Wallonia disputes 119 million-euro bill for hazardous site cleaning

Wallonia disputes 119 million-euro bill for hazardous site cleaning
Credit: Evergreen AES

The bill for cleaning up the site of Best Medicals, which went bankrupt in 2012, has now risen to 127.9 million euros, 118.9 million of which is to be paid by Wallonia, Le Soir revealed on Friday. In 2012, the cost was however estimated at 50.8 million by Ondraf, which manages nuclear waste in Belgium.

The Region disputes this position. As far as it is concerned, the financial burden must be shared. If it has already paid part of the amount, that is solely, economy minister Pierre-Yves Jeholet (MR) said, "as an advance" to allow Ondraf to carry out its work "in view of the health and public safety problems" posed by the site.

Discussions between notably the federal state, the National Institute for Radio Elements (IRE) and the Wallonian Region will be getting underway to define each party's financial responsibility. Before passing into the Region's hands, the Best Medicals site was under federal supervision.

This will inevitably be an issue for future governments.

The Brussels Times


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