COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT "Shipment Directive" Accompanying the document REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE on the implementation by the Member States of Council Directive 2006/117 EURATOM on the supervision and control of shipments of radioactive waste and spent fuels
Date: 2013-04-25
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: EU Member State, cross-border transport, export of waste, national implementing measure, nuclear fuel, nuclear safety, radioactive waste, transport of dangerous goods

EUROPEAN 
COMMISSION 

Brussels, 25.4.2013  
SWD(2013) 150 final 

COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT 

"Shipment Directive" 

Accompanying the document 

REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN 
PARLIAMENT AND THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE

on the implementation by the Member States of Council Directive 2006/117 EURATOM 
on the supervision and control of shipments of radioactive waste and spent fuels  

{COM(2013) 240 final} 

EN 

   EN 

 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT 

"Shipment Directive" 

Accompanying the document 

REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN 
PARLIAMENT AND THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE 

on the implementation by the Member States of Council Directive 2006/117 EURATOM 
on the supervision and control of shipments of radioactive waste and spent fuels  

EN 

2 

   EN 

 
 
 
 
TABLE OF CONTENTS 

1. 

2. 

3. 

3.1. 

3.2. 

3.3. 

3.4. 

3.5. 

3.6. 

4. 

5. 

6. 

7. 

8. 

9. 

10. 

INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................... 4 

BACKGROUND: GENERAL PRINCIPLES FOR SHIPMENT AS ESTABLISHED 
BY THE SHIPMENTS DIRECTIVE 2006/117/EURATOM ..................................... 6 

IMPLEMENTATION OF THE GENERAL PROVISIONS....................................... 7 

Transposition of the Directive...................................................................................... 7 

Standard document for the supervision and control of shipments ............................... 7 

Competent authorities .................................................................................................. 7 

Transmission ................................................................................................................ 8 

Advisory committee ..................................................................................................... 8 

Regular reports ............................................................................................................. 8 

INFORMATION FROM MEMBERS STATES ON SHIPMENTS ........................... 9 

INFORMATION FROM MEMBER STATES ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF 
THE SHIPMENTS DIRECTIVE............................................................................... 10 

PROBLEMS REPORTED BY MEMBER STATES WHEN USING THE 
STANDARD DOCUMENT ...................................................................................... 11 

INFORMATION ON SIGNIFICANT CONDITIONS REQUIRED BY THE 
MEMBER STATES – EXPORT CRITERIA IMPLEMENTATION ....................... 12 

INFORMATION ON SIGNIFICANT CASES OF REFUSAL TO GIVE 
AUTHORISATION/CONSENT................................................................................ 13 

CROSS CHECK INFORMATION ........................................................................... 14 

CONCLUSIONS........................................................................................................ 14 

EN 

3 

   EN 

1. 

INTRODUCTION 

All EU Member States produce radioactive waste, generated by numerous activities, such as 
electricity  production  in  nuclear  power  plants  and  radioisotope  applications  in  medicine, 
industry, agriculture, research and education. The operation of nuclear reactors also generates 
spent fuel. Spent fuel means nuclear fuel that has been irradiated in and permanently removed 
from a reactor core. When spent fuel is unloaded from a reactor core, it is stored in dedicated 
ponds adjacent to the reactor to allow the initial heat and radiation levels to decrease. From 
the reactor site, spent fuel is transported by road, rail or sea to either an interim storage site or 
a reprocessing plant where it will be reprocessed. 

Fourteen  out  of  twenty  seven  Member  States  have  nuclear  power  reactors  in  operation,  and 
further  two  Member  States  have  nuclear  power  reactors  which  are  being  decommissioned1. 
Most Member States have research reactors. 

Each Member State is fully responsible for the choice of its own policy on the management of 
the  radioactive  waste  and  spent  fuel  within  its  jurisdiction,  some  choosing  reprocessing  of 
spent fuel, others aiming at final disposal of spent fuel with no other use foreseen. Therefore, 
transport  operations  of  waste  or  spent  fuel  occur  within  and  sometimes  outside  the 
Community. 
The  operations  involved  in  shipments  of  radioactive  waste  or  spent  fuel  are  subject  to  a 
number of requirements under Community2 and international legal Conventions3 regarding in 
particular the safe transport of radioactive material and the conditions under which radioactive 
waste or spent fuel is disposed of or stored in the country of destination.  
Further to these requirements, the health protection of workers and the general public requires 
that shipments of radioactive waste or spent fuel between Member States and into and out of 
the Community be subject to a compulsory and common system of prior authorisation. 
This  system  of  prior  authorisation  for  shipments  established  in  1992  was  modified 
significantly in 2006. 
The  Directive4  on  the  supervision  and  control  of  shipments  of  radioactive  waste  and  spent 
fuel, hereinafter "Shipments Directive", is without prejudice to the right of Member States to 
export  their  spent  fuel  for  reprocessing  and  nothing  in  the  Directive  implies  that  a  Member 
State  of  destination  has  to  accept  shipments  of  radioactive  waste  and  spent  fuel  for  final 
treatment or disposal except in the case of reshipment. 
The  existing  right  of  a  Member  State  to  object  to,  or  to  impose  conditions  for  a  shipment 
remain. Any refusal of such shipments is to be justified on the basis of the criteria set out in 
the Directive. 
Furthermore,  the  Shipments  Directive  prohibits  the  export  of  radioactive  waste  to  African, 
Caribbean or Pacific (ACP) countries, in line with the Cotonou  Agreement, to a  destination 
south of latitude 60 south or to a third country which does not have the resources to manage 
the radioactive waste safely. 

1 

2 

3 

4 

The 14 Member States which have nuclear power reactors in operation are Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech 
Republic,  Finland,  France,  Germany,  Hungary,  the  Netherlands,  Romania,  Slovakia,  Slovenia,  Spain, 
Sweden and the UK; Italy and Lithuania only have nuclear power reactors under decommissioning. 
In  particular,  Council  Directive  of  13  May  1996  laying  down  basic  safety  standards  for  the  health 
protection of the general public and workers against the dangers of ionizing radiation. 
In  particular  with  the  IAEA  Joint  Convention  on  the  Safety  of  Spent  fuel  Management  and  on  the 
Safety of Radioactive Waste Management.  
Council  directive  2006/117  EURATOM  of  20  November  2006  on  the  supervision  and  control  of 
shipments of radioactive waste and spent fuel. 

