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Parliamentary Office
for evaluation
of scientific and technological options (OPECST)
Whereas science was long considered as a vehicle of knowledge, and not as the
principle of an action, modern times have witnessed the development of sciences
and technologies enabling mankind to act upon nature. In other words, science
has passed from speculation to action. However, in doing so, it has brought
up fresh problems and new concerns. If, only yesterday, we allowed it free development
in the context of everyone's well-being it was supposed to guarantee, we now
ask it to show previous proof of its innocence.
From this observation was born the idea of technology assessment which appeared
essential to scientific and political bodies. Mechanisms had to be put in place
in order to control technical progress while, at the same time, anticipating
its consequences.
In the early 80's, on the occasion of a number of debates such as the orientations
concerning nuclear, spatial or "cable" programmes, Parliament came to the conclusion
that it was unable to evaluate Government's decisions on the major directions
of scientific and technological policy.
It therefore decided to endow itself with its own structure of assessment:
the Parliamentary Office for Evaluation of Scientific and Technological Options
(OPECST).
OPECST, which was set up by Act n° 83-609 of July 8, 1983, following a
unanimous vote of Parliament, aims, within the terms of the act, " to
inform Parliament of scientific and technological options in order, specifically,
to make its decisions clear ". Regarding this, OPECST " collects
information, launches study programmes and carries out assessments ".
What is the
stucture of OPECST ?
An independent structure
OPECST is a particular structure
within Parliament: its members, who are nominated in order to guarantee a proportional
representation of political groups, belong both to the National Assembly and
to the Senate. It is composed of eight Members of the National Assembly and
eight Senators ; each member thereof has a deputy with the same powers,
who may be designated as a " rapporteur " (1)
under the same conditions, but with authority only to vote in the absence of
the person entitled.
As regard the chairmanship of OPECST, it is customary for the chairman to be
a member of either assembly, alternately, for a period of three years. Internal
rules stipulate that the vice-chairman shall belong to the other assembly.
(1) A " rapporteur "
is a Member of Parliament in charge of writing a report on a given subject.
Only Members of Parliament may refer matters to OPECST
Matters can be referred to OPECST by the board of either assembly (at the
request of the chairman of a political group, or on the initiative of sixty
Members of the National Assembly or forty Senators), or by a special or permanent
committee.
Until now, the topics dealt with have belonged to four main subjects: energy,
environment, new technologies and sciences of life.
Some matters referred to OPECST have been reexamined several years on end, such
as problems connected with the safety and security of nuclear installations.
Others have requested the updating of one of OPECST's previous reports (development
of the semiconductor sector, television with digital high-definition, high-activity
nuclear waste, etc.). The renewal of these matters has enabled OPECST to ensure
the following-up of certain files.
The Scientific Committee
acts as an intermediary between the political world and the world of research.
It must be listening to researchers and request authorized opinions. In order
to carry out its task, OPECST is assisted by a Scientific Committee reflecting
the diversity of scientific and technological disciplines in its very composition,
as it is made up of fifteen leading figures selected for their competence.
What are the study
programmes ?
The " rapporteur "'s nomination
Any matter referred to OPECST leads to the nomination of one or more " rapporteurs ",
exclusively selected from the members of OPECST. Many different study programmes
have brought together a Member of the National Assembly and a Senator.
The feasibility study
When a " rapporteur " has been designated, he first draws up
a feasibility study, whose aim is to establish the state of our knowledge on
the subject, to determine possible trends of research, to assess the possibilities
of obtaining relevant results within the deadline, and finally to evaluate the
necessary means for starting a study programme.
The " rapporteur " then submits the conclusions of his feasibility
study together with methodological remarks to the members of OPECST. At that
stage, he suggests either that an end should be put to his work, (it happens
very rarely), or he proposes to modify the extent of the study (a study first
dealing with bio-carburants was thus extended to prospects for development of
non food agricultural products), or, much more frequently, he starts a study
programme that leads to the drawing-up of a report.
The drafting of a report
The " rapporteur " then goes ahead with hearings enabling him
to gather, without exclusion, all opinions from concerned persons and organisations.
He may also travel in France or abroad in order to inspect installations and
firms connected with his work..
Throughout his study, the " rapporteur " is assisted by a parliamentary
civil servant and, if need be, by a work-group made up of competent people not
belonging to Parliament. He may also hire French or foreign free-lance experts
and consultants for further investigation into specific items. He may likewise
gather the opinions of trades unions, professional organisations, and charities
for the protection of the environment or consumer-defence.
However, OPECST's reports are not restricted to putting side by side the experts'points
of view. Their conclusions are the work of Members of Parliament and may go
beyond mere information by including suggestions and recommendations.
If the " rapporteur " deems it necessary, press-hearings are organised
to gather and confront the opinions of leading figures and organisations wishing
to express themselves on the subject in discussion. The minutes of these hearings
may then be annexed to the report.
The " rapporteurs "' powers
OPECST " rapporteurs " have identical powers as budgetary " rapporteurs ":
they may therefore carry out direct investigations on any organisation dependent
of the State and have access to any available document, with the exception of
those dealing with military matters or State security. In addition, in the event
of difficulties encountered in exercising their mission, OPECST " rapporteurs "
may request to be given the prerogatives granted to parliamentary committees
of inquiry.
How are their reports published ?
At the end of their work, the " rapporteurs " submit their draft
report and conclusions to the members of OPECST. They are presented in such
a way that they may be used directly for legislative work or budgetary discussion.
Members of OPECST must decide whether they publish these works and all or part
of the minutes of the hearings and the contributions by the experts. In this
respect, OPECST's decisions are mostly unanimous and the consensus of its decisions
is one of OPECST’s main features.
The documents from OPECST, making up a particular collection within all the
parliamentary reports, are on sale at the " Kiosque de l’Assemblée
Nationale " , at the " Espace Librairie du Sénat " and
at the Official Gazette.
What are its general and international
concerns ?
OPECST has gradually become an efficient instrument in parliamentary affairs.
Several acts make provision either for its information or its participation
in the nomination of representatives of Parliament within various bodies, or
for its representation, by its President or one of its members, within the board
of directors of various organisations.
It has also become an acknowledged spokesman for the whole scientific community
and pursues connections with this community. The events bringing together OPECST
and high-level organisations -the Académie des Sciences, CEA, Cité
des Sciences et de l'Industrie, CNRS, etc.- are the true illustration of this.
Every year, several conferences and seminars are organised by OPECST, either
in relation to one of its concerns or about a scientific or technological subject.
Finally, OPECST also contributes to the development of international parliamentary
relations and takes part in various congresses and events, in particular on
the European level. Thus, over the last few years, we have seen the setting-up
of an information and exchange network, the European Parliamentary Technology
Assessment, bringing together the European organisations responsible for conducting
scientific and technological assessments for national Parliaments and the European
Parliament.
In the near future, OPECST would like to continue and strengthen its various
missions and, in particular, play a role in furthering the exchange between
the political and scientific worlds.
OPECST's reports : abstracts
85.
Alerts as to the imminence of an
epidemic appear regularly in the news.
In this report Mr Jean-Pierre Door, Deputy, and Mrs Marie-Christine Blandin,
Senator, study the ‘epidemic risk’. Diseases caused by an infectious agent
today form the most complex public health problem, as the nature of the viruses,
bacteria or prions which we may have to deal with is not known in advance.
The public authorities are making a considerable effort in this field. The
progress accomplished by the French health monitoring and alert system is
remarkable, even if the 2003 heat wave showed there could be shortcomings in
this system, which are analysed by the rapporteurs.
One conclusion stands out: the policy combating the epidemic risk has to be all
inclusive. It cannot be limited to medical issues. Hygiene, living conditions,
and the level of information and culture are also fundamental parameters.
83.
"Implementation
of act n° 98-535 of 1 july 1998 on the strengthening of health monitoringand
surveillance of the health safety of products intended for human consumption
"
The
Act of 1 July 1998 introduced an innovative institutional and functional
architecture forming a new step in health safety in France. This Act lays down
that the Government and Parliament, through the Office parlementaire
d’évaluation des choix scientifiques et technologiques
(Parliamentary Office for
Science and Technology Assessment) shall assess the implementation of all the
Act’s provisions prior to their possible reconsideration. The report by Mr
Claude Saunier, Senator (Côtes-d’Armor), continues the work by Mr Bernard
Seillier, Senator (Aveyron), and corresponds to this referral by right.
This assessment concerns the suitability of the institutions and mechanisms for
the safety, reactivity and transparency aims set forth by the Act of 1998 and it
also relates to the already made or on-going adjustments rendered necessary by
recent events (heat wave of 2003, plant health products, medicinal drugs).
The report itself comprises four sections: an overview of health safety; the
Agence française de la sécurité sanitaire des aliments (AFSSA – French Food
Safety Agency); the Agence française de sécurité sanitaire des produits de
santé (AFSSAPS – French Health Products Safety Agency); and the
clarification of some mechanisms and other competent bodies, particularly in the
environmental field.
* The general organisation of health safety today proves globally satisfactory,
meeting the set objectives; the option for a single health safety agency for all
products and all hazards was rightly dismissed in 1998 and the organisational
principles set in place have been confirmed: separation between assessment and
management of a hazard, the case of the AFSSAPS forming a justified exception.
The implementation of the general principles of health and environmental safety
must however be permanently adapted. The principles must be placed back in
perspective to take account of the real hazards: environmental standards form a
means of measuring a danger or a hazard and their amendment is only envisageable
with respect to these dangers or hazards. Similarly, the gap between the high
levels of safety attained (food field) and obvious threats due to risk
behaviours (obesity) requires more attention than ever as regards the
orientation and focussing of health vigilance on the real hazards.
* The AFSSA has met the expectations and reached the goals assigned to it in the
sphere of health safety, where crises have been avoided or mastered, and also in
that of nutrition where it is contributing decisively to the prevention of
obesity. Some adjustments can be made in concertation with the other players of
the field, particularly at European level where the stakeholders have not all
determined their positioning.
* The AFSSAPS, whose powers are considerably broader than those of the Agence
du médicament (Medicinal Drugs Agency) which preceded it, has had to cope
with difficulties inherent in its setting up; further, it has undergone unending
changes in the external administrative mechanisms which have impacted its
workload and its relations with the other entities responsible in the health
products field, particularly the health ministry. The market approval procedures
have been correctly applied within the present reference framework, but the
current worldwide Vioxx crisis is raising many questions and requires a
collective rebound. Several essential recommendations are made in this respect,
with the overarching desire to place progress at the service of the population.
Expertise, for instance, must be radically reviewed both concerning the
conceptions and the means which must necessarily be devoted to it. The creation
of a high scientific expertise authority is therefore recommended. In addition,
Parliament should address this issue by one of its monitoring and assessment
procedures.
Further, the risks of the trivialization of medicinal drugs, especially with
Internet sales, are also signalled, particularly in view of the situation in the
United States and Germany.
* The clarification of some mechanisms proves necessary in the health safety
field globally but also in specific fields such as health at work and chemicals.
The specific issue of the positioning of the Agence française de sécurité
sanitaire environnementale (AFSSE – French Environmental Health Safety
Agency) (Act of 9 May 2001) is addressed and is the subject of a recommendation
for it to be grouped for the time being with the AFSSA. The prospect of the
creation, on new and ambitious bases, of an environmental agency is to be
rapidly envisaged.
