Commission consults on radioactive waste and spent fuel

摘要

The European Commission is consulting, until 31 May this year, on approaches for a possible EU legislative proposal on the management of spent fuel and radioactive waste. An online questionnaire quizzes stakeholders on a possible legislative proposal that would re-launch a Commission initiative to enact binding legislation in the field. Whilst a Council directive establishing a Community framework for the safety of nuclear installations was recently adopted (2009/71/Euratom), the current set of EU legislation and international rules applied in EU countries is seen as insufficient. Both EU legislation and international rules laid down by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) are seen as limited to storage facilities for radioactive waste and spent fuel that are on the same site and are directly related to nuclear installations.