EN 

4 

   EN 

                                                 
The recently adopted Council Directive 2011/70/Euratom5 -hereinafter "Waste Directive"-, in 
particular Article 4, introduces additional strong conditions in case of shipment of radioactive 
waste,  including  spent  fuel  considered  as  waste.  The  general  principle  established  in  the 
Waste Directive is that "Radioactive Waste shall be disposed of in the Member State in which 
it was generated", unless at the time of shipment an agreement, taking into account the criteria 
in  accordance  with  Article  16(2)  of  Directive 
established  by 
2006/117/Euratom, has entered into force between the Member State concerned and another 
Member State or a third country to use a disposal facility in one of them. This means on the 
one hand the sharing of disposal sites among Member States is permitted6. But on the other 
hand  for  international  agreements  with  the  purpose  of  disposal  in  third  countries,  the 
following conditions have to be met:  

the  Commission 

– 

– 

Such international agreements shall be contained in the national programmes of the 
Member States (Art. 12.1k) and accordingly communicated to the Commission (Art. 
13.1) 

Prior  to  the  shipment  to  a  third  country,  the  exporting  Member  State  must 
communicate  to  the  Commission  such  an  agreement  and  ensure  three  conditions 
(Art. 4.4):  

(a) the country of destination has concluded an agreement with the Community 
covering spent fuel and radioactive waste management or is a party to the Joint 
Convention  on  the  Safety  of  Spent  Fuel  Management  and  on  the  Safety  of 
Radioactive Waste Management (‘the Joint Convention’);  

(b) the country of destination has radioactive waste management and disposal 
programmes  with  objectives  representing  a  high  level  of  safety  equivalent  to 
those established by this Directive; and  

(c)  the  disposal  facility  in  the  country  of  destination  is  authorised  for  the 
radioactive  waste  to  be  shipped,  is  operating  prior  to  the  shipment,  and  is 
managed  in  accordance  with  the  requirements  set  down  in  the  radioactive 
waste management and disposal programme of that country of destination. 

In  the  particular  case  of  high  level  waste,  including  spent  fuel  considered  as  waste,  these 
conditions represent a 'de-facto' ban on exporting, as deep geological repositories do not exist 
outside the EU. 
As established by Article 2.3 of the Waste Directive, these restrictions to shipments are not 
applicable in three cases: 

– 

– 

Repatriation of disused sealed sources to a supplier or manufacturer, 

Shipment of spent fuel of research reactors to a country where research reactor 
fuels are supplied, taking into account applicable international agreements –in 
particular, those based on the Global Threat Reduction Initiative as explained 
in Recital 15. 

–  Waste  and  spent  fuel  of  the  existing  Krško  nuclear  power  plant  concerning 

Slovenia and Croatia. 

5 

6 

Council  Directive  2011/70/Euratom  of  19  July  2011  establishing  a  Community  framework  for  the 
responsible and safe management of spent fuel and radioactive waste. 
Recital 33 of Directive 2011/70/Euratom: "Some Member States consider that the sharing of facilities 
for  spent  fuel  and  radioactive  waste  management,  including  disposal  facilities,  is  a  potentially 
beneficial,  safe  and  cost  effective  option  when  based  on  an  agreement  between  the  Member  States 
concerned". 

EN 

5 

   EN 

                                                 
The  Waste  Directive  does  not  affect  the  freedom  of  Member  States  to  accept  spent  fuel  or 
waste  for  processing  or  reprocessing  from  third  countries  and  send  it  back  to  its  country  of 
origin. Similarly, Member States remain free to ship their radioactive waste or spent fuel for 
processing or reprocessing to another Member State or to a third country. In both cases, the 
ultimate responsibility for the safe and responsible disposal of those materials, including any 
waste  as  a  by-product,  remains  with  the  Member  State  or  third  country  from  which  the 
radioactive material was shipped.  
EU  Member  States  shall  bring  into  force  the  law,  regulations  and  administrative  provisions 
necessary to comply with the Waste Directive by 23 August 2013. 

Coming  back  to  Council  Directive  2006/117/Euratom,  Article  20  of  the  Shipment  Directive 
requires Member States to forward to the Commission reports on the implementation of the 
Directive by 25 December 2011 and every three years and to supplement these reports with 
information  on  the  situation  regarding  shipments  within  their  respective  territories.  On  the 
basis  of  the  Member  States'  reports  the  Commission  is  required,  in  accordance  with  the 
procedure  laid  down  in  Article  21  of  such  Directive,  to  prepare  a  summary  report  for  the 
European Parliament, the Council and the Economic and Social Committee. 
Periodical reporting from Member States to the Commission and from the Commission to the 
European  Parliament,  to  the  Council  and  to  the  European  Economic  and  Social  Committee 
should provide a useful overview of authorizations and refusals given Community-wide and 
should  identify  possible  difficulties  encountered  in  practice  by  the  Member  States  and 
solutions applied. 
The European Commission has the commitment to inform the European citizens in response 
to their concern and the lack of transparency about radioactive waste and nuclear spent fuels. 
This  is  the  first  Commission  report  concerning  the  implementation  of  Council  Directive 
2006/117/  Euratom  covering  the  period  2008-2011.  It  has  been  established  on  the  basis  of 
contributions  from  all  Member  States  and  in  consultation  with  the  Advisory  Committee 
established by Article 21 of the Directive. 

2. 

BACKGROUND:  GENERAL 
ESTABLISHED BY THE SHIPMENTS DIRECTIVE 2006/117/EURATOM 

PRINCIPLES 

SHIPMENT  AS 

FOR 

According to Article 6 of the Council Directive 2006/117, a holder who plans to carry out an 
intra-Community  shipment  of  radioactive  waste  or  spent  fuel  or  to  arrange  for  such  a 
shipment  to  be  carried  out  must  submit  a  duly  completed  application  to  the  competent 
authorities of the Member State of origin. A single application may cover several shipments if 
the substances involved share the same characteristics and if the route (countries and borders 
crossed) and the competent authorities are the same. 
Where radioactive waste or spent fuel is to be imported into the Community (Article 13 of the 
Council  Directive  2006/117),  the  consignee  must  submit  this  application  to  the  competent 
authorities  of  the  Member  State  of  destination.  Where  a  shipment  is  made  from  a  Member 
State to a third country, the competent authorities in the Member State of origin must contact 
the relevant authorities in the country of destination. 
The shipment cannot be made until the competent authorities of the country of destination and 
of  any  country  of  transit  have  notified  the  competent  authorities  of  the  country  of  origin  of 
their approval. The Directive stipulates a period of two months after receipt of the application 
for notification of approval or refusal. Refusal from a Member State of destination or transit 
must  be  justified  with  regard  to  the  legislation  on  the  shipment  and  management  of 
radioactive waste or spent fuel or on relevant national, Community or international legislation 
applicable to the transport of radioactive material. 