82.-
"Biotechnologies in France and in Europe"
As a follow-up
to his report devoted in 1998 to the use of GMOs in agriculture and food,
Jean-Yves Le Déaut studies, in this new report, the prospects offered by
biotechnologies in other application sectors, their diffusion, the economic
stakes and the constraints surrounding their development. On the basis of the
arrangements implemented in several countries, he identifies the levers for the
development of biotechnologies requiring the mobilisation of high amounts of
finance and the involvement of all the players, universities, research
organisations, industrial groups and small and medium sized companies, which
shall mutually strengthen one another.
It is quite clear that France and Europe are lagging behind.
France is showing signs of faltering in the fields of public and
private research, innovation, and the creation of companies, particularly with
respect to the United States. This delay must and can be overcome.
Biotechnologies, which have developed thanks to the fantastic
progress made by life sciences, are key technologies. Jean-Yves Le Déaut feels
that, beyond the risks often put forward to slow down the development of
biotechnologies, they can improve our living conditions and form a development
instrument for the countries of the South. The scientific and technological
breakthroughs of recent years allow us to anticipate the many benefits which
this report sets out to identify: improving fundamental knowledge, creating
substances of medical interest, developing new therapies, detecting and
diagnosing, diminishing pollution generated by pesticides, increasing yields to
meet food needs, improving the nutritional quality of products, reducing the
consumption of raw materials and energy, treating waste, and depolluting.
Nor can the significance of the industrial stakes be underestimated
in a context marked by successive concentrations. This is particularly the case
in the pharmaceutical sector which, according to Jean-Yves Le Déaut, must cope
with a full-blown ‘crisis’. To escape from this ‘spiral of decline’, he feels
that the existing industrial fabric must be supported and innovation promoted.
The impact of regulations must also be taken into account and care
should be taken to avoid a new form of competition based on regulations. These
issues should mainly be addressed at European level.
Jean-Yves Le Déaut deals with the specific situation of GMOs in
agriculture which, to his mind, illustrates the crisis of biotechnologies in
France and in Europe and emphasises the absolute necessity to renew dialogue
between experts, scientists and citizens.
To rectify this situation, it will be necessary to have stronger
State involvement to cope with the finance crisis of life sciences and
biotechnologies in France. It will also be necessary to enhance the value of the
results of public research. Guaranteeing a status and decent remuneration for
young researchers is the first measure to be taken.
Fifteen recommendations are made comprising sixty-three proposals.
77.-
"Ways of appropriating genetic material"
The
appropriation of genetic material by the biotechnology industry must not be
viewed in isolation but as a powerful sign of the growing trend towards
widespread merchandising which is impacting in our societies on all our
traditional personal values, such as name, private life or image. The result of
this is a continuous extension of the concept of property rights. The most
striking illustration of this trend is its application in the fields of software
and genetic material. This use of the patent has been made possible by what
Alain Claeys calls a real distortion of the traditional criteria of
patentability, which are that inventions should be new, involve an inventive
step and be susceptible of industrial application.
Alain Claeys, in this report, returns to the subject that he had begun to
discuss in his December 2001 report on the patentability of genetic material,
which consisted primarily of an analysis of Directive 98/44/EC of the European
Parliament and of the Council of 6 July 1998 on the legal protection of
biotechnological inventions.
In this new work, Alain Claeys examines in greater detail the consequences of
the growing trend towards appropriation of genetic material from the point of
view of developing countries and the legal, economic, ethical and social issues.
Alain Claeys puts forward twelve recommendations at the national, European and
international levels.
Politicians can no longer ignore the subject of the appropriation of genetic
material. Alain Claeys makes an urgent appeal for politicians to re‑appropriate
it. Given its many potential repercussions (ethical, social and economic), he
would like the patentability of genetic material to be approached as a real
issue of importance for the whole of society and not as a purely technical
problem that only legal experts would be able to settle.
It is therefore up to the politicians, by investing heavily in this area, to
contribute decisively to choices being made which will allow appropriation of
genetic material to be avoided. This area could be viewed as the symbol of a
desire to develop the process internationally in a controlled and
jointly-managed fashion.
70.-
The possible impact of drug taking on the mental health of those concerned.
By Mr Christian Cabal, Deputy
(2002).
As a result of advances in fields such as medical scanning and neurobiology, it
is now possible to get a better idea of how drugs affect the brain.
This report, submitted by Christian Cabal, summarises our knowledge about
the effects of drugs on the brain.
The rapporteur stresses the difficulty of drawing too general conclusions from
this work. The effects of any
particular drug vary widely between individuals and according to the way in
which they are administered, and although there are hard drugs - such as heroin
- which are always harmful, there are now "hard" ways of taking soft
drugs, showing that the latter term has come to have little meaning.
In this paper, readers will not find answers to questions about the
criminalisation of drugs, for that is a separate issue, but they will at least
see convincing evidence about the hazards of these substances.
68.-
The environmental and health effects of nuclear tests carried out by France
between 1960 and 1996, and a comparison with those conducted by the other
nuclear powers.
By Mr Christian Bataille, Deputy, and Mr Henri RevoL,
Senator (2002).
From July 1945 when the first nuclear test was carried out in the United States,
up to the recent underground tests conducted by India and Pakistan in May 1998 (including
the most powerful explosion ever - 58 megatons - in the USSR in 1961, 2419
nuclear tests, of which 543 were in the atmosphere, have been carried out by the
United States, the USSR, the United Kingdom, France, China and the two Asian
states already mentioned.
In line with the Office’s usual practice, the two rapporteurs, Messrs
Christian Bataille, deputy, and Henri Revol, senator, have carefully analysis
the facts and circumstances based on a large number of interviews in
metropolitan France, Polynesia and Australia.
As far as France is concerned, they were able to make use of the earlier studies
carried out by different foreign and French teams, and also the two basic
appraisals done by the IAEA International Consultative Committee and the
International Geomechanical Commission (1998), all of which suggested that
Mururoa and Fangataufa were "the most carefully inspected areas on earth".
Following the collapse of the USSR, and as a result of a United States policy of
declassifying a large number of documents over the last decade, it has been
possible to begin examining the organisation, procedures and results of nuclear
tests, all of which was quite impossible at the end of the 1980s.
All in all, for most of the nuclear test sites, this study provides unpublished
data and analysis which should permit the different procedures and their
consequences to be evaluated on the basis of properly verified facts and recent
research, even though some of the consequences, notably as regards the two
superpowers, are still far from allowing evaluation to any great extent.
67.-
The consequences of scientific and technological developments in the
telecommunications sector.
By
Messrs Pierre Laffitte and René Trégouët, Senators (2001).
The technological combination of information technology and telecommunications
will provide the basis for worldwide growth and lasting development over the
next 10 to 15 years.
It will ultimately bring about economic and social changes on a scale similar to
those brought about by the railway and electricity.
As the cards are dealt in this game, some countries will win, while others will
lose.
Pierre Laffitte and René Trégouët propose four major sets of proposals to
ensure that France and Europe remain in the race.
66.-
The patentability of living matter.
By
Mr Alain Claeys, Deputy (2001).
The successful deciphering of the human genome early in 2001 reawakened
discussion about the patentability of living matter, in other words the
possibility that a person or organisation may acquire the ownership of the
genetic sequences of a living organism. In
the United States this has been possible for plant species since the early
1930s, and Europe has followed a similar approach.
However the ability to acquire ownership of human genetic sequences - essential
components of the human body - is an issue of an entirely different magnitude.
To begin with, it raises ethical issues of great and urgent significance
to all, both politicians and members of the public.
There are also important economic and social questions in this field.
The debate about the patentability of living matter in Europe was reopened on
6th July 1998 by Directive 98/44/CE of the European Parliament and Council,
which concerns the legal protection of inventions in the field of biotechnology.
In this report, Alain Claeys makes his own contribution to the discussion.
His primary aim is instructive, in order to set out the terms of
reference of this problem as clearly as possible, believing that it should not
remain the preserve of a few specialists since it is of concern to the country
as a whole. He also suggests
additional topics for exploration and puts forward proposals as a contribution
to the major public debate that he believes the subject deserves.
65.-
The contribution of new technologies to the underground siting of high andvery
high voltage electric cables.
By Mr Christian Kert, deputy (2001).
In view of the increasing difficulties facing the erection of new overhead
electric lines in protected areas of our country, the question of placing high
and very high voltage cables underground regularly comes up.
The rapporteur, Mr Christian Kert, reviews the situation regarding the
underground siting of electric cables in France by comparison with the other
European countries, describes some of the approaches now being used around the
world and, having interviewed the research teams of the main electrical
engineering and cable manufacturing firms, assesses the new technologies that
should make it possible, through a properly programmed ordering policy, very
substantially to reduce the cost of these operations in the years to come.
The underground siting of high-voltage electric cables, that may sometimes be
seen as no more than a rich country’s whim, is in fact increasingly justified
not only for protecting the environment or the health of the public, but for the
safety of the electrical systems themselves.
64.- Renewable
forms of energy : State of the art and technical outlook.
By Messrs Claude Birraux and Jean-Yves Le Déaut,
deputies (2001).
Renewable forms of energy exploited since time immemorial have now been
reactivated by modern technology: the question is whether they are able to
make any significant contribution to present-day energy supplies or merely serve
as a back-up resource.
It is to this and many other questions that the report by Mr Jean-Yves
Le Déaut, Deputy for Meurthe-et-Moselle, President of the Parliamentary Office
for the Evaluation of Technological and Scientific Choices (OPECTS), and Mr
Claude Birraux, Deputy for Haute-Savoie, vice-President of OPECTS, attempts to
find answers.
The first chapter of the report deals with the following basic issues: “for
what, for whom and to what extent should renewable forms of energy be utilised?”
The Rapporteurs take the view that renewable forms of energy can play a major
role in giving some two billion people in developing countries access to energy
and electricity. They can also make a substantial contribution in a
country like France, not so much in electricity supply as in the home and for
transportation.
The second chapter discusses “what priorities should be given in France to
the different renewable forms of energy”. The Rapporteurs draw a
fundamental distinction between those forms used for electricity generation and
those employed for producing heat and fuel. In France, developments
concerning wind power, the use of solar energy by photovoltaic and thermodynamic
processes, and high temperature geothermal sources, represent a more important
goal for industry and for exports than for supplying the domestic market.
On the other hand “thermal” solar power, heat pumps, bioclimatic dwellings
and bio-fuels are of decisive importance to the French economy in terms of
reducing dependency on imports as well as cutting emissions of greenhouse gases.
Chapter 3 examines recent French policies and concludes that there is an
urgent need to step up research into renewable forms of energy, to provide
French industry with the means to develop and to cope with foreign competition
and, finally, to embark on two ambitious incentive schemes, one entitled “Face
Sud pour des bio-toits intelligents” [Facing south: the intelligent
roof], the other “Terre-Energies pour des biocarburants independents”
[Power from the land – an independent supply of bio-fuels].
63.-
The prospects of fuel cell technology.
By Messrs Robert Galley and Claude Gatignol,
deputies (2001).
Robert Galley and Claude Gatignol have investigated the possible future
development of fuel cell technology, the principle of which was discovered as
long ago as 1839.
In the 1960’s there was some research into this technique for producing
electricity from hydrogen, notably under the impetus of the space programmes as
a means of supplying electricity in space vehicles.
Despite various attempts, no applications outside this field have emerged, owing
to the predominance of fossil fuels.
However growing attention has been paid to the damage caused to the environment
and human health by the emissions resulting from the combustion of these fuels.
Also people are increasingly aware that the reserves of these fuels are
necessarily limited, and that their current rate of consumption is such as to
hold out the prospect of an ultimate energy shortage, particularly as concerns
transport which is highly dependent on oil.
