EU to offer Ukraine 140 mln dollars for Chernobyl sarcophagus
KIEV. April 15. KAZINFORM The European Commission will provide over 140 million U.S. dollars to Ukraine at a donors' conference for Chernobyl projects next week, the Interfax-Ukraine news agency reported Friday. Kazinfom refers to Xinhua.
Michael Karnitschnig, representative of the European Commission, told reporters that European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso will make a contribution from the EU to ensure the completion of the sarcophagus in 2015.
A concrete sarcophagus capping an exploded reactor after the April 1986 disaster has developed cracks and a consortium won a tender in 2007 to build a new sarcophagus, financed by an international fund.
The donation will be more than 140 million U.S. dollars. According to the Interfax-Ukraine, it is estimated to be nearly 157 million dollars.
Karnitschnig said the EU is "one of the most important donors to Ukraine. It has already contributed to the Chernobyl-related projects over 596 million U.S. dollars." Kazinform cites Xinhua. See www.xinhuanet.com for full version