WRITTEN QUESTION E-1596/02 by John Purvis (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Safety criteria for nuclear reactors.
Date: 2002-06-05
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU policy, competence of the Member States, energy policy, harmonisation of standards, nuclear power station, nuclear safety, safety standard

5.12.2002

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 301 E/189

the Commission adopted a ‘Communication to the Council,

the European
On 24 October 2001,
Parliament and the Economic and Social Committee on a Community Strategy for Dioxins, Furans and
PCBs’ (3). The Communication outlines the problem of dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyl (PCBs), the
progress in addressing the problem, the remaining gaps, the basis for Community action and it develops a
strategy to reduce the presence of these compounds in the environment, in feed and food.

It is stated in the Communication that waste incineration is no longer the major dioxin source and that for
the industrial sources a considerable emission reduction has been achieved (based on current trends and
activities it is foreseen that the target set in the 5th Environment Action Programme of a 90 % reduction
will be nearly realised in 2005 compared to the levels in 1985) but, for the non-industrial sources
(domestic solid fuel burning, domestic waste burning, fires, etc.) the rate of emission reduction is much
lower. These sources have so far been left to the Member States, and the Commission sees no need to
change this policy, as it is consistent with the principle of subsidiarity.

The Communication identifies a set of non-legislative actions for the short- to medium-term and for the
long-term focusing on inter alia dioxin sources (iron ore sintering, electric arc furnaces, non-ferrous metal
industry, miscellaneous industrial sources and non-industrial emission sources).

(1) OJ L 332, 28.12.2000.
(2) OJ L 257, 10.10.1996.
(3) OJ C 322, 17.11.2001.

(2002/C 301 E/199)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1596/02

by John Purvis (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(5 June 2002)

Subject: Safety criteria for nuclear reactors

What are the specific technical safety criteria for nuclear-electricity-generating reactors?

Please list those reactors within the existing EU Member States and the applicant countries which do and
do not meet these standards.

Answer given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission

(17 July 2002)

Technical safety standards for nuclear reactors are the responsibility of the Member States. There is no
Community legislation on this subject at the present time.

It is worthwhile recalling on this occasion, however, that the European Council meeting in Laeken in
December 2001 undertook to maintain a high level of nuclear safety in the Union, stressed the need to
monitor the security and safety of nuclear power stations and called for regular reports from Member
States’ atomic energy experts through their maintaining close contact with the Commission.

In this context and in order to achieve the objective of a high level of nuclear safety in an enlarged Union,
the Communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament (cid:1) Final report on
the Green Paper ‘Towards a European strategy for the security of energy supply’ (1) indicates that: ‘For the
next stage, the Commission will examine a proposal opening the way to a truly Community approach to
nuclear safety in the form of common standards and practices and European control mechanisms and peer
review’. This will guarantee that the same criteria and methods are applied throughout an enlarged Europe.

(1) COM(2002) 321 final.