It therefore appears appropriate to begin considering what might take over from
the "oil economy", and the fuel cell is one of the possible approaches.
The fuel cell has been in the news recently, and indeed at regular intervals its
advent is claimed to be imminent.
Accordingly in this publication the two rapporteurs provide a far-reaching study
of its true level of development.
The study finally raises a question that is increasingly being discussed: will
hydrogen be the power source of the 21st century?
62.-
The scientific importance of using genetic fingerprinting in criminal
investigations.
By Mr. Christian CABAL, deputy (2001).
Genetic fingerprinting is today one of the most advanced tools in criminal
investigation, whether for establishing connections, identifying a victim,
finding a suspect or clearing a wrongly accused person. Although in itself it
does not provide proof of guilt, it does enable the investigating officer, in
conjunction with the other aspects of the enquiry, to reach a conclusion.
It is opportune at this time, without questioning the principle of employing
this investigation method - the use of which is steadily increasing - to
consider whether the precautions, technical requirements and other miscellaneous
aspects that determine its reliability are in fact being required and observed.
The issue takes on particular importance in view of the imminent introduction of
an automated file system, established in 1998 in respect of sexual crimes and
misdemeanours, the field of application of which could shortly be extended to
other types of serious crime.
After describing the scientific basis of determining a genetic profile, the
legal background to the techniques, and foreign practices, the report lists the
technical and hardware problems, the solutions adopted or under consideration,
and the links in the chain that deserve special attention, by following the
route from the taking of biological samples to the recording of data and the
possibilities of cross-frontier exchanges.
61.-
The possibilities for the long-term storage of spent nuclear fuel.
by Mr Christian Bataille, deputy (2001).
The decision by EDF to reprocess immediately only a portion of the spent
fuel discharged each year from its power stations has substantially changed the
views held hitherto regarding the management of the tail-end of the nuclear fuel
cycle.
It is now essential to consider – even there is no longer any real urgency –
the circumstances in which it will be possible safely, at economically
reasonable cost, and over the long term, to store fuel that will thus await
future reprocessing or definitive storage.
This report completes a series of projects that Mr Christian Bataille has
carried out over a period of some ten years in the Office or other bodies of the
Assembly concerning the management of civilian and military nuclear wastes, the
generation of electricity and the public electricity supply industry.
An appendix to this report also sets out the proceedings of the public hearings
held by the Office on 3rd May 2001 to consider the management of nuclear wastes
and the long-term storage of non-reprocessed spent fuels.
60.-
Space : A political and strategic goal for Europe.
By Mr. Henri Revol, senator (2001).
If Europe is to maintain its strategic independence, it must master space
technology. Moving towards such a situation should be the unifying principle of
space policy.
The services made available by space techniques in telecommunications,
television, navigation, meteorology and earth observation have penetrated all
the major sectors of human activities. Their presence in daily life is now
completely routine.
As a result the developed countries are in a situation of profound, diverse and
absolute dependency on space services, the availability of which is regarded as
a matter of fact despite being the product of enormous efforts.
A situation of this kind is dangerous in that it conceals, behind the daily
routine, the political and global strategic issues involved in the control of
space. It leads to mistaken analyses that dissimulate the global nature of the
issue and the responsibility of the public authorities behind sectoral
considerations that have now become necessary. In this way we tend to lose sight
of a fact which must be affirmed with determination: the mastery of space is one
of the bases of the information society and the decisions that affect it are
political; they concern the future of Europe, its economic, cultural and
political power and, ultimately, its place in the world.
Making permanent the independent access to space that Ariane has given us,
acquiring European independence in the field of satellite navigation with the
Galileo programme, consolidating the institutional structures of European space,
agreeing or refusing to open the Kourou base to foreign launchers – these are
some of the major strategic decisions where space confronts the political
authorities and that should be clarified by taking a global view of the issues.
It is essential to formulate an energetic space policy and to submit the
relevant political decisions for parliamentary discussion, for these choices are
important to the national interest in the medium and long term.
59.-
Monitoring the safety and security of nuclear installations.
Part 2: Converting stocks of military plutonium to civilian use. Utilisation of
the aid given to the countries of central and Eastern Europe and to the newly
emerging states.
By Mr Claude Birraux, deputy (2001).
On 4 April 2001, the Parliamentary Office for the Evaluation of
Scientific and Technological Choices adopted the report by Claude Birraux
concerning the conversion of military plutonium for civilian purposes, and
European assistance regarding the safety of civilian nuclear installations in
central and eastern Europe.
At first sight the conversion of military plutonium to civilian use may seem a
technical issue; in fact it is highly political, being based upon exemplary and
global international co-operation, involving not only the deployment of common
funding but also innovative technologies for eliminating or "neutralising"
the so-called "surplus" military plutonium in Russia and the United
States.
The objective is in fact to make this plutonium – resulting from the
decommissioning of nuclear warheads – unsuitable for military use. The report
reviews the technological ways and means of achieving this end: immobilisation,
or use as a reactor fuel in mixed-oxide (MOX) form or in specific reactors.
In respect of each of these approaches, the report reviews the status of
technical and scientific knowledge, the R&D necessary, the funding required,
and the medium and long-term timetable.
In this context France possesses proven technologies that can make a decisive
contribution to achieving this internationally important objective.
In part 2, Claude Birraux considers the actions taken by the European Union as
regards the safety of civilian nuclear installations. Under pressure from member
states and the European Court of Auditors, the Commission has adopted a number
of proposals aimed at redirecting the policy followed in this field; the
question that Claude Birraux attempts to answer is whether they will be
sufficient to correct the difficulties that have been observed.
58.-
The effects of heavy metals on the environment and on health.
By Mr. Gérard Miquel senator (2001).
On Wednesday 11 April 2001, Mr Gérard MIQUEL, Senator, presented the
conclusions of a study by the Parliamentary Office for Evaluation of Scientific
and Technological Options on the environmental and health effects of heavy
metals (mercury, lead and cadmium). This report was a sequel to a debate in the
National Assembly on the dangers of mercury in dental amalgam. The rapporteur
was supported by a steering committee of scientists. This report had three
objectives: to contribute to the public debate, to involve the scientists
therein, and to assist decision-making by the political authorities.
I. Dental amalgam
Two materials are used quite legitimately for treating dental caries: dental
amalgam (which contains mercury) and composites. Practically no international
scientific studies have found any risks related to the release of the mercury.
The Tübingen study, well known to those who oppose the use of amalgam, suffers
from too many methodological weaknesses to threaten this virtual unanimity.
Notwithstanding this, the complaints and fears of patients must be taken into
account.
There is no ideal material for treating dental caries. Dental amalgam has
therapeutic drawbacks that are too frequently concealed and its use is not
always medically justified. Contrary to their training, most dentists do not
practice polishing. Finally, any release of mercury, even if it presents no
hazard to health, is still a cause of exposure to mercury.
Composites evolve too often for their long-term behaviour to be satisfactorily
analysed, are unsuitable for all fillings and, above all, depend upon the skill
of the practitioner. In any event the replacement of old amalgams by composites
is strongly discouraged since it is during application and removal that the risk
of mercury release is highest.
In medical terms, the amalgam-composite argument is a non-event. On the other
hand the disadvantages of dental amalgam to the community are undeniable: a
situation involving the presence of 100 tonnes of mercury in French mouths, 10
tonnes of mercury discharged every year and 20 tonnes of mercury sediment in
pipes, call for precautions. Such precautions, taking the form of amalgam
separators, are either inadequate or ineffective. The question remains as to
what should be done with the mercury waste collected. The initial conclusions
suggest that a major part is sent for incineration …
II. Heavy metals and the environment
Heavy metals are already in the environment. All man can do is modify their
concentrations and the ways in which they spread. The trend towards reduced use
of heavy metals should be encouraged. However two points deserve special
attention.
Recycling. Recycling is in competition with disposal. The rapporteur, who
conducted a study on this topic in 1999, prefers the former solution.
Eliminating the use of heavy metals is often extremely expensive, and the
outcome uncertain. In the absence of appropriate controls, they are often
present in imported products; heavy metal wastes persist in old stocks. Finally,
products are replaced by new substances that are not always controlled. The
rapporteur is in favour of an active waste management policy encompassing two
particular points: controlling traffic in batteries to Spain, and improving the
collection and recycling of batteries, cadmium accumulators and fluorescent
tubes containing mercury.
The spreading of sludge on the land. This issue goes far beyond the single
question of heavy metals. The technique of the "slurry spray" and the
recurrent food crises demonstrate considerable reticence on the part of farmers.
There is no simple conclusion as regards the transfer of heavy metals into
plants. The concentrations of cadmium in a given species of wheat vary by
factors of 1 to 7 according to variety and 1 to 4 according to the soil.
Spreading sludge on land poses a dilemma: either heavy metals migrate into
plants and the contamination is a short-term matter, or they remain in the soil
in which case the contamination is there for the long term. The continuation of
sludge spreading calls for more stringent controls and continued research into
transfers.
III. Heavy metals and health
All of us ingest and inhale heavy metals daily. They are present in nature and
their common feature is their toxicity. They are not yet known to have any
biological function useful to man. Indeed the less of them one has, the better
one’s health. This does not mean that there is any danger in ingesting a
single microgramme. It is all a question of dose. Two points deserve special
attention.
The thresholds. Working out how to calculate thresholds means placing their
importance in relative terms since there is considerable uncertainty. Particular
care needs to be taken when transposing standards drawn up in one country. When
a country does not produce, it obviously wants its imports to contain the least
possible amounts of contaminants. If a country does produce, this involves its
soil and subsoil meaning that both may contribute doses of contaminants to the
products, although without this being hazardous. The French approach is to
evaluate risks. In the case of thiomersal for example, a preservative containing
mercury, the panic stems from the calculation of mercury in vaccines for babies
in the United States. Such a calculation is meaningless here for the simple
reason that there is no mercury in baby vaccines in France.
The targets to be given special attention. France is in the initial stage of
understanding heavy metals, with a wide and reassuring panorama, but attention
should now be focused on the populations and sites exposed to risk: estuaries,
the region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur and, primarily, the overseas
territories. The unduly high ingestion of the populations of the overseas
territories – between +15% and +50% according to the metal concerned – is
the result of there being no waste management policy. Actions targeted on a few
groups at risk will always be more effective and less costly than the global
standards-based approach. Eliminating lead pipes will cost 70 billion French
francs for a practically negligible result, while there are much more serious
instances of poisoning that also exist. Instead of chaotic actions on a
step-by-step basis, sometimes going along with the exposure of problems in the
media, the rapporteur calls for priorities to be defined: for example the lead
in paint in old buildings, or the poisoning of the public by mercury.
The report concludes with a whole series of recommendations including the
polishing of amalgam, the replacement of lead shot by non-toxic ammunition for
hunting, an audit of the ways in which health checks are carried out on imports,
the archiving of soil specimens, and so on.
57.-
The conditions governing the installation of a new synchrotron and the role of
very large state and private research facilities, both in France and in Europe.
Book II: The role of very large state and private research facilities, in France
and in Europe.
By Messrs Christian Cuvilliez, deputy, and
René Trégouët, senator (2000).
Which are the very large scientific research facilities (VLRF) and what
role do they play in state and private research in France and in Europe? What
are the foreseeable needs in this field? What are the present decision-making
and funding procedures and how can they be improved? In what way could their
construction and operation be given enhanced support by business undertakings
and the European Union?
