17/05/2018 (Agence Europe) – On Thursday 17 May, the European Commission referred Austria, Croatia and Italy to the European Court of Justice (ECJ) for failing to notify their final national programmes for the management of the spent fuel and radioactive waste, as required under Council Directive 2011/70/Euratom. Member states were required to submit their national programmes to the Commission for the first time by 23 August 2015. As Austria, Croatia and Italy submitted only draft versions of their programmes, the Commission sent them letters of formal notice on 29 April 2016, followed by reasoned opinions in July 2017. (EH)