Brussels, 13/06/2013 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission is proposing a strengthened legislative framework on nuclear safety to avoid a Fukushima in Europe and to guarantee the most efficient response possible in an emergency.
On Thursday 11 June, European Commissioner for Energy Günther Oettinger unveiled draft legislation aiming to amend the 2009 directive on nuclear safety. The legislation was promised the day after the Fukushima Daiichi accident in Japan in March 2011. The draft legislation sets EU-level safety objectives to reduce risks and to protect people and the environment. By introducing a system of regular and binding peer reviews and by improving the transparency and strengthening the powers of national regulators, the draft directive aims at continuous improvement of nuclear safety throughout the whole European Union. The EU is home to no fewer than 132 active nuclear reactors.
The new directive is primarily based on the objective of safety - the member states must ensure that, in case of accidents, there is no release of radioactivity into the environment.
In line with the nuclear stress tests required by the European Council after the Fukushima accident, the draft directive requires EU-wide legally binding tests to be carried out every six years. Under the terms of the directive, the member states will jointly define the specific topic(s) and the common methodology of the reviews that multinational teams will carry out. Member states will also be responsible for implementing the recommendations. If there is a delay or the recommendations are not implemented, the European Commission can organise a verification mission to the member states concerned.
The amended draft directive also provides for national-level review. Every nuclear power plant will have to undergo a periodic safety review at least once every 10 years and a specific review in the event of a possible life time extension.
New power plants will have to be designed in a way which ensures that there can be no consequences outside the plant if a reactor core is damaged.
With regard to emergency response, the draft directive requires every nuclear power plant to have an emergency response centre which is protected against radioactivity, earthquakes or flooding, and which implements strict accident management guidelines.
Regarding transparency, national regulatory authorities and plant operators will have to develop a strategy which will define how the public is informed in the event of an accident, and also in times of normal operation of the plant. Citizens will have the opportunity, furthermore, to participate in the decision-making process concerning the authorisation of a new nuclear power plant.
Lastly, the draft directive ensures that national regulatory authorities are independent in their decision-making and that nuclear safety cannot be subject to political, economic or societal interests. National regulatory authorities will have to be allocated sufficient funds and qualified staff.
In addition to the input by the services of the Commission, the amended draft directive is the fruit of the work of various expert sources including the European Nuclear Safety Regulators' Group (ENSREG), the Western European Nuclear Regulators Association (WENRA), the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and reports from third countries which use nuclear power, such as Japan and the United States. The draft directive also takes account of stakeholders' opinions (national regulators, companies and civil society).
Oettinger said on Thursday that he hoped his legislative proposal might become full legislation by the next elections in spring 2014. He also said that his staff are still working on draft legislation regarding insurance, compensation, and responsibilities in the case of nuclear damage, and he promised a proposal by the end of the year.
Major shortcomings. “Today's proposals to revise EU nuclear safety legislation are seriously underwhelming and fail to live up to the promises of EU Commissioner Oettinger to truly provide ambitious rules. The proposals have been tailored to the demands of the nuclear industry and should be seen as little more than a further attempt to legitimise nuclear power, with a view to prolonging the lifespan of ageing reactors. This is in spite of the urgent need to address the patchwork of substandard nuclear safety rules in EU member states”, deplores the leader of the European Parliament's Greens/EFA Group, Rebecca Harms. “The proposals fail to set out up-to-date safety criteria for nuclear power plants, which live up to the latest scientific and technical standards. As with the toothless EU nuclear stress tests, the risks of terrorist attacks or sabotage are completely ignored”, Harms stresses. She is nevertheless pleased at the proposals to strengthen the arrangements relating to the transparency and independence of regulatory authorities. (EH/transl.fl)