Brussels, 18/06/2009 (Agence Europe) - The measures proposed in the draft directive on establishing a common EU framework on nuclear safety, presented by the European Commission in November 2008 (see EUROPE 9782) will, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) says, significantly enhance public safety, as well as benefiting nuclear industry workers and the environment. Furthermore, the EESC, in an opinion by Gerard Dantin (Group II, Employees, France), adopted on 10 June, calls on the EU to export its “safety model" “beyond its borders, as it does with the climate package. Dantin called for nuclear safety to be a “a worldwide public good”, although it must be left to member states to decide whether or not to use this type of energy. In the belief that member states had to be required, in line with good practice, to establish totally independent national safety authorities, making licence holders fully responsible and ensuring that information on these issues is transparent, the EESC, therefore, wanted this aspect of the directive to be maintained along with an extremely high level of responsibility. Arguing that “nuclear safety is also a question of industrial culture and behaviour; it is not just about drawing up regulations and restrictions”, the EESC calls for more attention to be devoted to building, maintaining and developing skills in the member states, particularly those which have little or no experience with nuclear energy, where the requisite training opportunities must be developed. The EESC suggests, too, that consideration must be given to the European certification of competence in the field of nuclear power, and that training must cover technical management as well as the health aspects of nuclear accidents. (E.H./transl.rt)