Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 114 Part 1.djvu/676

 114 STAT. 640 PUBLIC LAW 106-255—AUG. 2, 2000 (E) Multiple efforts to combat organized crime, including regional seminars for police officers and prosecutors. (F) Programs to encourage reform of the Baltic electricity market and encourage United States investment in such market. (G) Language and job training programs for Russianspeaking minorities in Latvia and Estonia to promote social integration in those countries. (H) A mentoring partnership program for woman entrepreneurs in the northwest region of Russia and the Baltic states, as part of broader efforts to promote women's participation in political and economic life. (6) Norway, Sweden, and Finland have made considerable efforts to provide assistance to the newly independent Baltic states and to the Northwest region of Russia. In particular, the United States notes the request placed before the European Union by Finland in 1999 for the creation and extensive funding by the European Union of a "Northern Dimension" Initiative to substantially address the problems that now exist in Northern Europe with regard to economic development, protection of the environment, the safety and containment of nuclear materials, and other issues. (7) The United States commends the endorsement of the "Northern Dimension" Initiative by the European Council at its meeting in Helsinki, Finland in December 1999 and calls on the European Union to act on that endorsement through the provision of substantial funding for the Initiative. (8) While the European Union, its member states, and other European countries should clearly take the lead in addressing the challenges posed in Northern Europe, in particular through appropriate yet substantial assistance provided by the European Union, the United States Northern Europe Initiative, and this Act are intended to supplement such efforts and build on the considerable assistance that the United States has already provided to the Baltic states and the Russian Federation. Partnership with other countries in the region means modest United States investment can have significant impact. (9) The United States Northern Europe Initiative's focus on regional environmental challenges is particularly important. Northern Europe is home to significant environmental problems, particularly the threat posed by nuclear waste from Russian submarines, icebreakers, and nuclear reactors. (10) In particular, 21,000 spent fuel assemblies from Russian submarines are lying exposed near Andreeyeva Bay, nearly 60 dangerously decrepit nuclear submarines, many in danger of sinking, are languishing in the Murmansk area of Northwest Russia, whole reactors and radioactive liquid waste are stored on unsafe floating barges, and there are significant risks of marine and atmospheric contamination from accidents arising from loss of electricity or fire on deteriorating, poorly monitored nuclear submarines. (11) This waste poses a threat to the safety and stability of Northern Europe and to countries of the Eurasian continent. (12)(A) In addition, the Environmental Protection Agency has facilitated the expansion and upgrading of a facility for

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