Brussels, 29/01/2003 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission is to formally adopt, on Thursday, two draft proposals for a framework directive (one on safety norms and funds for scrapping vessels, and the other on the management of radioactive waste). The proposals are part of the package of proposals on nuclear safety within the EU presented in November by Loyola de Palacio, Energy Commissioner (see EUROPE of 7 November, p.8). The committee of experts responsible for giving an opinion on the legal basis of these two proposals is not opposed to the use of Article 31 of the Euratom Treaty, as proposed by Ms de Palacio (the article will appear in the chapter on health protection, and therefore provides for qualified majority vote in Council). The College will therefore formally adopt the two proposals in order to forward them to the Economic and Social Committee for opinion before submitting them to the Council and to the European Parliament.