On the need to carry out a verification on the plan for monitoring radioactivity of the land in Palomares (Spain)  

The petition concerns the Palomares incident, in which United States Airforce aircraft collided mid-flight over the area in 1966, resulting in plutonium contamination. The European Commission completed a verification mission to the area in 2010 and agreed that the plans for management and surveillance of the area were adequate at the time. The U.S.A. signed an agreement with Spain in 2015 to manage the radioactive waste. The petitioner believes that the U.S.A. plans for restoring the area and removing the radioactive waste do not result in adequate safety protection or standards. He alleges that the plans will still result in a high concentration of a dangerous isotope in the area. In addition, he alleges that the plans detail an area to be cleared which amounts to 28000 m³, a significant reduction from the previous figure of 50000 m³, in the Palomares rehabilitation plan (PRP) agreed in 2010. He believes that partial decontamination is not an adequate solution. The petitioner alleges that there is still a social and economic stigma in the area and the tourism and agricultural sectors are seriously affected. He therefore requests that the EC independently verify the area for monitoring levels of radioactivity and investigate this issue, in accordance with article 35 of the Euratom treaty.