Brussels, 25/03/2011 (Agence Europe) - In the wake of the nuclear crisis in Japan, European leaders meeting in Brussels on 24-25 March for their spring summit, reached an agreement on examining EU nuclear plants through the application of a number of stress tests.
A major incident struck the Fukushima Daichi nuclear plant, following the tsunami on 11 March. Now, at the end of this week, the situation is beginning to get back to normal and the EU 27 is beginning to draw a number of lessons from the events in Japan. The European Council is also demanding that, “priority measures” be taken on safety and restoring public confidence in Europe.
European leaders are first of all demanding that stress tests be carried out on the 143 nuclear plants operating in the EU, as well a stress test for future reactors. They consider that there are a number of risks they would possibly have to confront, such as the disasters of the kind that struck Japan on 11 March - an earthquake and a tsunami. The European Council conclusions underline that, “it is necessary to examine EU nuclear plant safety on the basis of comprehensive and transparent assessment of the risks and safety”. The European Council calls on the Commission to ensure that the European regulators group for nuclear safety (ENSREG) define the stress tests modalities and scope, “as soon as possible” in light of the events in Japan. It also calls for the, “full participation” of member states, by drawing on all expertise available, particularly that of the Western European Nuclear Reactor (WENRA). Assessments will be carried out by the appropriate national authorities and their results will be sent to the Commission and members of ENSREG. The safety of nuclear plants is a priority and cannot stop at the EU's borders. The European Council is encouraging and supporting completion of these tests in countries neighbouring on the EU. This week, the commissioner for energy cited Switzerland, Turkey, Belarus, Ukraine, Armenia and Russia, as well as the whole world, for both existing and future installations.
In a more general context, the EU27 are requesting the, “permanent application and improvement” of stringent nuclear safety standards in the EU, which are promoted internationally. In this context, the Commission is being urged to proceed to an examination of the legislative and regulatory framework on security and safety of nuclear plants and to propose modifications if required. Member states are being called on to fully implement the 2009/71/Euratom directive on nuclear safety, which needs to be transposed into national law by July. The draft proposal on radioactive waste is also expected to be adopted without delay.
Sarkozy, Merkel and Zapatero: closing the most vulnerable plants. “There are the nuclear aspects. That is a top priority. We therefore decided that the safety of nuclear plants should be urgently reviewed, in the so-called 'stress-tests'. The Commission will report on the stress tests to the European Council before the end of this year. Because the danger does not stop at our borders, we encourage and support neighbouring countries to do similar stress-tests. A worldwide review of nuclear plants would be best. In Europe, we want the highest standards for nuclear safety. All colleagues were very outspoken about this”. Nicolas Sarkozy, the French president, promised that in the context of France, if a plant fails a stress test, it will be closed down. Fifty-eight of the 143 nuclear reactors in the EU are in France. Thirty-four of these plants are over 30 years old, such as the Fessenheim plant, which is located in a zone prone to earthquakes. Sarkozy explained that, “the Commission will set out the inspection framework and standards. Independent authorities will carry out inspections and publish the results. The Commission and the European nuclear regulators will illustrate the trustworthiness or insufficiencies of each of these plants”.
Chancellor Angela Merkel declared that, “the tests will be prepared and carried out in a standard way throughout Europe. The aim is to develop the highest standards possible. The fact that we have agreed proves that we have learned the lessons of the events in Japan (…) What I said in Germany is also valid for Europe, we cannot continue in the old way”. This week she decided to suspend 7 of the 17 reactors in Germany for 3 months.
The Spanish prime minister José Luis Zapatero agreed that, “if it becomes obvious that a plant has not passed the test and nothing can be done, it is logical that it should be closed down”. There are six nuclear plants and nine reactors in Spain.
In the context of carrying out the stress tests and deciding whether to close down a plant, the president of the Commission, José Manuel Barroso, admitted that the question had not been answered yet. The Luxembourg prime minister, Jean-Claude Junker, warned that “experts linked to the nuclear lobby must not carry out these tests”. Hungary chaired the Council. The country's prime minister, Viktor Orban, made no other comment other than to provide assurances that the nuclear plants in his country would participate in the stress tests. (E.H. with G.B./A.N./H.B./A.By.)