Brussels, 09/11/2012 (Agence Europe) - In an oral question adopted on 5 November, the European Parliament's Energy Committee, chaired by Amalia Sartori (EPP, Italy) urged the Commission to give full details about the legislation on the safety of nuclear power stations in Europe that it has promised to unveil in 2013. The oral question arises from a debate at the committee following publication on 4 October of the results of the nuclear stress tests (see EUROPE 10703).
To all intents and purposes, the Euratom Treaty excludes the European Parliament from decisions about nuclear issues, but the parliament's political parties have made it clear that they are determined to have their say in the debate about nuclear safety to counter-balance the all-powerful national regulatory bodies and ensure greater openness for the general public (see EUROPE 10704). In the oral question, the committee asks the European Commission to explain how the stress test results will be incorporated in the revision of the nuclear safety directive, to give information about timing and the content of draft legislation to come to introduce binding rules on liability and insurance. The European Parliament wants the Commission to also explain how it is planning to ensure all the recommendations made in its 4 October report are to be properly implemented and how it is planning to encourage greater independence of national nuclear regulatory bodies. (EH/transl.fl)