In February 2015, the Commission proposed that the information requirements laid down in Articles 41 and 44 of the Euratom Treaty be reviewed to align them with the new policy developments. In 2014, EU-wide safety rules for nuclear installations were therefore updated ( Directive 2014/87/Euratom). Together with the European Nuclear Safety Regulators Group, the Commission has drawn up peer-reviewed national action plans to schedule physical upgrades of EU reactors. The Commission gave an overall positive assessment of current EU safety standards, but highlighted the need for further upgrades in order to ensure better consistency among Member States and to catch up with international best practices ( COM(2012)0571). The requirements for emergency preparedness and responses were strengthened to take into account the lessons learnt from the 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident.įollowing the Fukushima nuclear accident, the Commission carried out a comprehensive risk and safety assessment of all EU nuclear power stations to assess the safety and robustness of nuclear installations in the event of extreme natural events. The directive applies under normal conditions, but it also refers to planned and emergency exposure situations. It lays down precise parameters and leaves little discretionary margin. This directive establishes uniform basic safety standards for the protection of the health of workers, members of the public and patients. The current basic safety standards are laid down in the Basic Safety Standards Directive ( 2013/59/Euratom). Encouraging the responsible and safe management of spent fuel and radioactive waste, as well as the decommissioning and remediation of former nuclear sites and installations, is also an EU priority. Member States are required to establish national frameworks on nuclear safety requirements, the licencing of nuclear power stations, supervision and enforcement. The EU aims to promote an effective nuclear safety culture, including by implementing the highest nuclear safety and radiation standards. Nuclear safety deals with the safe operation of nuclear installations, complemented by radiation protection, and the application of effective and efficient safeguards for nuclear materials in non-EU countries. Since the costs of investing in nuclear energy could not be met by individual countries, the founding Member States joined together to form the European Atomic Energy Community. To tackle the general shortage of ‘conventional’ energy in the 1950s, the six founding Member States looked to nuclear energy as a means of achieving energy independence. ![]() Treaty establishing the European Atomic Energy Community ( Euratom Treaty), Articles 40-52 (investment, joint undertakings and supplies) and 92-99 (nuclear common market). ![]() While it is the Member States that choose whether to include nuclear power in their energy mix, EU legislation aims at improving the safety standards of nuclear power stations and ensuring that nuclear waste is safely handled and disposed of. Germany’s decision to phase out nuclear energy by 2020, as well as the temporary closure of two Belgian reactors after the discovery of cracks in their vessels, has stepped up pressure for the abandonment of nuclear power in the EU. However, in the aftermath of the 1986 Chernobyl disaster and the 2011 nuclear catastrophe in Fukushima, Japan, nuclear energy has become highly controversial. Nuclear energy is a low-carbon alternative to fossil fuels and represents a critical component in the energy mix of 13 of the 27 EU Member States, accounting for almost 26% of the electricity produced in the EU.
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