Brussels reduces the EU share in financing closure of the Ignalina NPP

The European Commission (EC) indicated that Lithuania should increase its contribution to financing the Ignalina NPP (INPP) closure. The draft regulation approved by the Commission on Wednesday says that the European Union (EU) will finance no more than 80% of the expenditures in the budget of 2021-2027, and Lithuania and other international donors will contribute 20%. In the current budget, the share of Lithuanian financing was 14%. Brussels officials say that Lithuania’s contribution is increasing due to improved economic situation of Lithuania, in order to improve its reporting and upon the recommendation of the European Court of Auditors. “The gross maximum share of the total Union funding applied in accordance with this project should not exceed 80%. The remaining funding should be allocated from Lithuania’s resources and additional sources, in addition to the budget of the Union,” the document says. The Lithuanian government intends to seek more favorable conditions for financing in negotiations with the member states and the European Parliament (EP). “Long and intensive negotiations are coming, and we have quite a lot of arguments in favor of adjusting this percentage,” Minister of Energy Žygimantas Vaičiūnas told BNS. Lithuania undertook to close the INPP after joining the EU. The station completely stopped electricity output at the end of 2009. Works on the closure may last till 2038. The EC proposes to allocate 552 million Euros from the EU budget for the INPP closure for the period of 2021-2027. The Lithuanian government asked to allocate 780 million Euros. Nowadays Lithuania actively considers the possibility to remove Nukem controlled by the Russian state corporation Rosatom from the closure projects and attract Western companies instead. Source: ru.DELFI