These are some of the questions answered by Mr Christian CUVILLIEZ, Deputy and
Mr René TRÉGOUËT, Senator, following their earlier study on the conditions
governing the installation of a new synchrotron published in March 2000.
The reader is first given an introduction to large research facilities: there is
a presentation – that does not claim to be exhaustive – covering first a
number of large facilities already in service, some of which appear in the
current list and, secondly, some of the schemes drawn up by the researchers
themselves.
The Rapporteurs then suggest that the various large facilities should be
subdivided into three categories they devise for the purpose: very large
facilities intended to advance a particular subject, those concerned with
infrastructure, and those concerned with major programmes.
This classification is used to define ways and means of decision-making and
funding adapted to each particular case, since all the major facilities
currently necessitate a policy of close co-operation with the scientific
community and continuous action over time.
Pointing out the need to elucidate prospects for future schemes not only for
reasons of the necessary capital expenditure but also with a view to recruiting
young researchers, Messrs Christian CUVILLIEZ and René TRÉGOUËT call for an
overall review of the status of research at the opening of the 21st century,
encompassing the public, the scientific community and elected representatives,
in order to identify the plans and organisation of French research over the
coming decades, the proposals of which could form part of a planning law
reflecting the Contract of Objectives for French research at the beginning of
the 21st century.
56.-
The resources necessary for improving the safety of French road and rail tunnels.
Mr Christian Kert, M.P. (2000).
Subsequent to the disaster
in the Mont Blanc Tunnel, which was followed two months later by that in the
Tauern Tunnel in Austria, the Parliamentary Office for the Evaluation of Scientific
and Technological Choices was instructed to conduct a study of "the resources
necessary for improving the safety of French road and rail tunnels".
The rapporteur, Mr Christian Kert, following the publication of the technical
reports requested by the Ministry for Infrastructure, Transport and Housing,
made a point of meeting their authors before actually visiting those tunnels
that appeared to be the oldest and most hazardous. He visited a number of tunnels
in neighbouring countries, carrying traffic flows comparable with those in France,
and met the transport professionals as well as those responsible for the emergency,
life-saving and industrial services in the sector.
On completion of this study, which had taken several months, he felt able to
draw up a report: this was fairly pessimistic about the condition of a number
of tunnels and concluded that transport policy should be rethought in its entirety,
on the grounds that the present "all by road" approach was inexorably increasing
the hazards on bridges and in tunnels.
The rapporteur also expressed his concern and reservations about the measures
being proposed for bringing about the reopening of the Mont Blanc Tunnel, believing
them to be broadly inadequate whereas they should, on the contrary, have provided
an example for all other such structures.
55.-
Monitoring safety and security in nuclear installations.
Part 1: Review of incidents that occurred at the Blayais nuclear power plant
during the storm on 27th December 1999 : information on the
risk of flooding of nuclear installations.
Mr Claude Birraux,
M.P. (2000).
During the night of 27-28 December 1999, waves from the Gironde estuary washed
over the dikes protecting the Blayais nuclear power plant and flooded the basements
of two of the station’s fuel buildings.
As a result of this incident, which was classified at level 2 on the International
Nuclear Events Scale (INES), two of the four units of the Blayais nuclear power
plant were shut down.
Since 10 May 1990, Claude Birraux, deputy, has been tasked by the French Parliamentary
Office for the evaluation of scientific and technological choices (OPECST) on
an annual basis, with reviewing, amongst other things, "the reliability of the
emergency arrangements provided inside and outside nuclear installations".
From an analysis of this "emergency" it appeared to Mr Birraux that, quite apart
from the polemics and controversies it raised, the lessons to be learned about
the safety and security of civilian nuclear installations went well beyond the
particular problems encountered during the storm. For example, shortcomings
in the arrangements for protecting civil nuclear installations against the risk
of flooding were demonstrated. Accordingly he wanted to provide an initial review
as soon as possible, without waiting for the final conclusions of the experts,
since a number of recommendations had to be implemented at once.
This is entirely in line with the approach of the Parliamentary Office. It is
a question not of contributing to a polemic but of attempting calmly to review
and qualify this incident, and identify any lessons to be learned.
54.
Towards a European research facility for understanding the new economy.
Mr Pierre Laffitte,
senator (2000).
Europe is lagging considerably
behind the United States in research and innovation, a strategic and essential
factor in the development of the new economy.
Three major indicators confirm that this lag is getting worse:
in Europe the numbers of researchers and trained innovators are declining;
Europe is no longer attracting researchers from elsewhere and finds itself unable
to retain its own;
the funding of research and development, particularly in companies, is weak;
the difference between the situation in United States and that in Europe is
widening every year.
Moreover the multilateral arrangements for supporting research and development
in Europe are in crisis:
the framing programme managed by the European Community is no longer appropriate.
Its procedures are difficult to comprehend, expensive to access and too long;
they are frequently quite unsuitable for companies, particularly small and medium-sized
enterprises, and for many laboratories;
the Eureka initiative, which is much appreciated by its users for its
speed, ease of use and confidentiality, is declining as a result of insufficient
contributions from its partners.
A new impetus and general mobilisation are necessary. Fortunately, this view
is partly shared by the European Commissioners most concerned: Philippe Busquin
and Erkki Liikanen.
Based upon a review of the causes and effects of these phenomena, the report
by Pierre Laffitte, the founder of Sophia Antipolis, puts forward novel proposals
that are aimed at reinserting European research and development and its markets
into the "new worldwide economy".
53.
Conditions governing the location of a new synchrotron and the role of very
large facilities in state and private research in France and in Europe.
Volume I : The conditions governing the location of a new synchrotron.
Mr Christian Cuvilliez, M.P. and Mr René Trégouët,
senator (2000).
What is a synchrotron? What is the radiation it produces used for? Why is it
an important scientific issue? What is the position of France in this field,
and what is the best national or European solution for replacing the obsolete
LURE synchrotron and providing French research with the up-to-date resources
it needs ?
These are some of the questions answered by this report by the Parliamentary
Office for the evaluation of scientific and technological choices.
For the purposes of their report, the Rapporteurs of the Office, Messrs Christian
CUVILLIEZ, deputy, and René TRÉGOUËT, senator, established
a working group made up of ten eminent scientists involved in government, university
and industrial research and holding contrasting views as to the best decision
to be taken regarding this controversial question.
Together with these scientists the Rapporteurs questioned over forty experts
that utilise synchrotron radiation, as well as French and European scientific
leaders, on this subject.
The report contains transcripts of these interviews, during which the biggest
names in French science gave their views on this question. A report on the public
hearings held in the National Assembly on 2nd March 2000 is also
included.
Finally, to collect concrete information about synchrotrons, the Rapporteurs
visited the LURE installations in Orsay, the ESRF in Grenoble, the British SRS
synchrotron at Daresbury and the Deutsche Elektronen-Synchrotron in Hamburg.
Information on what they found there is also included.
It was on the basis of this comprehensive information and after soliciting the
views of all concerned that on completion of these investigations the report
by Messrs CUVILLIEZ and TRÉGOUËT, unanimously adopted by the Parliamentary
Office for the evaluation of scientific and technological choices, concludes
that it is essential for a clear decision regarding the construction of a national
synchrotron to be taken without delay.
This report is the first volume of a wider study the Parliamentary Office has
devoted to the role of very large systems in government and private research
in France and in Europe.
52.
The impact of nuclear waste storage facilities on public health and the environment.
Mrs Michèle
RIVASI, M.P. (2000).
Opinion polls regularly raise the
subject of nuclear waste as being a matter of concern for the French public.
It is reasonable to ask what impact nuclear waste storage facilities have on
public health and the environment.
Considering that discharges into the environment form an integral part of the
wastes produced by nuclear installations, the present report begins by noting
the wastes discharged from and stored at the different types of installation:
waste and mining spoil storage centres, reprocessing plants and Atomic Energy
Commission (CEA) centres.
Studies of how these installations affect public health and the environment
are then reviewed.
Finally the report examines the scientific and technical advances necessary
together with the legal and institutional improvements that the present situation
merits.
As far as discharges into the environment are concerned, the report proposes
particular topics that deserve investigation if a strategy of dilution and dispersion
is gradually to be replaced by a strategy of concentration-retention in the
form of solid wastes.
In this connection, although the law of 30 December 1991 laid down the basis
of the effective management of wastes of high or intermediate activity, the
situation is different for wastes of low or very low activity, and the report
stresses the importance of introducing systems that are adapted to each category
of waste.
Finally the report deals with the transfer into national legislation of the
new European Directive No. 96/29 on radiation protection, and proposes guidelines
for the two important questions of the release and exemption thresholds.
Besides these important but specific matters, the report marshals the arguments
in favour of setting up a national radioactive waste management scheme that
would improve the transparency and overall effectiveness of the initiatives
taken by the public authorities and the different operators.
51.
Cloning, cell therapy and the therapeutic use of embryo cells.
Mr Alain Claeys, M.P. and Mr Claude Huriet, senator (2000).
Decisive therapeutic advances are expected from the types of human embryo cells
recently isolated, in replacing damaged tissue and organs and treating serious
chronic diseases such as Parkinson’s disease, diabetes, multiple sclerosis,
and so on. The possible production of these cells by cloning would also make
it possible to resolve the problems of rejection routinely encountered in transplant
surgery.
A pertinent question is whether these scientific advances justify changing the
rules under which very strict limits are placed on research and experiments
in France concerned with the human embryo.
Parliament will be faced with this question during the forthcoming review of
the law of 29 July 1994, and it is to provide relevant background information
that this report reviews knowledge and practices in the field of cloning and
cell therapy.
Cloning is considered from the standpoint of its therapeutic applications, for
example the production of pharmaceutical proteins or of organs that are "humanised"
by means of genetic transfer, or the – as yet hypothetical – creation of immuno-compatible
embryo cells.
As regards cell therapy, the study draws a distinction between applications
that have already been proved (strains of haematopoietic cells, and skin grafts)
experiments now in progress (grafts of hepatocytes, pancreatic cells and foetal
neurones) and the prospects opened up by such cells whether taken from the embryo
or the adult organism. Some recent discoveries concerning the plasticity of
adult cells highlight the need for multi-disciplinary research to determine
which category of base cells – embryonic or adult – will be the most appropriate
for treating different types of pathology.
After describing the commercial strategies now being applied in the English-speaking
world and analysing the legislative easing now under consideration in the United
States and the United Kingdom, the report describes the legal, economic and
financial measures that have already been or could be taken to enable French
research to compete internationally.
50.
Genomics and information technology : The impact on therapy and on the pharmaceuticals
industry.
Mr Franck Sérusclat,
senator (1999).
The science of genomics – the
exhaustive investigation of genomes and indeed of all genes – will play an essential
role in the 21st century.
Based upon biological information technology, it offers a wide range of possibilities
in medicine and pharmacology; the use of proteins in pharmaceutical research;
gene therapy; genic vaccination; pharmaco-genomics (adapting treatment to the
genetic characteristics of the patient); molecular diagnostics of infectious
diseases and of genetic predispositions, using "biochips", and so on.
The present report describes all these new technologies that should make it
possible to treat the causes of diseases rather than their symptoms.
It also lists the choices that will have to be made if France is to benefit
from the genomic revolution, while controlling its consequences.
As far as research is concerned, it stresses the need very rapidly to develop
the study of proteins and to bring about the production of French biochips.
In the industrial field, it reviews the aid available to new businesses in biotechnology
concerned with bio-incubators and biological research centres; it also tackles
the strategic problem of patents.
Finally, examining the problems that biology in the 21st century
will put before our society, it sets out ambitious recommendations for the professional
training that will have to be provided.
