Activities of Michèle RIVASI related to 2021/2152(DEC)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on discharge in respect of the implementation of the budget of the European Joint Undertaking for ITER and the Development of Fusion Energy for the financial year 2020
Amendments (15)
Amendment 1 #
Proposal for a decision 1
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Grants the Director of the European Joint Undertaking for ITER and the Development of Fusion Energy discharge in respect of the implementation of the Joint Undertaking’s budget for the financial year 2020 / Postpones its decision on discharge to the Director of the European Joint Undertaking for ITER and the Development of Fusion Energy in respect of the implementation of the Joint Undertaking’s budget for the financial year 2020;
Amendment 2 #
Proposal for a decision 2
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Approves the closure of the accounts of the European Joint Undertaking for ITER and the Development of Fusion Energy for the financial year 2020 / Postpones the closure of the accounts of the European Joint Undertaking for ITER and the Development of Fusion Energy for the financial year 2020;
Amendment 4 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Notes from the Court’s report the emphasis of matter drawing attention to the estimate of the total cost for completing its delivery obligations for the ITER project in 204235, assessed by the Joint Undertaking at EUR 17 968 050 000 (in 2020 values) and to the fact that changes in key assumptions concerning the estimate and the risk exposure could lead to significant costs increases and/or to further delays in the implementation of the ITER project; notes that among the key assumptions the ITER baseline approved in November 2016 by the Council of ITER Organization leading to First Plasma in December 2025, and the start of the Deuterium-Tritium phase in December 2035 is still maintained even if ITER organisation acknowledges significant delays resulting from the late delivery and quality problems of some components, and the world health pandemic; notes in contrast that the 2010 baseline estimated the achievement of the construction phase in 2020, and that the current ITER baseline approved in 2016 is considered to be the earliest possible technically achievable date; notes that ITER organisation is currently assessing the extent and impact of any delays and that ITER Council is planned to receive an updated baseline in June 2022; calls on the Joint Undertaking to report to the discharge authority of any development in that regard; notes that the Court’s report refers to in particular changes in nuclear safety requirements that are under the ultimate authority of the French Nuclear Safety Authority, the cost estimate for the Hot Cell Complex which has not been revised, as well as requirement changes;
Amendment 7 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2 a. Is extremely alarmed that serious safety and radioprotection problems are identified by the French Nuclear Safety Authority (NSA) inspectors and that the ITER organisation refuses to follow their recommendations in this regard. Takes note that on 5 January 2022, the NSA has announced that the reactor assembly is no longer authorized, which means in practice a shutdown of the ITER project. Calls on the Joint Undertaking to report to the discharge authority of any development in that regard;
Amendment 9 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Notes the ITER Council decided to maintain temporarily this baseline plan with First Plasma set in December 2025 despite the forecasted delay of 8 months due to the accumulation of delays in component deliveries, the start of the installation activities at the Cadarache site, and the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic; notes that the ITER Organization has acknowledged that there is an irreversible slippage of the schedule for First Plasma and; regrets that the delay is estimated in total at about 17 months and that that is not only driven by the health pandemic but also by the late delivery of some components, notably the Vacuum Vessel, and particularly its sectors under European responsibility, as well as the overall slower assembly works by the international organisation; calls the Joint Undertaking to report the discharge authority in that regard; notes, moreover, the lack of contingency in the schedule and that the suggestion of Commission and the United States Department of Energy were not retained and included at European level; notes from the 9th Annual Assessment report that the schedule Contingency reserve should be introduced in the concerned Joint Undertaking’s activities planning and that it should be part of the schedule baseline; notes, moreover, the recommendations made by the panel of assessors on Management Reserves; calls on the Joint Undertaking to report to the discharge authority in that regard;
Amendment 10 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3 a. Points to the environmental hazards created by the ITER project, in particular in relation to the questionable quality and execution of the assembly and of the components of the project;
Amendment 11 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Notes that the ITER Organization is expected to present an updated schedule on the construction of the ITER site in Spring 2022 with the view of its adoption in November 2022, subject to an assessment by a panel of independent experts; calls on the Joint Undertaking to urgently report any development in that regard and especially on the date of the starting of the Deuterium-Tritium phase;
Amendment 12 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Is aware of the fact that in addition to the construction phase, the Joint Undertaking will have to contribute to the ITER operational phase after 2035 and to the subsequent ITER deactivation and decommissioning phases; notes that the contribution to the deactivation and decommissioning phases were estimated, respectively, at EUR 95 540 000 and EUR 180 200 000 (at 2001 values); is disappointed that the contribution of the Joint Undertaking to operation phase after 2035 is still not estimated; calls on the Joint Undertaking to report to the discharge authority of any development in that regard;
