Nuclear safety – Commission publishes proposals, November 2002

On 6 November 2002 the European Commission published a series of proposals covering the safety of nuclear installations during operation and decommissioning, the management of radioactive waste, and trade in nuclear materials with Russia.

Although the EU already has legislation on nuclear safety, adopted under the 1957 Euratom Treaty, it does not address the issue of nuclear safety standards. In light of the Union's forthcoming enlargement to include a number of countries which between them have 20 nuclear reactors - many using Russian technology - the June 1999 Cologne European Council asked the Commission to ensure the application of high safety standards in Central and Eastern European countries and the Laeken European Council in December 2001 called for the Commission to produce regular reports on nuclear safety in the EU.

According to Loyola de Palacio, Vice-President of the Commission responsible for energy and transport: 'It is our responsibility to ensure a common approach to nuclear safety and waste management: European citizens would never forgive us for inaction by the EU in this field - Independent of the energy policy choices made by the Member States, consistent action by the EU in this field is necessary, all the more so with the forthcoming enlargement. The gaps in the Community legislation on nuclear safety must be filled.'

The aim of the Commission's proposals is to introduce common standards and monitoring mechanisms which will guarantee uniform application of the same safety criteria with legal force throughout the EU. They take the form of two draft Directives and a draft Decision:

• A 'Draft Proposal for a Council (Euratom) Directive Setting out basic obligations and general principles on the safety of nuclear installations' seeks to introduce common safety standards and monitoring mechanisms and will require each Member State to have an independent safety authority whose performance will be monitored by the Commission. The draft also recognises the need for appropriate financial resources to ensure nuclear safety, especially in relation to decommissioning of nuclear installations.

• A 'Draft proposal for a Council Directive (Euratom) on the management of spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste' opts for geological burial of waste as the safest disposal method and will require Member States to have burial sites for highly radioactive wastes operational by 2018 and those for low-activity, short-life waste ready by 2013. The draft also seeks to enhance research into radioactive waste disposal.

• A draft Council Decision - will authorise the Commission to negotiate an agreement on trade in nuclear materials between Euratom and the Russian Federation. The agreement must take account of the Union's enlargement, which will see the number of nuclear power stations in the EU increase and will add a number of Member States which have "special relations" with the Russian Federation vis-à-vis nuclear materials.

The FT welcomed the proposals, noting that 'The mess the British government is in over its main nuclear generator shows the danger of short-term policy tinkering.'

BBC News Online pointed out that 'the proposals are strongly opposed by big producers of nuclear energy, mainly Britain and France. - [but] may be too weak to satisfy countries like Austria and Germany, which have either renounced nuclear power altogether or are in the process of doing so.'

Links:

European Commission:
	Press Release: Towards a Community approach to nuclear safety [IP/02/1616]
	Towards a Community approach to nuclear safety [pdf]
	Communication from the Commission - Nuclear safety in the European Union
	DG Energy & Transport: Package of New Legislative Proposals
European Sources Online: Financial Times:
	07.11.02:	Nuclear fallout
	07.11.02:	Brussels defends its nuclear proposals
BBC News Online:
	06.11.02:	EU seeks tighter nuclear rules

Eric Davies
KnowEurope Researcher,
Compiled: Thursday, 7 November 2002

The European Commission published a series of proposals covering the safety of nuclear installations on 6 November 2002.