Brussels, 15/03/2011 (Agence Europe) - After the nuclear disaster in Japan, where there has been one accident after another at the nuclear power plant at Fukushima 1, damaged by the earthquake and tsunami that devastated the country on Friday, European Union member states' representatives (mostly energy ministers) and member states' nuclear safety agencies met in Brussels on Tuesday 15 March, convened by EU Energy Commissioner Günther Oettinger to assess the Japanese catastrophe and the EU's preparedness for dealing with disasters of such a scale. Politicians agreed in principle on Tuesday to carry out stress tests on nuclear power plants in the EU to examine how they would react to a series of risks like earthquakes, tidal waves, floods, terrorist attacks and electricity blackouts (or collapse of the power lines). There was very broad agreement on Tuesday because, as Commissioner Oettinger explained, nobody disagreed with the idea of stress tests to examine the safety of nuclear power plants. The tests will be carried out by independent experts later this year. In the light of lessons from the Japanese disaster, the European Commission will draw up draft stress test details based on common criteria and standards. The age and type of plant will be taken into account. Preparatory work will take place from now until the end of June, backed by further coordination meetings among member states' representatives, nuclear safety authorities and the nuclear industry. The stress tests will all be voluntary, said Oettinger, who wants other countries, like Switzerland, Turkey and Russia to have the option of taking part. The energy commissioner is calling for a meeting of the IAEA in Vienna next week, where he will explain the EU's idea of stress tests and he is said to be counting on French President Nicolas Sarkozy to relay the message to the G8 and G20.
Welcoming the great desire of the member states to design new nuclear safety rules, Oettinger said he hoped to publish an initial transposition progress report for Directive 2009/71/Euratom on nuclear safety well ahead of the planned publication date (2014). Debate on nuclear safety in Europe will continue over the next few days at the EP's energy committee and environment committee, a special Energy Council, a special Euratom General Council and the European Council. Earlier on Tuesday, Oettinger called for research to see whether the EU can cover its energy needs in the relatively near future without the use of nuclear energy. There are no fewer than 143 nuclear power stations in Europe - 58 of them in France, 19 in the UK, 17 in Germany and 10 in Sweden, for example. In Germany on Tuesday, Chancellor Angela Merkel announced the immediate closure for three months of all Germany's power stations that came on stream before 1981. Switzerland has announced the suspension of planned updates to its nuclear power plants. (E.H./transl.fl)