EN 

6 

   EN 

The  competent  authorities  in  Member  States  of  transit  or  destination  may  add  conditions  to 
the  shipment.  Nevertheless,  for  shipments  within  the  Community,  it  is  not  possible  to  lay 
down  conditions  which  are  more  stringent  than  those  laid  down  by  the  national  law  of  a 
Member State on the shipment of radioactive waste on its own territory. 
Finally,  if  the  conditions  applying  to  the  shipment  are  not  complied  with  or  the  shipment 
cannot  be  completed,  the  competent  authorities  of  the  Member  State  of  origin  must  ensure 
that the radioactive waste must or the spent fuel in question is taken back by the holder unless 
an  alternative  safe  arrangement  can  be  made  (Articles  8,  9  &  10  of  the  Council  Directive 
2006/117). 

3. 

IMPLEMENTATION OF THE GENERAL PROVISIONS 

3.1. 

Transposition of the Directive 

The  Shipments  Directive  required  that  the  Member  States  had  to  bring  into  force  before  25 
December 2008 the laws, regulations and administrative provisions necessary to comply with 
the Directive. 
Although most Member States met this deadline, a few Member States did not transpose the 
Directive  in  time  and  the  Commission  opened  infringement  proceedings  against  them.  The 
Member  States  in  question  subsequently  communicated  their  measures  to  transpose  the 
Directive and the Commission was able to close these cases during the second half of 2009, 
with  the  exception  of  Greece,  whose  transposition  measures  were  communicated  in 
September 2010. 
Since the end of 2010 the transposition of Council Directive 2006/117/Euratom is completed 
and it can be considered as being implemented in all EU Member States. 
Transposition further details for each Member State are outlined in Annex 1. 

3.2. 

Standard document for the supervision and control of shipments 

The Shipments Directive foresees the use of a standard document for all shipments within the 
scope  of  the  Directive.  Taking  into  account  past  experience  a  new  Commission  Decision 
establishing the standard document for the supervision and control of shipments of radioactive 
waste  and  spent  fuel  was  published  in  the  Official  Journal  of  the  European  Union  in  April 
20087. 
For  the  shipments  of  radioactive  waste  and  of  spent  fuel  (including  spent  fuel  destined  for 
final disposal and as such categorised as waste) the standard document provides in its annex 
the forms for: the application of authorisation; the acknowledgement of receipt of application; 
the  authorisation  or  refusal  of  shipment;  the  description  of  consignment/list  of  packages  as 
well as the acknowledgement of receipt of shipment. The standard document also includes a 
list of minimum requirements of a duly completed application. 
Member  States  have  also  reported  some  difficulties  in  the  use  of  the  standard  document. 
Details about the inconsistency and the difficulties encountered are described in part 6. These 
difficulties will be followed up by the Advisory Committee. 

3.3. 

Competent authorities 

Competent authorities are any authority which, under the law or regulations of the countries 
of origin, transit or destination, are empowered to implement the system of supervision and 
control of shipments of radioactive waste or spent fuel. In order to facilitate communication 
with  the  Commission  all  Member  States  have  provided  the  Commission  with  the  necessary 
information and contact details of their competent authority or authorities. 

7 

OJ L 107, 17.4.2008, p. 32 

EN 

7 

   EN 

                                                 
The  list  of  competent  authorities  in  the  Member  States,  as  well  as  languages  acceptable  to 
them, can be accessed under via the Europa web site of the European Commission under the 
following link: 

http://ec.europa.eu/energy/nuclear/transport/shipment_directive_en.htm. 

3.4. 

Transmission 

the  Shipments  Directive 

Under  Article  19  of 
the  Commission  shall  establish 
recommendations  for  a  secure  and  effective  system  of  transmission  of  the  documents  and 
information  relating  to  the  provisions  of  the  Directive. The Commission shall  also establish 
and  maintain  an  electronic  communication  platform  for  providing  the  contact  details  of  the 
competent  authorities  in  the  Member  States,  the  languages  acceptable  to  the  competent 
authorities as well as all general conditions and additional requirements, if any, required for 
the authorisation of shipments. 
The  Commission  Recommendation  for  a  secure  and  effective  system  of  transmission  of 
documents and information was published in the Official Journal of the European Union in 
July 20098. 
Regarding the electronic platform, the Commission established a website (see the above cited 
link) containing all relevant information related to the Shipments Directive. The provided data 
is, where appropriate, updated following information transmitted to the Commission by each 
Member State as foreseen under Article 18(2) of the Directive.  

3.5. 

Advisory committee 

In  performing  the  tasks  laid  down  by  the  Directive,  the  Commission  is  assisted  by  a 
Committee of an advisory nature composed of representatives of the Member States. The first 
meeting  was  convened  in  May  2007  with  the  adoption  of  the  advisory  committee  terms  of 
reference  and  work  programme  for  the  following  years.  The  Committee  held  nine  meetings 
organised and chaired by a representative of the Commission. 
The advisory committee delivered its opinion especially: 

– 

– 

– 

on the establishment and use of the standard document; 

on  the  Commission  Recommendation  establishing  criteria  for  the  export  of 
radioactive waste and spent fuel to third countries; 

on  the  Commission  Recommendation  for  a  secure  and  effective  system  of 
transmission of documents. 

The opinions of the Committee have been recorded in the minutes. 
The experience to date shows that the advisory committee is a good and useful tool to allow 
representatives of Member States to share their experience with the Commission and between 
themselves. 

3.6. 

Regular reports 

Member States have the obligation to report to the Commission for the first time by the end of 
2011  and  then  every  three  years  on  the  implementation  of  the  Shipments  Directive.  On  the 
basis of the Member States' reports, the Commission has established this first summary report 
for the European Parliament, the Council and the European Economic and Social Committee 
in order to provide a useful overview of authorisations given Community-wide and to inform 
about practical difficulties encountered by the Member States and the solutions applied. 

8 

OJ L 177, 8.7.2009, p. 5 

EN 

8 

   EN 

                                                 
The reporting should pay particular attention to cases of reshipment related to non-authorised 
shipments  and  undeclared  radioactive  waste  (Art.  4  of  the  Directive).  In  the  context  of  this 
first report, the Commission has not been informed about any shipments that would fall under 
the provisions of Article 4. 

According  to  Article  20  and  the  procedures  lay  down  in  Article  21  of  the  Directive,  the 
advisory committee was consulted on the draft report and the associated working document. 
No  major  comments  were  received  from  the  members  of  the  advisory  committee,  mainly 
updates of contact details were provided. 

4. 

