EU Legislation, Initiatives, etc.

EU News: Following last year's triple disaster in Japan, the EU decided to take a critical look at its nuclear power production and re-assess the safety & security of all nuclear power plants in the EU.  

All 14 Member States that operate nuclear power plants (Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, the Netherlands, Romania, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom) and Lithuania, which is decommissioning its nuclear power producing units, agreed to participate in these voluntary stress tests.
 
The stress tests go beyond safety evaluations performed during normal licensing process and periodic reviews. They assess whether nuclear power plants can also cope with extreme unexpected events.

The Fukushima accident showed us that two natural disasters can happen at the same time: the nuclear power plant could withstand the earthquake but could not cope with an up to 20 meter high tsunami wave which followed and cut off the power supply to the plant.
Press release & links
 
EU NewsFailing to implement environment legislation is thought to cost the EU economy around €50bn every year in health costs & direct costs to the environment.  In an effort to reduce that figure and deliver better environmental outcomes for people and businesses, the Commission has issued a communication on better implementation of EU environment law.
Press release & links
 
EU News: Through new EU legislation adopted last week by the Council, Europe establishes stronger regulations to effectively fight illegal arms trafficking.  It establishes requirements for exports, imports & transit licensing, and makes it easier to track weapons.
Press release & links
Spotlight on women at Serco – Anita’s story