As far as predictive medicine is concerned, it calls for caution and suggests
preserving the right not to know and the right not to pass on knowledge.
During the 20th century France was able to mobilise its resources
so as successfully to take up the scientific, technical and industrial challenges
of power and speed. The issues in the life sciences are of equal importance;
within this vast field the questions of health and therapeutics will occupy
a major place in our society.
Those with political responsibility, at every level, must encourage genomics
in order to provide our country with the resources it needs to find its place
in this sector.
49. New
techniques for recycling and recovering domestic refuse and ordinary industrial
wastes.
Mr. Gérard
Miquel, senator and Mr. Serge Poignant, M.P. (1999).
The waste issue has now come of
age. The techniques have evolved and industry is prepared. The French people
have shown that they wanted to take part in separate waste collection systems
and that they knew how to do it. All is change. Now is the time to make choices.
These choices are rendered difficult by ingrained habits, the fear of higher
costs, and the highly technical nature of the subject.
Under the provisions of the law of 13 July 1992, landfilling will cease to be
a normal method of dealing with domestic refuse as from 1 July 2002 and will
subsequently be kept only for final wastes.
The question is what will be done with these wastes of which nearly 50% are
today still used for landfill.
Every successive government since 1992 has made clear its determination to focus
on actions aimed at encouraging recovery and recycling, because these wastes
are also a source of secondary raw materials that local authorities and industry
can and should recover, with four complementary objectives :
— to preserve natural resources for future generations ;
— to work for the environment ;
— to create economic activities and jobs ;
— to have our fellow countrymen take part in a beneficial collective action.
This report does not claim to provide the answers to all the questions facing
our elected representatives as regards the tricky problem of dealing with domestic
refuse and ordinary industrial wastes. The answers vary from one region to another,
according to the quantities to be dealt with, the type of wastes and the industrial
landscape. This report describes all the techniques for treating and recovering
domestic refuse and ordinary industrial wastes that are known and accessible
today. It has been devised primarily as a guide to help decision-making.
48.
Techniques for predicting and preventing natural hazards in France.
Mr. Christian
Kert, M.P. (1999).
Following an initial report devoted
to the prediction and prevention of earthquakes and ground movements, Mr. Christian
Kert has extended his study to the other forms of natural disaster : storms,
cyclones, avalanches, floods, droughts, forest fires and volcanic eruptions,
to which he has added the collapse of mine workings which, although a result
of human activities, has very similar consequences.
Adhering to his own particular method, Mr. Christian Kert collected a great
deal of his information from more than 300 leading figures through interviews
in metropolitan France, the French overseas territories and other countries.
Although current scientific knowledge is still unable satisfactorily to provide
answers to all the questions raised by natural disasters, it is still already
possible to propose a number of measures with the potential significantly to
improve the situation of those of our fellow countrymen who are exposed to
them.
47. Monitoring
safety and security in nuclear installations.
Part 2 : A review of safety policy for nuclear installations and the outlook
for the future.
Mr. Claude
Birraux, M.P. (1999).
This year the report on the safety
and security of nuclear installations presented by Claude Birraux consists of
a self-examination of the role of a parliamentary body. Since 1990, eight reports
have been published, totalling 15 volumes and 4587 pages, and setting out 118
proposals. By this means the Parliamentary Office has looked into every question
affecting nuclear safety and security.
The report presented today is based upon answers to the recommendations of the
Parliamentary Office, consciously trying to avoid merely setting out lists,
and it identifies the prospects for improvements and greater thoroughness.
Of the 118 proposals drawn up by Claude Birraux since 1990, 73 have been or
are being put into effect.
It would be presumptuous and even stupid to claim that any positive decisions
would stem solely from the determination of OPECST (the Parliamentary Office
for the Evaluation of Scientific and Technological Choices), because the decision-making
processes of the state are complex. Notwithstanding this, the interventions
by the Office have contributed to decisions that are favourable to safety :
the creation of the DSIN, the conversion of the SCPRI into the OPRI, the radiation
protection bureau in the DGS, the radiological protection and medical monitoring
of temporary workers, guidance for research into incineration, and the Rubbia
project.
Even when the recommendations of the Office have not been taken up, as for those
concerning the countries of central and eastern Europe, the relevance and fairness
of the analyses done have been confirmed by events. The criticisms made by the
European Board of Auditors in 1998 were already set out in the 1992 OPECST report.
46. Application
of law no. 94-654 of 29 July 1994 concerning the donation of human body parts
and products, medical assistance with reproduction, and prenatal diagnosis.
Mr. Alain Claeys,
M.P. and Mr. Claude Huriet, Senator (1999).
The outcome of a referral for which
the law itself makes provision, this report is a landmark in the activities
of the Parliamentary Office for the Evaluation of Scientific and Technological
Choices.
It is based upon some forty interviews that took place between May and December
1998 and also takes into account the views recently emanating from various authorities
(the Council of State, the National Consultative Committee on Ethics, the Academy
of Medicine, the European Ethics Group, and so on).
It seeks to identify problems of application (related in particular to the delay
in issuing regulations) without prejudicing any future decisions by the government,
and puts forward possible solutions.
With regard to transplants, the main emphasis is placed on the need for better
informing donors and acceptors, the law’s unsuitability in respect of new transplant
techniques, the value of European co-operation in health and safety, and the
lack of clarity of the rules governing the taking of organs both for therapeutic
purposes and for medical and scientific reasons. Medical support for reproduction
is analysed, notably as regards the far-reaching changes resulting from the
development of ICSI, an in vitro fertilisation technique for which there was
no prior experimentation, the problems raised by the existence of large number
of embryos and the choices available to the government in terms of embryo research
having regard to recent scientific progress.
The report stresses the inadequacy of the controls placed on establishments
and practitioners. It concludes by stressing the need for international and
European co-operation aimed at harmonising both principles and procedures.
45. The
downstream side of the nuclear fuel cycle (Tome II : Electricity generating
costs).
Mr. Christian Bataille and Mr. Robert Galley, M.P.’s (1999).
As part of the Office’s continuing
work in the nuclear field, Mr. Christian Bataille and Mr. Robert Galley, Members
of Parliament for the Nord and Aube départements respectively, published
in June 1998 the first part of their investigation into the downstream side
of the nuclear fuel cycle, focusing on the work done in application of the law
of 30 December 1991 concerning research into radioactive waste management.
This document supplements that initial technical approach with a technical and
economic study of the costs of generating electricity.
To begin with, the performance of existing nuclear generating plant is examined,
in particular the past, present and future contributions of this plant to the
growth and competitivity of the French economy.
Secondly, the competitivity of the different generating systems is analysed
with a view to the construction of new facilities, using the method of discounted
average costs which is at present the standard approach governing investment
decisions, and identifying the different ways in which the said systems are
dealt with as regards the cost categories considered.
The potential contributions of external factor analysis and the calculation
of external costs are then reviewed in order to evaluate the advantages and
drawbacks of the different electricity generating systems on a more global basis.
The report includes more than a hundred tables of data and cost curves upon
which the Rapporteurs base their comments, conclusions and recommendations.
44. From
understanding genes to making use of them (Part I : vols. I and II).
Mr. Jean-Yves Le Déaut, M.P. (1998).
The biotechnologies actually
came into being several thousand years ago when man began to make cheese, beer
and bread using micro-organisms.
These foodstuffs are routinely consumed without ever giving rise to particular
concern. Pasteur improved the processes and everybody -apart from the Americans-
appreciates cheese made from raw milk.
The advent of genetically modified plants overturned the trusting relationship
that existed between French people and their food. These plants, and particularly
the foodstuffs made from them, are causing great concern to our compatriots
in that they are regarded as presenting a very large number of hazards to health
and the environment. " It’s not natural " some people think. But one may ask
whether the agro-food business had not already made its own contribution by
making up cooked dishes using products consisting of mixtures of many basic
components, additives, preservatives, and so on.
In this report, Jean-Yves Le Déaut has tried to dedramatise the subject.
With the greatest objectivity he has looked into all the consequences for our
society of this explosion in the life sciences. One of his innovations has been
to convene the first "conference of citizens", as a face-to-face meeting between
experts and ordinary people.
For this purpose, over a period of eight months, he listened to, consulted,
interviewed and questioned anyone with an opinion on this subject who wanted
to be heard.
Taking all these views into account he then himself adopted a position on a
number of topics : the possible effects of these plants on the environment,
human health, the future of agriculture, and the situation of developing countries.
He has identified the issues and looked into peoples’ fears and concerns.
This book ends with a large number of recommendations aimed at ensuring that
the introduction of these plants, the product of human intelligence, takes place
in a transparent and democratic manner.
43. The
downstream side of the fuel cycle (tome I).
Mr. Christian
Bataille and Mr.Robert Galley, M.P.’s (1998).
Continuing in the spirit of previous
reports from the "Office sur l'Energie Nucléaire" [Nuclear Energy Office],
Mr. Christian Bataille, parliamentary deputy from the Nord département,
and Mr. Robert Galley, deputy from Aube, are pursuing their task of bringing
information and transparency to the national study of the downstream side of
the fuel cycle. This assignment began in 1989: it provided the essential basis
for the Law of December 30th 1991 on research into radioactive waste
management, and continued with another report on civilian radioactive waste
and on military waste.
Halfway through the 15-year period allowed by the 1991 Law for determining what
type of organisation should be set up, Messrs Bataille and Galley have pooled
their nuclear experience in order to carry out a detailed examination of the
results obtained as regards isotopic separation-transmutation, the study of
reversible and irreversible deep underground storage, and of conditioning and
long-term surface storage.
The technical analysis presented here will be supplemented by a second volume
setting out an economic approach to the downstream side of the nuclear fuel
cycle, the objective being a preliminary outline of the criteria that will govern
the inevitable decisions to be taken in the year 2006.
42. Investigation
into the safety and security of nuclear installations ; the European Pressurized
Reactor (EPR) : technology, safety, standardization and technical aspects (tome
I : vols. I and II).
Mr. Claude
Birraux, M.P. (1998).
The report presented to you sets
out the first part of the work by Mr Claude Birraux on the safety of nuclear
installations.
This is the eighth occasion on which the rapporteur for the "Office parlementaire
d'évaluation des choix scientifiques et technologiques (OPECST) [Parliamentary
Office for the evaluation of choices in science and technology] has reviewed
the continuous challenge represented by the search for the highest level of
safety that is humanly possible in the field of the safety of nuclear installations.
This task is in two parts: the first, consisting of these two volumes, is forward-looking,
and involves analysing the scientific, safety and economic issues raised by
the Franco-German project for a pressurised water reactor (EPR) intended to
take the place of the nuclear power plants currently in service, as from the
year 2010. The second, which will be covered in two other volumes to be submitted
for appraisal by OPECST towards the end of the year, will review the situation
regarding the implementation of the 118 recommendations made in the seven previous
reports on the safety of nuclear installations; it will thus identify those
areas in which progress is being made, as well as those where there is none.
The parliamentary Office considered that it was important to evaluate the approach
and the substantial amount of work done in recent years in a field so sensitive
as concerns public opinion.
41. The
development of research into the management of high activity nuclear wastes
(Volume II: Military wastes).
Mr. Christian
Bataille, M.P. ( 1997)
Following on from a first volume
devoted to nuclear wastes from civilian installations, the second volume of
the report is concerned with the nuclear wastes produced by national defence
programmes, and the effects of the nuclear tests carried out in Polynesia.