INFORMATION FROM MEMBERS STATES ON SHIPMENTS 

The Shipments Directive adequately ensures that shipments of radioactive waste and spent 
nuclear fuel between Member States take place only with the prior informed consent of the 
competent authorities of all the Member States involved. 
Over the 27 Member States, 14 Member States authorised shipments within the scope of the 
Directive.  
The number of authorisations is relatively small. In the period covered by the present report 
Member States reported the delivery of 161 authorisations9 within the scope of the Directive. 
74% of the authorisations are related to shipment of wastes, the remaining 26 % are shipments 
of spent nuclear fuels. 
Most of the shipments are shipments between Member States. 
The analysis of the data provided by the Member States are illustrated below 

Repartition of the delivered authorization 

Authorizations delivered by the Member State 

9 

some  authorisations  are  given  for  several  shipments  to  be  carried  out  over  a  time  period  that  may 
exceed that covered by the present report 

EN 

9 

   EN 

 
 
                                                 
Exportation: 
Nine (9) Member States reported authorisation for exportation mainly of spent nuclear fuels 
outside the EU with Russia , China, Switzerland, Japan, USA and Norway as final 
destination. 
The table gives an overview of exports of waste and spent fuels outside the EU during the 
considered period of reporting (2008-2011) 
EC COUNTRY (authorising 
the shipment) 

THIRD COUNTRY 
of destination 

Purpose of the 
shipment 

BULGARIA 
FRANCE 
FRANCE 
FRANCE 
GERMANY 
GERMANY 
GERMANY 
LATVIA 
PORTUGAL 
POLAND 
HUNGARY10 
SWEDEN 
SWEDEN 
SWEDEN 
UK 

RUSSIA 
CHINA 
SWITSERLAND 
USA 
SWITSERLAND 
USA 
USA 
RUSSIA 
USA 
RUSSIA 
RUSSIA 
SWITSERLAND 
NORWAY 
JAPAN 
JAPAN 

Number of 
Authorisation  
W(aste) / SNF 
6 SNF (Nuclear industry) 
1 W 
1 W 
1 W 
6 W  
1 SNF (research) 
1 W 
1 SNF (research) 
1 SNF (research) 
5 SNF (research) 
1 SNF (research) 
1 W 
1 SNF (research) 
1 SNF (research) 
1 W 

reprocessing 
return 
return 
return 
return 
reprocessing / storage 
return 
reprocessing 
reprocessing/ storage 
final disposal 
reprocessing/ storage 
return 
scientific research 
scientific research 
return 

From the data, the Commission notes that 29 authorisations for exportation were given 

by 9 Member States. 59 % of the authorisations are related to export of spent fuels. 

5. 

INFORMATION  FROM  MEMBER  STATES  ON  THE  IMPLEMENTATION 
OF THE SHIPMENTS DIRECTIVE 

In general, no acute problems were reported in the implementation of the Directive. 
Nevertheless, some Member States reported particular concerns which are reported hereafter. 
However the definition of the radioactive waste11 is well defined in the Directive, the absence 
of  any  harmonisation  of  clearance  levels  for  waste  in  the  EU  leads  to  the  possibility  that 
materials containing radioactive substances are released in one member state but could still be 
considered as radioactive waste in another member state. 
Similar  problem  is  the  transboundary  shipments  of  wastes  containing  naturally  occurring 
radioactive materials (NORM12 waste) and which are not arising from an authorized practices. 
These  kinds  of  wastes  are  excluded  from  the  scope  of  this  Directive  but  also  from  the 
Directive13  on  the  management  of  waste  from  extractive  industries  and  by  consequence 
escape from any regulatory control. 

10 
. 
11 

12 
13 

EN 

SNF coming from Serbia and transiting through Hungary and Slovenia with final destination Russia 

radioactive waste’ means radioactive material in gaseous, liquid or solid form for which no further use 
is foreseen by the countries of origin and destination, or by a natural or legal person whose decision is 
accepted by these countries, and which is controlled as radioactive waste by a regulatory body under the 
legislative and regulatory framework of the countries of origin and destination 
Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials (NORM)  
Directive 2006/21/EC of the European parliament and of the Council of 15 march 2006. 

10 

   EN 

 
 
                                                 
The Nuclear Regulatory Agency (NRA) from Bulgaria reported that under the Directive, an 
application  may  be  sent  in  respect  of  more  than  one  shipment  subject  to  the  conditions 
specified in Article 6(2), NRA takes the view that this provision is not applicable to shipments 
of spent fuel, as the isotopic composition and activity of the consignment are not known until 
after the shipment has been planned. 

6. 

PROBLEMS  REPORTED  BY  MEMBER  STATES  WHEN  USING  THE 
STANDARD DOCUMENT 

inconsistency  between  Council  Directive  2006/117/Euratom  and 

According to Article 17 of the Directive, a standard document shall be used for all shipments. 
This standard document has been made available by Commission Decision14 of 5 March 2008 
in all EU languages. 
the 
Following  an 
explanatory notes to Commission Decision C(2008) 793  final of 5 March 2008 establishing 
the standard document for the supervision and control of shipments of radioactive waste and 
spent  fuel  referred  to  in  Council  Directive  2006/117/Euratom  (2008/312/Euratom),  a 
corrigendum was published in the OJ15 to modify the wording accordingly.  
Some Member States reported problems in implementing this standard document. 

Austria reported that in one case the description of the waste (A-5) differed in terms of 
overall  activity  as  well  as  in  terms  of  the  radionuclides  from  the  approved  data  (A-1).  In 
addition, an inspection of the truck showed that many of the transported radionuclides were 
neither  cited  in  the  application  for  authorisation  of  shipment  of  radioactive  waste  (A-1)  nor 
mentioned in the description of radioactive waste (A-5). 

Belgium  reported  that  sometimes  the  parts  2  and  3  were  received  at  the  same  time 

what makes that it is not clear when the deadline for automatic approval is ending. 
It  is  not  clear  to  which  competent  authority  the  consignee  has  to  send  the  confirmation  of 
receipt of the waste or spent fuel and which competent authority has to send it to which other 
competent authority. 

Germany reported that in Section B-1 of the Standard Document it would preferable to 
rather have the post-irradiation data stated in box 8 instead of the pre-irradiation data and the 
fuel  burn  up.  The  fuel  burn  up  then  would  be  dispensable;  pre-irradiation  data  should  be 
optional supplementary information only. 

The  Netherlands  mentioned  that  for  the  benefit  of  the  control  of  radioactive  waste, 
return shipments should be linked to initial shipments. Examples are cross border treatment of 
waste (volume reduction, conditioning) and cross border processing of spent fuel. Also in the 
case  of  cross  border  treatment  of  contaminated  scrap  metal,  it  could  help  to  link  return 
shipments of radioactive waste to initial shipments, although initial shipments do not require 
an authorisation when the metal is shipped as recyclable material. In case of return shipments, 
information  on  initial  shipments  could  be  included  in  the  standard  document  (e.g.  added  to 
box 11 of section A1). 

