Important agreement on the new nuclear safety Directive achieved
12 Jun 2014 01:02 PM
A commonly accepted
agreement on the text amending the Community framework for nuclear safety has
been endorsed by the Permanent Representatives Committee of the Council.
The agreement for this new
Directive was reached under the Greek Presidency, after delicate and strenuous
negotiation, since the safety of nuclear installations is for member states an
important matter of national sovereignty.
The new Directive puts safety on
the spot, taking into account lessons learned from past nuclear accidents and
international cooperation. For the first time a legally binding “safety
objective” is set in the regulatory framework for nuclear installations
in Europe, existing or new ones. The new nuclear safety architecture (a)
provides that member states implement a regulatory framework requiring accident
prevention, and should an accident occur, mitigating the consequences of
radioactive releases (b) reinforces crucial components of the nuclear safety
system, such as the independent role and function of the regulatory
authorities, the safety peer reviews mechanism and the promotion of safety
culture.
Specifically, the
Directive:
• introduces higher
standards for nuclear safety in Europe, as it requires that member states take
prevention measures for any type of accident, no matter how much unlikely may
be considered,
• introduces topical peer
reviews of the nuclear installations throughout Europe every six years, in
coordination among member states. The first topical peer review is scheduled
for 2017,
• requires operators to
have infrastructure and suitable arrangements for accident management and
emergency response,
• requires the
strengthening of the role, function and effective independence of the
regulatory authorities,
• introduces for member
states the legal requirement to promote and enhance nuclear safety
culture,
• introduces requirements
on transparency, public information, public participation and cooperation
between member states, nuclear and non-nuclear, in the vicinity of nuclear
installations.
The Chairman of the Greek Atomic
Energy Commission (EEAE), Christos Housiadas, commented: "The Greek
Presidency managed to achieve what six months ago seemed extremely difficult: a
new European agreement on the framework ruling the safety of nuclear
installations in Europe. An agreement that demonstrates the reflexes of the EU
and its member states to the universal request for not having in Europe a
nuclear accident. All member states, nuclear and non-nuclear, had an equal
opportunity to participate in this negotiation, as the consequences of nuclear
accidents do not stop at borders."
The amendment of the current
framework for nuclear safety was proposed by the European Commission in the
wake of the nuclear accident in Fukushima and the stress tests conducted at
nuclear power plants in Europe in the period 2011-2012.