Brussels, 23/09/2011 (Agence Europe) - In order to reinforce international cooperation in matters of nuclear safety, José Manuel Barroso is opening the door for third parties to get involved in examining the reports which will follow the nuclear stress tests carried out by the EU member states - as long as it cuts both ways.
“When we see nuclear, we say global (…). We [the Europeans] support tighter international rules for safe and sustainable use of nuclear energy, and we have, in our own realm, taken the lead on this”, stressed Barroso, at a meeting on nuclear safety in response to the Fukushima accident, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, on Thursday 22 September. The president of the European Commission went on to remind his audience of the long process started in June of this year to test the resistance of the 143 nuclear reactors located in 14 member states of the EU to a series of risks, including the natural disasters (earthquakes and tsunamis) which devastated Japan on 11 March of this year.
As the process was carried out on two fronts - on the one hand, assessing the safety of the nuclear power stations against natural or artificial disasters and, on the other, assessing threats to security caused by deliberate vandalism or terrorist acts - two progress reports will be submitted in December. Two of the three stages in the assessment process are already complete: the assessment carried out by the operators themselves and verification by the national regulators, Barroso explained, adding that the third stage, which consists of the international peer review of the national reports, will start in January 2012. “We are open to allowing third countries to join this peer review process on the basis of reciprocity”, said the head of the European executive. In light of the results, the EU will continue its work by adopting new legislative proposals if necessary. “Our goal is clear: we will ensure the highest safety and security standards for our citizens”, he added, pointing out that the regulatory framework for EU safety matters is based on “two key pieces” of EU legislation: the EU Safety Directive of 2009 and the recently adopted Directive on Radioactive Waste of July 2011.
“In the interests of transparency and a stronger global safety culture, the Commission is ready to share the results of these ongoing EU stress tests”, Barroso insisted, congratulating those countries which have followed the EU's lead in carrying out similar tests, and encouraging others to do the same. “Building on the clear declaration by the G8 leaders in Deauville, the European Union considers that all countries operating nuclear power plants should carry out similar assessment as soon as possible”, he said, stressing that the neighbour countries of the EU - Armenia, Belarus, Croatia, Russia, Switzerland, Turkey and Ukraine - had agreed to carry out stress test exercises similar to those of the EU. “This coherent approach by our whole region sets an example for the global community”, added the head of the European executive, calling on the whole of the international community to “work for global progress on nuclear safety cooperation”. “The IAEA can play a key role in developing a common global approach to nuclear safety”, he concluded, welcoming the action plan proposed by the association the day before. (EH/transl.fl)