Brussels, 09/04/2009 (Agence Europe) - Adopting a report by Gunnar Hökmark (EPP-ED, Sweden) on 1 April 2009 by 39 to 3 with 5 abstentions, the European Parliament's Energy Committee, chaired by Angelika Niebler (EPP-ED, Germany), set out its demands for the draft directive on a common framework for nuclear safety in the EU put forward by the European Commission. Under the initial draft, the Member States would have to draw up and introduce legislation and rules based on best practice both in the EU and internationally in managing safety aspects of nuclear plants. The committee says Member States should be obliged to meet the requirements of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IATA) on the siting, design, operations, management and mothballing of nuclear power plants as well as IATA safety rules. The committee recommends that Member States introduce stronger safety measures. The Energy Committee wants the draft directive to be accompanied by a detailed annex setting out safety principles. The MEPs argue that nuclear power plants must reach the highest safety standards that can reasonably be achieved in the light of economic and social factors to protect the general public and workers in the power plants from the damaging impact of radiation. The MEPs also stress the need for Member States to ensure that nuclear regulatory bodies are genuinely independent in practice. The Energy Committee says regulators should be separate legal entities and be operationally independent of any other private or private body, particularly bodies whose job it is to promote and manage nuclear power stations or promote nuclear energy to the public. People working for regulators must act independently of any vested interests and not seek the instructions of governments or any other public or private body. In addition, national regulators should be inspected by regulators from other countries at least once every ten years. The regulatory authorities should carry out nuclear safety investigations and inspections. Where safety is not guaranteed, the regulator must be able to close down the plant and withdraw nuclear power plants' operating permits. The Energy Committee also wants the European Commission to amend the draft legislation to ensure that the legal requirements set out in the Euratom Treaty are respected, including the duty to consult a group of experts, as set out in Article 31 of the Euratom Treaty. The Hökmark Report will be voted upon at the 21-24 April 2009 plenary. (E.H. trans fl)