While the present-day management of military nuclear wastes does not appear
to pose any intractable problems, the lack of any final storage solution is
likely to lead to difficulties in the longer term.
Accordingly this report recalls that it is important that the arrangements and
timetable laid down by the Act of 30 December 1991 on research into the management
of high activity nuclear wastes should be applied rigorously and fully, and
that appropriate methods for the definitive storage of other categories of radioactive
wastes should be actively sought.
40. Synthetic
images and virtual reality: Techniques and issues of society.
Mr. Claude
Huriet, senator (1997).
What is a synthetic image? How
is it produced? What use is it? What impact do the new imaging technologies
and the confrontations between the real and the virtual world have on our society?
This report reviews different features of synthetic images, for example the
technical, industrial, commercial, legal, psychological, political and other
aspects.
A revolution is taking place. The potential for developing and using these technologies
is extraordinary. However technology is evolving faster than our attitudes.
Paradoxically, it is precisely as images are taking an increasingly important
role in our communications society that it is becoming less and less reliable,
because digital technology allows us to create the image we want, with the result
that we are likely to consider the image as no more ... than an image in fact,
not necessarily with any link to reality. The image professionals are maintaining
a certain reserve with regard to this situation. All that remains is to widen
the circle of the "experts". This is not without certain difficulties, so fixed
are our ways of thinking in a culture that popular common sense expresses by
the old adage: "I only believe what I can see".
In order to tackle this revolution in the best possible way, OPECST recommends
an "image" learning process: educating, raising awareness, ensuring action,
"acting so as to understand reality, and acting so as to understand the virtual
world".
OPECST would like the public at large to consider these issues and the possibility
of establishing a national committee on computer ethics; this would resemble
what has happened in bioethics, another field characterised by the rapid expansion
of knowledge and technology and their impact on the relationships between man
and society.
39. Asbestos
in the human environment: its consequences and its future.
Mr Jean-Yves
Le Déaut, M.P., and Henri Revol, senator (1997).
Asbestos is a toxic and carcinogenic
substance present everywhere in our environment.
This report from the Parliamentary Office for the evaluation of scientific and
technological choices reviews current scientific knowledge without evading the
uncertainties that persist.
Since 1 January 1997, the use of asbestos has been banned in our country. Notwithstanding
this, the problem of asbestos remains unresolved.
An overall inventory of all the asbestos present in our buildings and our environment
must be drawn up in order to determine what actions will be necessary and in
what order of priority. The treatment and removal of asbestos require great
care and the report underlines the quality necessary wherever asbestosis is
involved. It also considers the methods to be used for processing asbestos wastes.
Prior consideration must be given to those suffering from asbestos-related diseases
and to everyone that has been exposed to this hazard. The report therefore sets
out ways and means of ensuring that the necessary public health measures can
be given priority.
38. The new information
and communications technologies: from the schoolchild to the man in the street.
Mr Franck Sérusclat,
senator (1997).
For a number of years, the Parliamentary Office for the evaluation of scientific
and technological choices has taken an interest in the impact of the new information
and communications technologies on the daily life of the public. This new report
considers the use of these tools for educational and civic purposes.
What should be the place and the functions of the computer, and the role of
networks, in every school curriculum? As regards education, the report stresses
how the present situation can give rise to inequalities: there is no generalisation
of local initiatives.
However there is a need for a determined policy, in this field as in that of
civics: the objective of a democracy is to create the conditions in which a
member of the public not only receives respect, but can also participate in
the political life of the country. Using the new information and communications
technologies is a prerequisite for the development of political life. The issues
raised by networks are far more than any technical problem: in the future neither
the role of the press nor the public’s way of thinking will be the same.
37. Monitoring
the safety and security of nuclear installations.
Mr Claude Birraux,
M.P. (Study VII, 1997).
In 1993 Professor Carlo Rubbia,
winner of the Nobel Prize for physics, announced an original design for a nuclear
reactor, which was supposed to produce electricity at a competitive price while
minimising the production of radioactive wastes. Is this machine really likely
to meet mankind’s energy needs in the near future? Mr Claude Birraux, deputy
for Haute-Savoie, contrasts the major options of the Rubbia project with the
imperatives of safety, radiation protection, non-proliferation, and so on. He
shows that the choices made by Carlo Rubbia should be explored further, while
being careful not to underestimate the time and money necessary for the possible
development of an entirely new type of nuclear reactor.
The maintenance of nuclear reactors is an essential factor in safety; it necessitates
faultless organisation and a rigorous approach. Has the reform of maintenance
started by EDF in 1990 produced results? Does the use of external contractors
introduce slackness and risk? Can the radiation protection of these outside
workers be properly managed? A year of investigations in the field shows that
the efforts must be continued, even though appreciable progress can be seen.
36. The
prospects for developing non-food agricultural products.
Mr Robert Galley,
M.P. (1997).
For a number of years, agriculture
in the developed countries has had to cope with great difficulties in marketing
its food products as a result of substantial advances in the industry’s productivity,
and changes in food habits.
The Common Agricultural Policy’s answer to this problem has been to withdraw
land from production. This approach does not appear to be a real solution in
view of its inherent threat of producing wasteland, and the confusion it has
caused amongst farmers.
Other outputs for agricultural production should therefore be given consideration.
One answer appears to be the development of non-food agricultural products.
Another argument in favour of exploring this avenue is that it would certainly
be conducive to preserving the environment. It would also be useful preparation
for the future in making it possible gradually to meet the challenge of the
inevitable scarcity of fossil raw materials.
35. France
and the information society: a warning and a necessary crusade.
Mr. Pierre
Laffitte, senator (1997).
The advent of the information society is a revolution probably more important
than that of the industrial society.
Radical changes - such as the accelerated globalisation of the economy, the
destruction of existing structures and jobs, the questioning of the established
hierarchies, the collision of cultures and the leadership of some of them, together
with universal access to knowledge and the creation of new skills, new wealth
and new jobs - have begun and are intensifying. There will be both winners and
losers.
Fifteen years ago, France was in the leading group. We are now falling behind
and the gap is rapidly widening. However we still possess advantages and skills.
We must all respond, otherwise decline is assured in terms of a fragile economy,
increased unemployment, and cultural subordination. The public authorities must
set the example by embarking on reforms, adapting and beginning the necessary
crusade. After all, politics is primarily a matter of determination, both forward-looking
and tenacious.
34. Developments
in research into the management of high activity nuclear wastes - (volume I:
civilian wastes).
Mr Christian
Bataille, M.P. (1996).
Five years after the publication
of the Office’s first report on the management of high activity nuclear wastes,
the conclusions of which were largely incorporated in the Act of 30 December
1991, Mr Christian Bataille attempts to assess progress in the different avenues
of research that parliament had proposed.
Although in general the will of parliament seems to have been fairly well respected,
it nevertheless appears that the orientation of research programmes will have
to take into account recent changes in the design of the back end of the nuclear
fuel cycle.
Adhering to the same approach as he used in his earlier reports on this subject,
Mr Christian Bataille reiterates that this particularly sensitive issue can
only be handled in a transparent and democratic manner and that he will demand
continuity, adaptation and coherence from all concerned, including the public
authorities.
The second volume of the report will consider the problems posed by military
nuclear wastes.
33. Monitoring
the safety and security of nuclear installations.
Mr Claude Birraux,
M.P. (Study VI, 1996).
Should we fear the effects of low
doses of ionising radiation? Radiation protection standards are soon to be raised:
is this justified by recent scientific progress? Mr Claude Birraux, deputy for
Haute Savoie, presents the issues of a difficult but fascinating debate. He
also points out some of its shortcomings and recalls that a solely scientific
approach avoids the real issues.
How are radioactive wastes to be managed in a rigorous manner, including those
whose activity is very low? Do we know how satisfactorily to control the hazards
of mining tailings, even in the very long term? A year’s investigations, interviews
and visits have shown that solutions that may be satisfactory from the technical
standpoint must also take into account their social context if they are to be
fully acceptable.
32. The
links between health and the environment, particularly in children.
Mr Jean-François
Mattéi, M.P. (1996).
One knows intuitively that there
is a link between health and the environment: when living conditions are poor,
there is a greater risk of developing certain diseases.
However Jean-François Mattéi goes beyond this routine view and
adopts an essentially humanist approach.
He sees the human being as an entity in which body and mind are irretrievably
bound up together: indeed he does not only consider the physical attacks from
which the body suffers but also seeks to denounce the ugliness or infinite depression
of many environments, that can be regarded as veritable attacks on the mind.
He also pushes back the boundaries of the definitions of disease by considering
social practices such as violence or drug taking to be morbid symptoms.
Producing this survey focused on the men, women and children of tomorrow required
interviews with several dozen specialists. It attempts a synthesis of a large
number of specialities that are still far too compartmentalised.
It concludes that there is a need to formulate a system of eco-ethics which
- together with bio-ethics, another field of consideration for Jean-François
Mattéi – could be the basis for the political action of tomorrow.
31. Techniques
for predicting and preventing natural hazards : earthquakes and landslips.
Mr Christian
Kert, M.P. (1995).
What is an earthquake? Is it possible
to predict earthquakes? What is the VAN method? Could a major earthquake ever
occur in France? How effective are the preventive measures? Emergency plans
have been prepared: are they effective?
In view of the Kobé earthquake last January, and after meeting a number
of leading figures both in France and abroad, Mr Christian Kert, deputy for
Bouches-du-Rhône, rapporteur for the Parliamentary Office for the evaluation
of scientific and technological choices, reviews these questions and a number
of other issues in this report on "Techniques for predicting and preventing
natural hazards: earthquakes and landslips".
One task of the Parliamentary Office for the evaluation of scientific and technological
choices is to inform and propose; this report contributes to this aspect of
the Office’s work.
30. The
new techniques of information and communication: man in cyberspace.
Mr Franck Sérusclat,
senator (1995).
The new information and communications
technologies, particularly networks, are in the process of profoundly changing
the way man’s life is organised both in space and time. The substantial impact
of this "digital revolution" encompasses all human activities: the organisation
of civic life, the organisation of work, leisure and culture, access to medical
care, individual and collective freedoms, and so on.
For the first time, parliament is embarking on a far-reaching consideration
of all these aspects, including the technical features that are essential to
make them accessible to the greatest possible number of people, quite apart
from the social consequences. The aim of this report is to inform members of
parliament and, beyond them, the public, about a development that will require
adaptations to the law and regulations; this is one of the tasks incumbent upon
the Parliamentary Office for the evaluation of scientific and technological
choices.
29. Monitoring
nuclear installations and safety.
Mr Claude Birraux,
M.P. (Study V, December 1994).
In about twenty years, a start
will have to be made on decommissioning EDF’s major nuclear power stations.
Are the strategies adopted suitable? Are the necessary techniques available?
How will decommissioning be funded? Are we ready to meet the challenges of this
"major project"?
All nuclear installations discharge radioactive substances into the environment.
How are these discharges monitored? Is their impact on the environment and human
health well understood?
Such are the main questions to which this report - a sequel to four earlier
studies - seeks to provide answers.
28. The
issues of co-operation and exchanges of technology with the countries of central
and eastern Europe.
Mr Henri Revol,
senator (1994).
The scars that an unbalanced and
paralysing mode of technological development left behind are reopening as a
result of the political and economic chaos affecting the countries of central
and eastern Europe.
The western world, and in particular the European Union, has declared its desire
to ensure the success of the current transition process in these countries.
What are the facts of the matter? What obstacles will face the indispensable
technological modernisation of the eastern countries? What would happen if we
did not manage to find ways of enabling them to achieve this objective?
