Communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament on the comprehensive risk and safety assessments (‘stress tests’) of nuclear power plants in the European Union and related activities

There are currently 132 nuclear reactors in operation in the EU, grouped on 58 sites. Their safety record is such that although incidents have occurred and continue to occur, no major accidents have ever taken place. While the overall safety record is therefore good, EU citizens' confidence in Europe's nuclear industry hinges on continuous improvements of the EU nuclear safety and security framework, so as to ensure that it remains the most effective in the world, based on the highest safety standards.

The challenges which nuclear safety and its governance face were highlighted in the accident at the Fukushima reactors in Japan following the earthquake and the tsunami in March 2011. This event demonstrated that nuclear reactors must be protected even against accidents which have been assessed as highly improbable. Events at Fukushima revealed well-known and recurring issues: faulty design, insufficient backup systems, human error, inadequate contingency plans, and poor communications. The EU must learn the lessons of Fukushima to further reduce the risk of nuclear incidents in Europe.

The Fukushima accident resulted in unprecedented efforts to review the safety of nuclear installations in Europe and worldwide. Initiatives were taken at national, regional and international level. In the EU, the European Council, in March 2011 concluded that "the safety of all EU nuclear plants should be reviewed, on the basis of a comprehensive and transparent risk and safety assessment ('stress tests')".

Close cooperation between plant operators, nuclear regulators and the Commission made it possible to carry out stress tests in 2011 and 2012. The Commission can now give a response to the European Council's mandate with the present report which identifies the Commission's conclusions and recommendations based on the stress tests and related activities. It also considers the international dimension of nuclear safety and security and outlines how the nuclear safety framework in the EU can be improved.

Details on the technical findings and the stress test methodology are presented in the accompanying Commission Staff Working Document.

EUR-Lex: COM(2012)571: Follow the progress of this document through the decision-making procedure http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/HIS/?uri=COM:2012:571:FIN

European Commission: SWD(2012)287: Technical summary on the implementation of comprehensive risk and safety assessments of nuclear power plants in the European Union http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=SWD:2012:0287:FIN:EN:PDF

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