albena Simeonova from Bulgaria, who had to face death threats last year because of her engagement against Belene, will question the Board of Deutsche Bank on its AGM with support from the above mentioned organisations. Heffa Schücking: "The Belene project should not be funded with German money - it should not be funded at all. The future for Europe lies in energy efficiency and renewable sources - not in dangerous, expensive and superfluous nuclear power." FOR MORE INFORMATION: Jan Haverkamp, energy expert for Central Europe for Greenpeace and WISE/NIRS, tel.: +420.603 569 243, email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Heffa Schücking, president of urgewald, tel.: +4925839189937, mobile: +4916096761436, email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Petko Kovachev, BeleNE! coalition and CEE Bankwatch, Bulgaria: tel.: +359888420453, email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] | | Jan Haverkamp | consultant for WISE Czech Republic | consultant on nuclear energy issues in Central and Eastern Europe | for Greenpeace | | Nad Borislavkou 58 | CZ - 160 00 Praha 6 | Czech Republic | | tel./fax (home): +420.2.3536 1734 | mobile: +420.603 569 243 | | e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] | e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] | | WISE - the World Information Service on Energy | Internet: http://www.antenna.nl/wise | | GREENPEACE | Internet: http://www.greenpeace.org | *** Nuclear power is expensive, risky, uneconomic and creates nuclear waste for which there is no solution so far - and alternatives exist that are economic, climate saving and safe. 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