The purpose of this report is to present these issues: it provides some illustrations
from different sectors - health, energy, nuclear power, space, and so on - and
suggests a recasting of the policies applied to countries most of which should
no longer be qualified as "eastern" except for terminological simplicity.
27. Developments
in the semiconductor and microelectronics industry.
Mr Charles
Descours, senator (1994).
Semiconductors are an essential
part of the microelectronics industry: these components are needed to produce
computers, telecommunications systems, and motor vehicles. In 1993 the semiconductor
market was worth about 86 billion dollars.
At present Europe’s share of world output is declining. What is worse, the rate
of cover of the European market is also down. The United States and Asia on
the other hand are reinforcing their positions. In view of the capital costs
involved (1 plant costs a billion dollars) it is necessary to find substantial
sources of finance.
The question is whether Europe will be able, drawing on the experience of its
competitors, to continue its research, to invest and produce key components
that are essential for industrial competitivity.
26. Scientific
co-operation with the countries of central and eastern Europe.
Mr Jacques
Sourdille, senator (1994).
Scientific and technological co-operation
with the countries of central and Eastern Europe has so far remained a largely
misunderstood subject that had not yet been the subject of an overall study.
Mr Jacques Sourdille, senator, rapporteur of the Parliamentary Office for the
evaluation of scientific and technological choices, has tried to evaluate the
true impact of the policies in this field pursued within the Community and in
the principal countries of western Europe, based upon interviews with over 350
people involved in this kind of co-operation.
Because of the complexity of this question, a three-stage analysis was developed
in order:
to measure the influence of the past, so as to take into account the delays
and problems of implementing a new system ;
to gain a better understanding of the transitional situation that has emerged
in these countries since the destruction of the Berlin wall, and to analyse
the extent of the changes that have taken place there, and the initial reforms
;
and, finally, to outline the policy that should now be applied after several
years of hesitation and false starts.
25. The
orientations of research policy.
Mr Robert Galley,
M.P. and Mr Jacques Mossion, senator (1994).
In parallel with the national consultation
on research organised by Mr François Fillon, Minister for Research, the
Office has considered the major objectives of French research, at the request
of the Bureau of the National Assembly.
These considerations, enhanced by interviews with those responsible for public
and industrial research, resulted in an assessment of the minister’s "Report
on French research".
In an attempt to be constructive, the Office added proposals for additional
avenues of research.
This was the first time that the Office had given an overall view on scientific
and technological choices.
24.
The response of the new transport technologies to the saturation problems on
the north/south routes.
Mr Jean-Marie
Demange, M.P., and Mr Pierre Vallon, senator (1994).
There is a danger that the increase
in road traffic and its concentration on high-speed roads will shortly lead,
particularly along the north-south axis, to congestion that will be intolerable
both to users and those living nearby.
In their report, Messrs Jean-Marie Demange, deputy, and Pierre Vallon, senator,
note that it will be increasingly difficult to create new roads, review certain
technical innovations that should lead to better use of the road system, to
greater use of other modes of transport, and to combined forms of transport.
In this way technical advances could bring original approaches into transport
policy, avoiding the extremes of interventionist authoritarianism and "masterly
inaction", both of which are unacceptable in the present state of our society
and our economy.
23. Monitoring
the safety and security of nuclear installations.
Mr Claude Birraux,
M.P. (Study IV, February 1994).
Every year 300,000 radioactive
packages travel through France. How is the safety of this transport ensured
and monitored?
Nearly 30,000 externally contracted staff work in EDF’s nuclear power stations.
Why do some of them have no proper health physics and medical follow-up? Superphénix
has been shut down since July 1990. Will it ever be restarted? If so, in
what conditions and for what purpose?
In his fourth report, Mr Claude Birraux has adhered to his usual principles:
to observe without complacency, to report objectively, and to evaluate without
prejudice and also without seeking to take the place of the authorities responsible
for monitoring the safety and security of nuclear installations.
There is no doubt that over the last four years this "monitoring of the monitoring"
by a fully independent parliamentary body has contributed to improving transparency
in a field about which it is now essential that everyone should be fully informed.
22. The
importance of electric vehicles in terms of environmental protection.
Mr Pierre Laffitte
senator (1993).
This report examines in turn the ecological, energy, economic, political and
social issues raised by the electric vehicle, then reviews the state of the
art as regards this new mode of transport, assesses its economic competitivity
and identifies the forms of public aid necessary to bring it to the stage of
normal commercial marketing.
The report’s conclusions are unambiguous:
The electric car is a major innovation which has undoubted importance from the
point of view of the environment.
France is in a good position, with its dynamic automobile industry, to pick
up this challenge.
However, more research is needed, mainly to improve the performance of the power
storage system.
An essential prerequisite is to develop evaluation, testing and a standardisation
centre, and to make provision for a far-reaching programme of public information.
Finally, only a determined policy on the part of the public authorities will
ensure rapid success of the electric vehicle.
The report also contains a technical annexe covering the components and technologies
involved in the vehicle: batteries, fuel cells, electric motors, hybrid vehicles
and recent technological innovations.
21. Problems
raised by the management of hospital wastes.
Mr Michel Destot,
M.P. (1993).
With more and more medical wastes
being found abandoned on the public roads or disposed of on dumps, there has
been increasing and quite legitimate concern in recent years about the health
risks of this type of waste. The Parliamentary Office has tried to consider
the entire "system" for managing these wastes, in order to identify the weak
spots as well as the positive aspects.
In its study the Office had first to try to separate the subjective reactions
and those of the media from the objective risks or hazards. The latter, although
tiny from the health standpoint, are in fact exacerbated by the large number
of people and organisations involved: large hospitals, small clinics, the liberal
professions, the development of care in the community, and so on, all of which
complicates the solutions to be applied. It seemed to the Parliamentary Office
that "health awareness" still had some progress to make and that in this connection
the public hospital should become a model or centre of excellence for public
health. The Parliamentary Office nevertheless stressed the fact that all must
be involved, including the local authorities; this will have repercussions on
the way in which the policies governing medical wastes are funded.
20. The
ecological impact of the Rhine-Rhone link.
Mr Raymond
Forni, M.P. and Mr Pierre Vallon, senator (1993).
The two rapporteurs of the Office
- one a deputy, the other a senator - were invited to investigate the ecological
impact of the Rhine-Rhone link, and have found themselves involved in an emotional
and fascinating debate on the very future of this project.
Their concern was therefore to reintroduce transparency and objectivity, by
focusing on the real problems and pointing out the paradoxes in this matter.
Their conclusions stemmed from a two-fold analysis:
For a project such as this which, although ambitious, was disputed, poorly run
and poorly presented, it is important to find a way out of the current impasse
and to move on.
It is essential to adopt a completely different approach so as to take into
account the changes that have taken place over the last fifteen years in terms
of ecology, to note some aspects of the experience with the Rhine-Main-Danube
canal, more closely to control the consequences of the works proposed, to draw
benefit from an overall approach to transport systems, to make better use of
ministerial authority and to enable a democratic discussion as well as an independent
view of the ecological consequences of the work carried out.
19. High
definition digital television.
Messrs Raymond Forni and Michel Pelchat, M.Ps (1992).
The report by Messrs Forni and
Pelchat seeks to determine the extent to which the probable deployment in the
United States of fully digital high definition television systems represents
a threat to Europe’s strategy and choices in this field.
The conclusions reached by Messrs Forni and Pelchat are based upon one certainty
and one observation:
- The certainty is that the future looks fully digital, but the question
is when this will come about.
- The observation is that MAC D2, in spite of its undoubted qualities and
its being ready to use, is failing to impose itself as quickly as it should
if it is to be viable as a transitional standard.
Notwithstanding this however, not all the problems have been resolved. There
are in particular:
- technological problems such as the development of flat screens, and the
optimisation - for terrestrial broadcasting - of the compromise between picture
quality, coverage and channel width;
- commercial factors, resulting in particular from the cost of components.
In any event, the NTSC (Never Twice Same Colour) system will be around in the
United States until at least 2008.
Against this background, the MAC D2 system still holds a trump card in its ease
of encryption and in particular the fact that it is at present the only available
means of broadcasting to the 16:9 format.
Of course European broadcasters and producers cannot be forced to use this standard
and format. At the very most they can be encouraged to do so.
Therefore the problem today is that of financing the necessary incentive measures.
The issue is an important one and concerns:
- securing some return from the substantial investment already made;
- the situation of our electronics industry;
- applying the European Directive of May 1992;
- finally, the future of the European "Eurocrypt" open encryption standard
faced with the proprietary systems "Syster" (Canal+) and Videocrypt (Bsky B).
18. Problems
raised by household wastes.
Mr Michel Pelchat,
M.P. (1993).
The problem of household waste
is becoming increasingly serious: rising living standards not only substantially
increase its volume but also bring about a growing diversification in its make-up,
with a big increase in plastics and toxic materials. This question is especially
difficult since the traditional methods of disposal - dumps and incinerators
- are no longer able to cope.
Recycling and re-use are not highly reliable means of disposal since the quantities
involved are out of all proportion with the disposal potential of these two
approaches; however they must nevertheless be encouraged, if only for civic
reasons.
However the most effective solution, apart from seeking to reduce the amount
of wastes at source, is probably incineration, naturally on condition that it
involves energy recovery and that its technical conditions are such that the
discharges are not an additional cause of pollution to the air (by smoke) or
the ground (by metals).
Finally, European harmonisation of the different methods of treating domestic
waste appears absolutely indispensable, if the policies of each country are
not to become competitive and hence ineffective.
17. Problems
arising from the development of mining activities in Antarctica.
Mr Jean-Yves
Le Déaut, M.P. (1992).
During the far-reaching discussions
about whether to ratify the Wellington Convention, a whole series of alarmist
news bulletins was circulated about the future of the Antarctic continent. The
aim of the Office’s study was therefore to elucidate the possible hazards that
the expansion of human activities could cause to the polar regions, with the
support of the best French experts in these problems.
The report concluded that there was no reason to give way to total pessimism
and that in the short and medium term there was no serious threat to the Antarctic
environment, but also concluded that it was essential to go farther than the
Wellington Convention and definitively ban exploitation of that continent’s
mineral resources.
The new protocol signed on 4 October 1991 in Madrid makes provision, as proposed
by the Office, for all activities other than scientific research to be forbidden
for 50 years throughout the Antarctic continent.
16. Monitoring
the safety and security of nuclear installations.
Mr Claude Birraux,
M.P. (Study III) (1992).
In this field the Office has a
very specific role: it conducts an independent outside examination of the way
in which the safety and security of nuclear installations are monitored, while
in no way seeking to take the place of the operators or of the authorities responsible
for drawing up and implementing the safety rules. In this way it exercises one
of parliament’s essential functions - democratic oversight – in a better way
than any "committee of wise men" or "high authority".
By organising round table discussions and public hearings open to the press,
such as that held on 19 May 1992 on the possible restart of Superphénix,
it provides the public with all available information and thus contributes to
its own objective of transparency, which is also a factor in safety.
The recommendations made by the Office cover the organisation of the government
departments responsible for monitoring, the actions the operators might take,
and the improvement of public participation. Some of these have already been
translated into fact, for example the raising of the safety authority to the
rank of a Directorate. A draft parliamentary Bill has been prepared with a view
to setting up local information and surveillance committees around civilian
nuclear sites.
15. Biodiversity
and the preservation of the genetic heritage.
Mr Daniel Chevallier,
M.P. (1992).
