Brussels, 31/05/2011 (Agence Europe) - Although it welcomes the agreement put together on 24 May between the Commission and the European Nuclear Safety Regulators Group (ENSREG) on the stress tests to which 143 nuclear reactors operating in the EU will be subject, the European Economic and Social Committee regrets that this is a voluntary exercise. It calls for the European Commission to play a more important role in monitoring the safety of these nuclear plants.
In a press release published on 30 May, Staffan Nilsson, the president of the EESC declared, “It is encouraging to see that the adequacy of safety and remedial measures will be tested. I hope all member states will be doing the stress tests. Unfortunately, we cannot foresee all extreme events… a secure, sustainable, low carbon energy mix is not only essential to Europe but global development as a whole”. In the press release, the EESC points out that it is actively promoting transparency in the public debate on energy, particularly with regard to nuclear energy and the work being done on risks linked to this source of energy, as part of the European Forum on nuclear power. The president of the EESC energy and transport section, Stéphane Buffetaut, stated that, “the Committee welcomes the extension of the criteria to include all man-made failures and actions and the renewed commitment to transparency through full evaluation, peer review and publication. The stress tests should not be seen as a weapon against nuclear energy but a response to the concerns of civil society, which could lead to greater understanding of the need for a diverse energy mix minimising fossil fuels”.
His colleague, Richard Adams, president of the “transparency” workgroup at the nuclear forum considers that it is essential that member states approve the leadership of the European Commission in the stress tests: “We believe that meeting the EU climate change targets depends on positive support from civil society for a range of low carbon energy sources. The debate about the future energy mix is ongoing and a sustainable outcome depends on public understanding and confidence. The safety tests need to generate a high level of trust”. (E.H./transl.fl)