The  United  Kingdom  reported  that  it  would  be  beneficial  to  have  streamlined 
arrangements  for  waste  repatriation.  The  EC  insists  that  the  original  approval  process  is 
followed when wastes need to be repatriated (taking 3 months). There is a need for countries 
receiving repatriated wastes to consent to this, but can it be fast tracked? 

14 

15 

Commission  Decision  of  5  March  2008  establishing  the  standard  document  for  the  supervision  and 
control  of  shipments  of  radioactive  waste  and  spent  fuel  referred  to  in  Council  Directive 
2006/117/Euratom [Official Journal L 107 of 17.4.2008]. 
OJEU L 343, 23 December 2011, pp. 149. 

EN 

11 

   EN 

 
 
 
 
                                                 
The forms don’t correlate an export of waste for processing (e.g. metals for recycling) with a 
subsequent import/repatriation of the residues from that processing. If wastes are exported for 
recovery,  there  should  be  an  audit  trail  to  show  that  residues  were  returned.  This  could  be 
achieved  by  adding  a  box  to  the  standard  form  that  allows  for  reference  to  a  previous 
authorisation/consent,  where  the  application  shipment  is  for  the  repatriation  of  residues 
arising  from  that  previous  shipment.  Without  such  a  cross-reference,  we  have  no  way  of 
establishing if/when the return occurs, or what inventory is repatriated.  
Form B-1 (spent fuel) doesn't ask for the levels of radioactivity. 

Sweden reported that the interpretation of A-5 box 27 with regard to shipment versus 
actual transports on vehicles. Their interpretation is that for a series of authorised shipments it 
is the number of the shipment that is to be given in that box irrespective if that shipment is 
moved  on  many  vehicles.  Some  MS  has  been  given  numbers  which  indicate  they  give  the 
serial  number  of  the  actual  transport,  which  then  can  be  much  higher  than  the  authorized 
number of shipments.  

These issues will be followed up by the Advisory Committee. 

7. 

INFORMATION  ON  SIGNIFICANT  CONDITIONS  REQUIRED  BY  THE 
MEMBER STATES – EXPORT CRITERIA IMPLEMENTATION 

Austria: in case of shipments through Austria, the Austrian authority grants consent only 
under the condition of a prior notification 14 days in advance. 

Belgium: The carrier(s) have to be in the possession of a valid licence for the transport of 
radioactive materials on Belgian territory. In case of import: the consignee has to be registered 
as importer of radioactive waste or spent fuel and are submitted to a license for the 
use/disposal of radioactive waste or spent fuel. In case of the use of an approved package: this 
approval must be issued. 

Bulgaria: the Nuclear Regulatory Agency grants authorisation for the shipment of SNF to 
Russia, provided that the applicant has submitted the following documents: 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

a  certificate/authorisation  for  shipment  and  for  the  design  of  the  packaging, 
issued by the competent authority of the Russian Federation, 
licence for the importation of SNF, issued to the SNF reprocessing plant by the 
Federal Technical and Export Control Service of the Russian Federation, 
authorisation  for  the  importation  and  subsequent  reprocessing  of  SNF,  issued 
to  the  SNF  reprocessing  plant  by  the  Federal  Ecological,  Technological  and 
Atomic Supervision Service of the Russian Federation, 
authorisation for the management of nuclear materials during transport, issued 
to  the  SNF  reprocessing  plant  by  the  Federal  Ecological,  Technological  and 
Atomic Supervision Service of the Russian Federation, 
licence for the operation of  a nuclear facility, issued to the SNF reprocessing 
plant  by  the  Federal  Ecological,  Technological  and  Atomic  Supervision 
Service of the Russian Federation, 
end-user  certificate  signed  by  the  manager  of  the  SNF  reprocessing  plant,  by 
means  which  it  is  declared  that:  the  SNF  will  not  be  used  for  purposes  other 
than technological storage and reprocessing; the SNF will not be transferred to 
any other person in Russia or re-exported without the permission of the Federal 
Ecological,  Technological  and  Atomic  Supervision  Service  of  the  Russian 
Federation; the SNF will not be used for purposes that run counter to the NPT 
or for other military purposes; physical protection at a level no lower than that 

EN 

12 

   EN 

 
 
recommended  by  the  IAEA  has  been  ensured;  the  SNF  will  not  be  exported 
outside the jurisdiction of the Russian Federation without the prior consent of 
the Kozloduy NPP, 
Authorisation  for  the  transit  of  radioactive  material,  issued  to  the  Ukrainian 
carrier for carriage across Ukraine by the State Nuclear Regulatory Committee 
of Ukraine, 
authorisation  for  the  shipment  of  radioactive  materials,  issued  to  Kozloduy 
NPP by the National Commission for the Control of Nuclear Activities under 
the Government of Romania; 
section B-2 of the standard document, signed by the National Commission for 
the Control of Nuclear Activities under the Government of Romania. 

– 

– 

– 

The documents submitted by the applicant indicate that the Russian Federation, and not the 
exporting Member State as required under the Directive, is responsible for the principal and 
supplementary criteria set out in the Commission Recommendation of 4 December 2008 on 
criteria for the export of radioactive waste and spent fuel to third countries.  

Cyprus: The shipment of any radioactive source or  radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel 
between  Cyprus  and  Members  States  or  to  and  from  third  countries  needs  to  be  licensed  in 
advance.  For  this  purpose,  an  application  in  writing  shall  be  submitted  to  the  Radiation 
Inspection and Control Service, accompanied by all necessary documents and information. 

Hungary requested prior approval of physical protection plan of the carrier, according to the 
Governmental  Decree  190/2011  on  the  physical  protection  requirements  for  various 
applications  of  atomic  energy  and  the  corresponding  system  of  licensing,  reporting  and 
inspection. 

Latvia:  The  Radiation  Safety  Centre  of  the  State  Environment  Service  requires  that  the 
operator  also  take  out  the  relevant  licence  (permit)  in  accordance  with  the  laws  and 
regulations in force. 

Portugal  requires  the  holder  of  the  spent  fuels  or  radioactive  waste  to  subscribe  a  liability 
insurance, which should cover the damages caused to the environment and public health. 

The  Netherlands:  Dutch  legislation  requires  a  transport  license  for  the  transport  (including 
import  and/or  export)  of  “splijtstoffen”  (fissile  materials  +  all  materials  containing  a  mass 
percentage of 0.1% uranium, 0.1% plutonium or 3.0% thorium). 

In  all  other  cases  (radioactive  materials  above  exemption  levels),  the  transport  has  to  be 
notified 3 weeks in advance. In terms of safety, the transport shall meet the requirements of 
the relevant international modal regulations (no additional national safety requirements). 