A start has already been made on
executing two of the recommendations set out in this report: the creation of
a "public interest grouping" on the subject of genetic resources, and consideration
of the establishment of a protected natural reserve in the département
of Guyana.
This report also represented the contribution of the Office to France’s preparation
of the Rio de Janeiro Conference on the Environment, Mr Daniel Chevallier having
been appointed a member of the French delegation.
14. Management
of very low activity radioactive wastes.
Mr Jean-Yves
Le Déaut, M.P. (1992).
The French regulations on very
low activity radioactive wastes are unclear, imprecise and occasionally even
incoherent: they have been the cause of many dumping "affairs" which have been
regarded, rightly or wrongly, as dangerous by the public involved.
The recommendations in the Office’s report cover recasting and clarifying the
legislation, as well as refurbishing old storage sites, improving public information,
controlling the radioactive sources used in industry and medicine, and studying
the effects of low doses on human health.
On 7 May 1992, in response to the conclusions reached by the Office, the Minister
for the Environment and the Minister for Industry introduced an initial review
of actions already taken with a view to modernising the management of low activity
radioactive wastes.
13. The
life sciences and human rights: radical and uncontrolled change, or legislation
French style.
Mr Franck Sérusclat,
senator (1992).
Senator Franck Sérusclat
is a parliamentarian closely involved with one of the subjects causing most
concern to French society: bioethics. In a voluminous report (two volumes with
over a thousand pages) he provides parliamentarians with the results of all
the discussions noted during 350 hours of interviews in 1991, in eight countries,
and the documents he has collected on medically-assisted human reproduction,
genetics and prenatal diagnostics, the status of the human body and end-of-life
considerations.
This report was used to prepare the parliamentary debate on bioethics and remains
a reference document in many conferences and meetings organised on this topic.
12. Orientation
of French and European space policy.
Mr Paul Loridant,
senator (1991).
The report by the Office on "Orientation
of French and European space policy" was published the day after the meeting
of the European Space Ministers held in Munich in November 1991 (Mr Loridant
had been invited to attend this meeting as an observer). This study had a particularly
wide field of investigation and required the co-operation of nine principal
experts. In total, more than a hundred people were consulted. The Office concluded
that Europe already has the potential that would enable it to become a fully
active space power, but that understandable hesitations could result in cancellations
or compromises. In any event, it appears that more effective mobilisation of
its resources with a view to more clearly defined and better-justified objectives,
is indispensable. Manned space flights must in no circumstances be funded to
the detriment of other space priorities, amongst which earth observation should
take a leading place.
It would not be appropriate for the public authorities to stand aside from the
preparation of future generations of telecommunications satellites by entrusting
responsibility for these to private industry alone.
This report, which also dealt with military aspects of space, was the Office’s
first incursion into the field of technological choices related to defence matters.
11. Monitoring
the safety and security of nuclear installations.
Mr Claude Birraux,
M.P. (Study II) (1991).
In this field the Office has a
very specific role: it conducts an independent outside examination of the way
in which the safety and security of nuclear installations are monitored, while
in no way seeking to take the place of the operators or of the authorities responsible
for drawing up and implementing the safety rules. In this way it exercises one
of parliament’s essential functions - democratic oversight – in a better way
than any "committee of wise men" or "high authority".
By organising round table discussions and public hearings open to the press,
such as that held on 19 May 1992 on the possible restart of Superphénix,
it provides the public with all available information and thus contributes to
its own objective of transparency, which is also a factor in safety.
The recommendations made by the Office cover the organisation of the government
departments responsible for monitoring, the actions the operators might take,
and the improvement of public participation. Some of these have already been
translated into fact, for example the raising of the safety authority to the
rank of a Directorate. A draft parliamentary Bill has been prepared with a view
to setting up local information and surveillance committees around civilian
nuclear sites.
10. Preserving
water quality: drinking water distribution and sewage treatment.
Mr Jean Faure,
senator and Mr Richard Pouille, senator (1991).
The worsening quality of our water
resources, which is linked partly to inadequate sewage treatment, was also a
subject worked upon by the Office which devoted a report to these problems.
The work by its rapporteurs found a fruitful continuation with the debate on
the draft Bill on the distribution, policing and protection of water that received
widespread support during discussion.
Law no. 92-3 of 3 January 1992 is fully encompassed by the "environment"
element of the Office’s work and should contribute to improving water quality
in France. After one year, the Minister for the Environment also provided the
Office with a review of the subject, in accordance with article 48 of law no. 92-3.
9. Problems
arising from the treatment of industrial wastes as part of a threefold approach
covering domestic, industrial and hospital wastes.
Mr Michel Destot,
M.P. (1991).
In this study, the Office sought
to determine the underlying reasons for the complete stagnation of French policy
on wastes. In its considerations, the Office gave pride of place to determining
how waste policy could recover its credibility in the eyes of the public.
The response to the wide circulation of the report’s conclusions resulted in
the Office being a preferred point of contact in many events devoted to the
problem of industrial wastes. Adoption of the law on waste disposal of 13 July
1992 was a direct result of some of the Office’s conclusions. Also, the fundamental
work carried out in the Office enlivened a number of aspects of the parliamentary
debate.
8. Monitoring
the safety and security of nuclear installations.
Mr Claude Birraux,
M.P. and Mr Franck Sérusclat, senator (Study I) (1990).
In this field the Office has a
very specific role: it conducts an independent outside examination of the way
in which the safety and security of nuclear installations are monitored, while
in no way seeking to take the place of the operators or of the authorities responsible
for drawing up and implementing the safety rules. In this way it exercises one
of parliament’s essential functions - democratic oversight – in a better way
than any "committee of wise men" or "high authority".
By organising round table discussions and public hearings open to the press,
such as that held on 19 May 1992 on the possible restart of Superphénix,
it provides the public with all available information and thus contributes to
its own objective of transparency, which is also a factor in safety.
The recommendations made by the Office cover the organisation of the government
departments responsible for monitoring, the actions the operators might take,
and the improvement of public participation. Some of these have already been
translated into fact, for example the raising of the safety authority to the
rank of a Directorate. A draft parliamentary Bill has been prepared with a view
to setting up local information and surveillance committees around civilian
nuclear sites.
7. Management
of high activity nuclear wastes.
Mr Christian
Bataille, M.P. (1990).
This study was entrusted to the
Office by the Bureau of the National Assembly and Senate, meeting a wish expressed
by the Prime Minister when he announced the suspension of research into the
underground storage of high activity radioactive wastes. After seven months
of enquiry and many meetings with all concerned, the rapporteur presented precise
proposals that were practically all embodied in law No. 91-1381 of 30 December
1991 relative to research into radioactive waste management. A mediator was
in fact appointed to follow up and apply this law; the government appointed
Mr Bataille for this task, and he was confirmed in the post by the new government
in 1993.
By enabling the public involved to express itself with great freedom, the Office’s
study contributed to diffusing the arguments that were becoming bitter.
The office also put forward solutions that should enable research on high activity
radioactive waste management to be resumed in a tranquil spirit and with the
support of all parties involved.
6. Application
of biotechnologies to agriculture and the agro-food industry.
Mr Daniel Chevallier,
M.P. (1990).
One of the recommendations of this
report has had concrete results. Mr Daniel Chevallier had recommended that the
embodiment into French law of two European directives concerning the controlled
use and deliberate dissemination of genetically modified organisms should be
the subject of legislation, allowing parliament the opportunity to intervene
in this sensitive area. The government accepted this request and Mr Daniel Chevallier
was the rapporteur for this legislation on behalf of the production and trade
committee.
This report has had other sequels: first, the Office jointly organised an information
day on biotechnologies, using this report as a basis, together with the Agriculture
Committee of the Council of Europe’s parliamentary assembly. Secondly, the Office
was invited by the Bureau of the National Assembly to conduct a study on biodiversity
and the conservation of the genetic heritage, a topic that had been the subject
of a chapter of the "biotechnologies" report.
5. The
effects of chlorofluorocarbons on the environment and ways in which their emission
can be eliminated or limited.
Mr Robert Galley,
M.P. and Mr Louis Perrein, senator (1990).
The report on the "Effects of chlorofluorocarbons on the environment and ways
of limiting or eliminating their emissions" was prepared at the time by an opposition
deputy, Mr Robert Galley, and a government senator, Mr. Louis Perrein.
Presented on the eve of the London Conference on the revision of the Montreal
Protocol on preserving the ozone layer, this is the first report by the Office
to have been fully translated into English. During its preparation, the two
rapporteurs met all of the world’s leading specialists on the subject, without
exception, and were able to participate in the inter-parliamentary conference
on the environment organised in Washington by the American senator Albert Gore
in the spring of 1990.
The conclusions reached by the Office can be summarised under three headings:
1. The scientific evidence calls for tougher action;
2. It is possible to do without CFCs;
3. It is indispensable for developing countries to join in the efforts
to restrict and eliminate emissions of halogen compounds.
In the conclusion of the report, the Office sets out a list of recommendations
that the Minister for Research has adopted and has undertaken to implement.
4. Developments
in the semiconductor industry.
Mr Louis Mexandeau,
M.P. (1989).
Semiconductors are a major economic
and strategic factor and all industries now depend on this technology.
The study by the Office attempted to answer the basic questions on the expected
technical developments, the distribution of skills around the world, and the
policies foreseeable for France and the Community.
Considerable space was devoted to the European JESSI programme and to
Europe’s chances in view of Japanese supremacy.
Developments - both technical and economic - in this sector have been so rapid
that the Office has been asked to prepare an update of this report.
3. High
definition television.
Mr Raymond
Forni, M.P. and Mr Michel Pelchat, M.P. (1989).
In an initial report issued in July 1989, the Office had called upon Europe
to intensify its actions to counter the Japanese offensive in the field of high
definition television (HDTV), in view of the importance of the economic and
cultural issues at stake. The rapporteurs, while defending the European MAC
broadcasting standards, had already asked pertinent questions about the advent
of HDTV systems using digital transmission which appeared to be inevitable,
although the schedule appeared extremely uncertain.
2. Consequences
of the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant and the organisation of
safety and security at nuclear installations.
Mr Jean-Marie
Rausch, senator and Mr Richard Pouille, senator (1987) (replacing
Mr Jacques Valade, senator, appointed a minister on 20 January 1987).
Four months after the Chernobyl
disaster, a delegation from the Office, the first foreign delegation allowed
to visit the station, met those in charge of nuclear management in the USSR
and Ukraine.
Although at the time technical information was still very scarce, the parliamentarians
from the Office sought to elucidate - sometimes in different ways - the circumstances
and consequences of this disaster.
They also set out the lessons that could be learned for France, concerning not
only the lack of information during an emergency but also the organisation for
monitoring the safety and security of nuclear installations.
Through this report, the parliament demonstrated its interest in a technology
which, while having undoubted advantages, does need to be carefully monitored
and controlled by the public authorities.
1. Long-range
forms of air pollution and acid rain.
M. Georges LE BAILL, M.P. (1985).
This first report by the Office
covered the transport of pollutants in the atmosphere and their consequences
for the environment.
On the particular problem of damage to certain forests that was quickly attributed
entirely to acid rain, the rapporteur pointed out that this phenomenon suffered
from a number of scientific uncertainties and could well have other explanations.
He concluded that research in this field should be pursued but that energetic
measures should be taken, without awaiting the research results, to reduce pollutant
emissions as quickly as possible.
Scientific results published in a number of countries have since confirmed that
the cautious attitude of the rapporteur was completely justified, and that acid
rain had often served as a pretext to impose measures that were primarily economic
in nature.
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