Brussels, 16/10/2008 (Agence Europe) - Opening the fifth meeting of the High Level Group (HLG) on Nuclear Safety and Waste Management on Wednesday 15 October, Andris Piebalgs, Energy Commissioner, highlighted the increased attention given to nuclear safety issues by the European institutions and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and the importance attached to the need for a higher level of nuclear safety, better management of radioactive waste and better communication to the public through the broader stakeholder consensus provided by the European Nuclear Energy Forum (held twice a year in Prague and Bratislava). Mr Piebalgs congratulated the HLG members on their work since the first meeting on 12 October 2007 (EUROPE 9522). The group on nuclear safety and waste management must now finalise its conclusions so that the European Commission can make a report to the Council and European Parliament in summer 2009. It has already demonstrated that there is a consensus on nuclear waste management and transparency of information, and coherence with the principles of the Convention on Nuclear Safety. In the meantime, the Commission is considering to table new legislation to ensure that the nuclear safety priorities and common approaches identified by the HLG are upheld and harmonisation of the highest safety standards is implemented throughout the EU. The role and independence of national regulators is of specific importance in this context. The HLG was set up at the request of the March 2007 European Council, and aims to develop common understanding and reinforce common approaches in the fields of nuclear safety and waste management to assist the Commission in progressively developing Community rules regarding the safety of nuclear installations and the safe management of spent fuel and radioactive waste. (E.H./transl.rh)