Eric Smaling of the Netherlands greets Rapporteur Serhiy Shevchuk.BELGRADE, 8 July 2011 – Meeting for the first time since the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Committee on Economic Affairs, Science, Technology and Environment today passed a resolution to increase nuclear energy safety and create a global disaster response system.

With nuclear energy accounting for 35 per cent of Europe’s electricity, the resolution stresses the need to plan energy infrastructure mindful of “environmental threats and nuclear safety.”

“We must all learn new lessons from this year’s catastrophe in Japan,” said Serhiy Shevchuk (Ukraine), rapporteur of the committee. “To save more lives and speed up international assistance we need to develop a global disaster planning and preparedness system.”

The resolution calls for the international community to participate in building the new containment structure at Chernobyl in Ukraine and create a global system to:

• rapidly notify governments of natural disasters,
• co-ordinate international assistance to the affected areas, and
• attract foreign investment to spur redevelopment in hard-hit communities.

“Whether we are addressing cyber security or energy security, our own national parliaments and national policies are strongest when they are informed by the work of our neighbors,” said committee chair Roland Blum (France). “This resolution is a step forward in our continued co-operation on matters vital to our long-term economic and environmental health."

The resolution also calls for:

• investment in environmentally safe industries and energy-saving technologies;
• greater economic co-operation through creation of open, integrated markets;
• greater co-operation and information sharing in the field of cyber security.

The resolution now goes before the full Assembly for a vote Sunday as part of the Belgrade Declaration, which helps shape OSCE and national policy.

The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly is comprised of 320 parliamentarians from 55 countries spanning, Europe, Central Asia and North America. The Assembly provides a forum for parliamentary diplomacy, monitors elections, and strengthens international co-operation to uphold commitments on political, security, economic, environmental and human rights issues.