Sittings · Document

DRAFT BUDGETARY ASSESSMENT (COM(2025)0476 – C100271/2025 – 2025/0268(NLE)) 2026-03-04

On the proposal for a Council regulation establishing the nuclear decommissioning assistance programme of the Ignalina nuclear power plant in Lithuania for the period 2028-2034, and repealing Regulation (EU) 2021/101

Committee on Budgets · Rapporteur: Rasmus Nordqvist

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The Committee on Budgets gives its budgetary assessment of the proposed Council regulation for the Ignalina nuclear decommissioning assistance programme in Lithuania for 2028-2034, which repeals Regulation (EU) 2021/101. It considers the programme envelope should be increased from EUR 678 000 000, and that sufficient human resources must be available from the outset and throughout the next multiannual financial framework. It stresses that complementarity with other instruments must not weaken expenditure traceability or the budgetary authority's control, and that external assigned revenue must be clearly limited, transparent and scrutinised by Parliament. It submits an amendment replacing the indicative financial envelope with a reference amount of EUR [number from the interim report, in current and 2025 prices].

Committee position. The Committee on Budgets concludes that the programme envelope should be increased from EUR 678 000 000, that sufficient human resources must be available, and that budgetary control and transparency on external assigned revenue must be ensured; it submits an amendment replacing the indicative financial envelope with a reference amount.

Key points

  1. The Ignalina programme is meant to help Lithuania address safety challenges of decommissioning a nuclear power plant and to generate knowledge shared with EU member states and third countries.
  2. The proposed programme continues activities conducted since the early 2000s that are expected to run until 2049.
  3. Nuclear safety is a public good, and past programmes showed the added value of collecting and disseminating knowledge on nuclear safety and decommissioning.
  4. The EU's financial and technical contribution to decommissioning Ignalina is enshrined in Lithuania's Accession Treaty as a demonstration of European solidarity.
  5. The Committee on Budgets considers the programme envelope should be increased from EUR 678 000 000 to fulfil its objectives.
  6. It considers sufficient human resources must be available from the outset and throughout the entire programming period of the next multiannual financial framework.
  7. It takes note of suggested complementarity with the Instrument for Nuclear Safety Cooperation and Decommissioning or the Cohesion Fund, but insists this must not harm expenditure traceability or the budgetary authority's prerogatives.
  8. The budgetary authority should retain full control over how resources are combined across instruments and over each programme's contribution to EU priorities, notably through detailed budgetary nomenclature.
  9. Use of external assigned revenue under the programme must be clearly circumscribed, fully transparent and subject to effective parliamentary scrutiny.
  10. Any amendment to provisions on external assigned revenue by the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy should be coordinated with the Committee on Budgets and other committees.
  11. The proposal for a performance regulation sets a single streamlined list of performance indicators and monitoring and evaluation provisions, some relevant to the Ignalina programme.
  12. Any change in the programme's architecture, objectives and eligible actions must be reflected in the monitoring provisions under Annex I of the performance regulation during its amendment and negotiation.

Who is affected

  • Lithuania: receives EU assistance to address safety challenges of decommissioning the Ignalina nuclear power plant.
  • EU member states and third countries: share knowledge generated by the programme for their own decommissioning activities.
  • The budgetary authority: must retain full control over combining resources across instruments and over expenditure traceability.
  • Participating third countries and other donors: their financial contributions are covered by provisions on external assigned revenue.

Figures and deadlines

  • EUR 678 000 000 — current programme envelope that the committee considers should be increased.
  • 1 January 2028 to 31 December 2034 — period for implementation of the programme.
  • EUR [number from the interim report, in current and 2025 prices] — reference amount proposed in Amendment 1.

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