Romania requests an authorised carrier, an import/export licence in case of spent nuclear fuel; 
the  approved  physical  protection  plan  in  case  of  spent  nuclear  fuel  and  authorised  type 
approval of package for AF, IPF, B(U), B(U)F, B(M), B(M)F. 

8. 

INFORMATION  ON  SIGNIFICANT  CASES  OF  REFUSAL  TO  GIVE 
AUTHORISATION/CONSENT 

In  most  Member  States,  there  were  no  cases  of  refusal  to  grant  authorisation  for  the 
transboundary  shipment  of  radioactive  waste  or  spent  fuel  during  the  2008-2011  period. 
However, only 2 Member States reported denials 

Austria: only one shipment of natural radioactive residues has been denied by the Austrian 
authority because naturally occurring radioactive material, which does not arise from 
practices, is excluded from the scope of the Directive 

EN 

13 

   EN 

Belgium: Belgian has refused one case: an import of radioactive waste coming from UK for 
incineration into a Belgian installation. The reason for this refusal was that no formal 
government agreement is in place for the treatment of this waste in Belgium and the 
consignee was not registered as an importer of radioactive waste from UK 

9. 

CROSS CHECK INFORMATION 

Beside the "Waste Directive" and the "Shipment Directive" (SD), the Joint Convention on the 
Safety of Spent Fuel and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management has also be 
considered in this report as it has become a significant contributor setting the principles for 
the management of radioactive waste and spent fuel in the EU. 

As reminder the objectives of this Convention are 

(a) 

(b) 

to  achieve  and  maintain  a  high  level  of  safety  worldwide  in  spent  fuel 
and radioactive waste management, through the enhancement of national 
measures and international co-operation 

to  ensure  that  during  all  stages  of  spent  fuel  and  radioactive  waste 
management there are effective defences against potential hazards so that 
individuals,  society  and  the  environment  are  protected  from  harmful 
effects of ionizing radiation, now and in the future, in such a way that the 
needs  and  aspirations  of  the  present  generation  are  met  without 
compromising  the  ability  of  future  generations  to  meet  their  needs  and 
aspirations; 

(c) 

to prevent accidents with radiological consequences and to mitigate their 
consequences  should  they  occur  during  any  stage  of  spent  fuel  or 
radioactive waste management. 

The implementation of the Joint Convention (JC) and in particular its article 27 requires 
Member States to report about the transboundary movements and export of waste and spent 
fuels. 
In the reporting from the Member States, the Commission also notes an overall consistency 
and complementarity with the National Reports under the Joint Convention on the Safety of 
Spent fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management as those reports 
describe mainly the legal framework and responsibilities. 
Reported information under the JC art.27 and SD art.15 from Member States are given in the 
annex 2. 

10. 

CONCLUSIONS 

The  Shipments  Directive  has  been  successfully  transposed  in  all  EU  Member  States.  The 
general  provisions  under  the  Directive  have  been  implemented  through  the  adoption  and 
publication of the relevant Commission Decision and Recommendations and the creation of 
the Advisory Committee. 

After having assessed the information provided by the Member States in their first reporting 
exercise,  the  Commission  notes  that  the  Directive  is  now  being  fully  implemented  so  as  to 
guarantee  an  adequate  protection  of  the  population.  It  provides  a  well-structured  and 
operational  framework  for  the  supervision  and  control  of  shipments  in  all  Member  States, 
ensuring that transboundary shipments of radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel take place 
only  with  the  prior  informed  consent  of  the  competent  authorities  of  all  the  Member  States 
involved. 

EN 

14 

   EN 

The implementation of the Shipments Directive has not given rise to any major problems. The 
issue of NORM waste and clearance levels in the context of the shipment of radioactive waste 
has  been  identified  and  will  be  further  followed-up  by  the  advisory  committee  established 
under this Directive. 

As regards the shipments of radioactive wastes and spent fuel, the Commission notes that the 
existing  national  provisions,  notably  those  implementing  the  Directive  laying  down  basic 
safety standards for the protection of the health of workers and the general public against the 
dangers arising from ionising radiation allow the national competent authorities to monitor the 
movements of these shipments on their territory. 

EN 

15 

   EN 

INFORMATION FROM MEMBER STATES ON THE TRANSPOSITION OF THE 
DIRECTIVE 

ANNEX 1 

AUSTRIA 

Legal  act:  Verordnung,  number:  II  Nr.  47/2009;  Official  Journal:  Bundesgesetzblatt  für  die 
Republik  Österreich  (BGBl.),  number:  II  Nr.  47/2009,  Publication  date:  18/02/2009,  Entry 
into force: 19/02/2009; Reference: (MNE(2009)51176).  

BELGIUM 

The Directive was transposed by the Royal Decree of 24th of March 2009 concerning import, 
transit and export of radioactive substances and entered into force on the 27th of April 2009 
or 10 days after its publication into the Belgian law gazette. 

BULGARIA 

Council Directive 2006/117/Euratom of 20 November 2006 on the supervision and control of 
shipments of radioactive waste and spent fuel was transposed in December 2008 by means of 
an  order  of  the  President  of  the  Nuclear  Regulatory  Agency,  and  its  implementation  was 
notified  to  the  European  Commission.  The  rules  laid  down  were  enshrined  in  law  with  the 
entry into force of the Act amending the Act on the safe use of atomic energy. 

CYPRUS 

The  Directive  2006/117/Euratom  is  implemented  by  the  Protection  from  Ionising  Radiation 
(Supervision and Control of Shipment of Radioactive Waste and Spent Fuel) Regulations of 
2009 under the Protection from Ionising Radiation and Nuclear Safety Laws of 2002 to 2011.  

CZECH REPUBLIC 

The provisions of Section 10 of the Decree No. 317/2002 Coll.* as amended by the Decree 
No. 73/2009 Coll. and Government Regulation 73/2009 Coll. concern especially international 
shipments  of  the  radioactive  waste  and  spent  fuel  and  they  are  fully  compatible  with:  the 
Council  Directive  2006/117/EURATOM  of  20  November  2006  on  the  supervision  and 
control  of  shipments  of  radioactive  waste  and  spent  fuel  and  the  Commission  decision 
2008/312/Euratom  of  5  March  2008  establishing  the  standard  document  for  the  supervision 
and control of shipments of radioactive waste and spent fuel referred to in Council Directive 
2006/117/Euratom. 

DENMARK  

Danish Order No. 1175 on International Shipments of Radioactive Waste and Spent Fuel, of 
11th December, 2008 – which took effect on the 25th of December, 2008 - fully implements 
the Directive. 

EN 

16 

   EN 

ESTONIA 

Legal  act:  seaduse  parandus,  number:  RT  I  2004,  26,  173;  Official  Journal:  Elektrooniline 
Riigi  Teataja,  number:  RT  I  2004,  26,  173,  Entry  into  force:  14/10/2009;  Reference: 
(MNE(2009)54292).  