Amendment 16 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Notes that the Joint Undertaking has achieved the ITER Council/Governing Board milestone for the crane access between the Assembly Hall and Tokamak Building which allowed for the start of ITER assembly in July 2020 and delivered first major components to ITER Organization; notes, moreover, from the progress report that in 2020 the ITER Organization announced that the overall project had reached 72.1 % of the total construction work scope to First Plasma against a planned value of 77.3 %, and that including all post First Plasma construction work to achieve Deuterium-Tritium the ITER project execution reached 57.7 %; is alarmed that serious safety problems are identified by the NSA inspectors related to the two main components of the vacuum chamber and detected leaks in the basins of the cooling towers of the vacuum chamber; is informed that these two main components of the vacuum chamber fell during handling at manufacturing sites, in South Korea in April 2021 and in Italy in May 2021; takes note additionally of the ITER organisation decision to lower the masterpieces into the pit without welding them;
Amendment 17 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11 a. Is extremely worried about the radioprotection issue concerning the ‘bioshield’ two-metre thick concrete wall that surrounds the tokamak to protect workers and the environment. In fact, because of errors in the design and construction of the wall, the effective biological protection will be 30% lower than expected; is alarmed that the ITER organisation refuses to follow the French NSA recommendations and that on 5 January 2022 the NSA has announced that the reactor assembly is no longer authorized, which means in practice a shutdown of the ITER project; calls on the Joint Undertaking to report to the discharge authority of any development in that regard;
Amendment 20 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Notes the Joint Undertaking’s Anti- Fraud Action Plan covering the period 2020 through 2023, following its strategy adopted in 2019, and the awareness raising events and trainings organised for staff and management; moreover, notes that in 2020, 33 anti-fraud actions have been implemented; calls on the Joint Undertaking to report to the discharge authority on the outcome of those actions;
Amendment 21 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Notes that with a view to preventing and managing conflicts of interest, the Anti-Fraud and Ethics Officer organised a training for new staff and specific training for F4E managers; encourages the Joint Undertaking to introduce such training scheme on a permanent basis, with compulsory sessions for newly employed staff and regular reminder sessions for all staff; is concerned that while F4E has implemented actions plans, organised trainings for the F4E managers, the working situation in the organization has been constantly deteriorating; points that successive management assessments in 2019 and 2020 and several internal surveys highlighted repeatedly the enormous workload and pressure on staff, the disproportionate use of external resources undermining the long term sustainability of the organization, the lack of trust in the Director and the Senior Management, the dysfunctional and non- transparent internal decision-making, and the overall weak management practices;
Amendment 23 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Notes with concern from the Court’s report that the Joint Undertaking's recruitment procedures made in 2020 lacked transparency in drawing up the final shortlist of candidates to be invited for the next assessment phase (interviews and written tests), and that it is not clear how the selection committee took account of the advantageous criteria for shortlisting candidates; notes the Joint Undertaking’s reply that in 2021 it started to include fully quantitative assessments of applications; calls on the Joint Undertaking to diligently review its recruitment policy with the aim of increasing transparency and fairness of the process and to report to the discharge authority any development in that regard;
Amendment 30 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
Paragraph 18 a (new)
18 a. Is extremely concerned that in May 2021 a F4E staff member committed suicide denouncing, in his last letter to his family, the work pressure and unhealthy working environment in F4E; is aware that a technical audit of the work of his team had been undergoing for more than 15 months accompanied by a far-reaching reorganization, and the F4E Governing Board and the Commission launched a preliminary assessment of the events that led to this dramatic event; is also aware that the staff of the F4E and trade unions openly disputed the findings of this preliminary assessment and organised a massive strike to denounce the insufficiency of the proposed measures to improve the working environment of the JUs;
Amendment 32 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 b (new)
Paragraph 18 b (new)
18 b. Is aware that on the 17 January 2022, the heads of the three main trade unions sent a letter on behalf of the F4E staff to the Commissioner Hahn and Simson about the critical situation in F4E asking the Commission to support an OLAF inquiry into the F4E professional environment; notes that in addition they also ask that the Commission performs “an in-depth assessment of the current F4E Senior Management, in particular in relation to their credibility and capacity to implement, in the present context, a change programme capable to restore trust and to transform the F4E working environment and corporate culture”; calls on the Joint Undertaking to report to the discharge authority of any development in that regard;