Council agrees on the revision of the nuclear safety directive

EU News 266/2014

Council of the European Union
Brussels, 11 June 2014
10721/14
(OR. en)
PRESSE 332

The Permanent Representatives Committee of the Council1 today took note of the agreement on the revised nuclear safety directive (10410/14) reached in the Working Party on Atomic Questions on 28 May 2014.

The Fukushima nuclear accident in Japan in 2011 brought renewed worldwide attention to the measures needed to minimise risk and ensure the most robust levels of nuclear safety. Based on the European Council’s conclusions of March 2011, the national competent regulatory authorities, together with the Commission within the framework of the European Nuclear Safety Regulators Group, carried out EU-wide comprehensive stress tests of nuclear power plants. The results identified a number of improvements which could be made to nuclear safety approaches and industry practices in the participating countries.

The revised directive introduces EU-wide nuclear safety objectives that aim to limit the consequences of a potential nuclear accident as well as address the safety of the entire lifecycle of nuclear installations (siting, design, construction, commissioning, operation and decommissioning of nuclear plants), including on-site emergency preparedness and response.

Source and additional information:
http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_data/docs/pressdata/en/trans/143161.pdf

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