Procedure  Specifications  for  Processing  Documents  of  Import,  Export  and  Transit  of 
Radioactive Waste Based on Country of Origin and Destination. 

Legal  act:  Vabariigi  Valitsuse  määrus,  number:  RT  I  2004,  57,  406;  Official  Journal: 
Elektrooniline Riigi Teataja, number: RT I 2004, 57, 406, Entry into force: 26/12/2009. 

FINLAND 

The Directive 2006/117/Euratom (Supervision and Control of Shipment of Radioactive Waste 
and  Spent  Fuel)  is  implemented  by  Nuclear  Energy  Act  990/1987  (amendments  342/2008, 
which entered into force 1.8.2008), Nuclear Energy Decree 161/1988 (amendment 732/2008, 
in  force  since  1.12.2008)  and  Radiation  Act  592/1991  (amendment  718/2008  in  force  since 
1.12 2008). 

FRANCE 

into  national 

law  by  a  regulatory-level 

The  above-mentioned  Council  Directive  2006/117/EURATOM  of  20 November 2006  was 
text:  Decree  No 2008-1380  of 
transposed 
19 December 2008  on  the  procedures  applicable  to  cross-border  shipments  of  radioactive 
waste  and  spent  nuclear  fuel,  published  in  the  Official  Journal  of  the  French  Republic  on 
24 December 2008.  In  accordance  with  Article 23  of  Directive  2006/117/EURATOM,  the 
repeal of Directive 92/3/EURATOM took effect on 25 December 2008. 

GERMANY 

In  Germany  Directive  2006/117/Euratom  has  been  implemented  into  national  law  by  the 
“Verordnung  über  die  Verbringung  radioaktiver  Abfälle  oder  abgebrannter  Brennelemente 
(Atomrechtliche Abfallverbringungsverordnung – AtAV) as of 30. April 2009. 

GREECE 

The  Directive  was  transposed  into  the  Greek  legislative  framework  in  September  2010: 
Government  Gazette,  Presidential  Decree  No.83,  Folio  No.147,  First  Issue,  September  3, 
2010  “Transposition  of  Council  Directive  2006/117/Euratom  of  20  November  2006  on  the 
supervision and control of shipments of radioactive waste and spent fuel”. 

HUNGARY 

In  Hungary  the  Council  Directive  2006/117/Euratom  of  20  November  2006  on  the 
supervision and control of shipments of radioactive waste and spent fuel was transposed by 
Governmental  Decree  34/2009.  (II.  20.)  on  the  approval  of  transboundary  shipments  of 
radioactive waste and spent fuel. 

EN 

17 

   EN 

ITALY 

The  Directive  2006/117/Euratom  has  been  implemented  into  the  national  legislative 
framework  by  the  Legislative  Decree  20  February  2009,  No.23,  published  in  the  Official 
Gazette No.68 of 23 March 2009. 

IRELAND 

Legal act: Statutory Instrument (Regulation or Order), number: 86 of 2009; Official Journal: 
Iris  Oifigiúl,  Publication  date:  24/03/2009,  Entry  into  force:  19/03/2009;  Reference: 
(MNE(2009)51310).  

LATVIA 

The  requirements  of  Council  Directive  2006/117/Euratom  of  20  November  2006  on  the 
supervision and control of shipments of radioactive waste and spent fuel (hereafter Directive 
2006/117/Euratom) have been transposed into Latvian legislation. 

-The Law “On radiation safety and nuclear safety” 

-Cabinet  Regulation  No 129  of  19  March  2002  on  "Requirements  for  operations  with 
radioactive waste and materials related thereto" 

-Cabinet  Regulation  No 723  of  20  September  2011  on  "Procedures  for  licensing  activities 
with ionizing radiation sources" 

In compliance with the requirements of Directive 2006/117/Euratom and Latvian legislation, 
a system has been established for shipments of radioactive waste and spent fuel between the 
Member States of the European Union and outside the EU.  

The Law "On radiation safety and nuclear safety" states that the import of radioactive waste 
and spent fuel into the Republic of Latvia is prohibited. 

The Radiation Safety Centre of the State Environment Service (VVD RDC) is the competent 
authority responsible for the introduction of the supervision and control system of radioactive 
waste and spent fuel shipments. 

LITHUANIA 

The  Directive  2006/117  was  fully  transposed  to  the  Regulations  on  Import,  Export,  Transit 
and Transportation inside the Republic of Lithuania Radioactive Materials, Radioactive Waste 
and Spent fuel approved on 24 December 2008 by joint order of the Minister of Health and 
Acting head of State Nuclear Power Safety Inspectorate (VATESI). 

LUXEMBOURG 

Council Directive 2006/117/EURATOM of 20 November 2006 has been implemented by the 
adoption  of  Grand-ducal  regulation  of  3  march  2009  on  the  supervision  and  control  of 
shipments of radioactive waste and spent fuel.  

EN 

18 

   EN 

The regulatory body in charge of the implementation is the Radiation Protection Department 
(Division de la Radioprotection), placed under the authority of the Health Directorate of the 
Ministry of Health. 

MALTA 

Legal  act:  Regulation,  number:  LN48/09;  Official  Journal:  The  Malta  Government  Gazette, 
number:  18378,  Publication  date:  13/02/2009,  Page:  00515-00634;  Reference: 
(MNE(2009)50776).  

THE NETHERLANDS 

The implementation in Dutch legislation of the Directive was completed at April 15th, 2009. 
The  implementation  required  a  change  of  the  “Decree  on  the  import,  export  and  transit  of 
radioactive waste” that was based on the preceding 92/3 Directive. The new “Decree on the 
import,  export  and  transit  of  radioactive  waste  and  spent  fuel”  entered  in  to  force  at  April 
15th, 2009. 

POLAND 

The  Council  Directive  2006/1I7/EURATOM  of  20  November  2006  on  the  supervision  and 
control  of  shipments  of  radioactive  waste  and  spent  fuel,  which  lays  down  a  Community 
system of supervision and control of transboundary shipments of radioactive waste and spent 
fuel,  so  as  to  guarantee  an  adequate  protection  of  the  population,  entered  into  force  on  25 
December  2006.  Transposition  period  for  implementation  of  the  Directive  into  national 
regulatory framework came to a close on 24 December 2008. The Directive is implemented to 
the  Act  of  Parliament  on  Atomic  Law  of  29  November  2000  (amendment  in  2008)  and 
Regulation of the Council of Ministers of 2I October 2008 on granting an authorization and 
consent to import onto the territory of the Republic of Poland, export from the territory of the 
Republic  of  Poland  and  transit  through  that  territory  of  radioactive  waste  and  spent  nuclear 
fuel. 

PORTUGAL 

The Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education transposing into national law the 
Council  Directive  n°  2006/17/Euratom  of  20  November  on  the  supervision  and  control  of 
shipments  of  radioactive  waste  and  spent  fuel,  and  repealing  Decree-Law  n°  138/96  of  14 
August. 

Legal  act:  Decreto-Lei,  number:  198/2009;  Official  Journal:  Diaro  da  Republica  I,  number: 
DR n.º 165, Publication date: 26/08/2009, Page: 05614-05629; Reference:(MNE(2009)53677)  

ROMANIA 

The council Directive 2006/117/Euratom has been transposed by Order of CNCAN President 
443/2008  on  the  approval  of  Regulations  on  the  supervision  and  control  of  international 
shipment  of  radioactive  waste  and  spent  nuclear  fuel  involving  Romanian  territory,  and 
published in official Bulletin of Romania Part I no. 797 / 27.11.2008. 

SLOVAK REPUBLIC 

EN 

19 

   EN 

Act No 408/2008 of 18 September 2008 entered into force on 25 December 2008, amending 
Act  No 541/2004  (the  Atomic  Act)  for  the  purpose  of  transposing  Council  Directive 
2006/117/Euratom  of  20  November  2006  on  the  supervision  and  control  of  shipments  of 
radioactive waste and spent fuel (‘the Directive’) into Slovak law. 

As  regards  the  format  and  the  correct  completion  and  use  of  the  standard  document,  Act 
No 408/2008  contains  a  direct  reference  to  Commission  Decision  2008/312/Euratom  of 
5 March  2008  establishing  the  standard  document  for  the  supervision  and  control  of 
shipments of radioactive waste and spent fuel referred to in the Directive. 

This report is submitted in accordance with Article 20(1) of the aforementioned Directive and 
pursuant to Section 16a(4) of Act No 408/2008. 

SLOVENIA 

Legal provisions of the Council Directive 2006/117/Euratom were transposed into Slovenian 
legislation by the Ionizing Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Act (Official Gazette of 
Republic of Slovenia No. 102/04 - official consolidated text, 70/2008-ZVO-1B and 60/2011) 
and  by  the  Rules  on  transboundary  shipments  of  radioactive  waste  and  spent  fuel  (Rules 
JV11; Official Gazette of Republic of Slovenia No. 22/2009) which came into force on 24. 3. 
2009.  The  Rules  also  implement  the  Commission  Decision  2008/312/Euratom  of  5  March 
2008  establishing  the  standard  document  for  the  supervision  and  control  of  shipments  of 
radioactive waste and spent fuel referred to in Council Directive 2006/117/Euratom. The use 
of  Commission  Recommendation  of  7  July  2009  for  a  secure  and  effective  system  of 
transmission  of  documents  and  information  relating  to  the  provisions  of  Council  Directive 
2006/117/Euratom 
in  all  cases  where  Slovenia  applies  Directive 
2006/117/Euratom.  Unofficial  translation  of  the  Rules  JV11  into  English  language  was 
prepared  in  February  2011  and  is  published  on  an  official  Slovenian  Nuclear  Safety 
Administration (SNSA) website. 

respected 

is 

SPAIN 

Royal  Decree  243/2009  of  27  February,  which  regulates  the  supervision  and  control  of 
shipments of radioactive waste and nuclear spent fuel between Member States or from or to 
the outside of the Community. 

Legal  act:  Real  Decreto,  number:  243/2009;  Official  Journal:  Boletín  Oficial  del  Estado  ( 
B.O.E  ),  number:  80/2009,  Publication  date:  02/04/2009,  Page:  31231-31269,  Entry  into 
force: 03/04/2009; Reference: (MNE(2009)51493). 

SWEDEN 

Regulation (2009:119) about amending the Regulation (1984:14) on nuclear activities / Legal 
act: Förordning; Official Journal: Svensk författningssamling (SFS), number: 2009:119, Entry 
into force: 01/04/2009; Reference: (MNE(2009)51343). 

EN 

20 

   EN 

Law  on  amending  the  Act  on  nuclear  activities  (1984:3)  /  Legal  act:  Lag;  Official  Journal: 
Svensk författningssamling (SFS), number: 1984:3, Entry into force: 01/06/2009; Reference: 
(MNE(2009)51345). 

The  Radioaction  Protection  Act  (1988:220)  /  Legal  act:  Lag;  Official  Journal:  Svensk 
författningssamling  (SFS),  number:  1988:220,  Entry  into  force:  01/01/1999;  Reference: 
(MNE(2009)51346). 

Law on amending the Radiation Protection Act (1988:220) / Legal act: Lag; Official Journal: 
Svensk  författningssamling  (SFS),  number:  1988:220,  Entry  into  force:  01/06/2009; 
Reference: (MNE(2009)51347). 

Radiation Protection Regulation (1988:293) / Legal act: Förordning; Official Journal: Svensk 
författningssamling  (SFS),  number:  1988:293,  Entry  into  force:  01/04/2009;  Reference: 
(MNE(2009)51341). 

Law  on  nuclear  activities  (1984:3) 
/  Legal  act:  Lag;  Official  Journal:  Svensk 
författningssamling  (SFS),  number:  1984:3,  Entry  into  force:  01/01/1999;  Reference: 
(MNE(2009)51344). 

Regulation  on  amending  the  Regulation  (1984:14)  on  nuclear  activities  /  Legal  act: 
Förordning;  Official  Journal:  Svensk  författningssamling  (SFS),  number:  2008:456,  Entry 
into force: 01/07/2008; Reference: (MNE(2009)51342). 

Radiation  Safety  Authority's  Regulations  (SSMFS  2009:1)  on  the  control  of  transboundary 
transports of radioactive waste and spent fuel / Legal act: Föreskrift; Official Journal: Other, 
number: 2009:1, Entry into force: 01/04/2009; Reference: (MNE(2009)51355). 

UNITED KINGDOM 

The Directive was transposed by the Transfrontier Shipment of Radioactive Waste and Spent 
Fuel  Regulations  2008  /  Legal  act:  Statutory  instrument  (SI),  number:  SI  2008  No.  3087; 
Official  Journal:  Her  Majesty's  Stationery  Office  (HMSO),  number:  SI  2008  No.  3087; 
Reference: (MNE(2009)50590). 

EN 

21 

   EN 

ANNEX 2 

DECLARATION RELATIVE TO ARTICLE 27 OF THE JOINT CONVENTION (JC) 
AND  
ARTICLE 15 OF THE SHIPMENT DIRECTIVE (SD)  

In the reporting from the Member States, the Commission also notes an overall consistency 
and complementarity with the National Reports under the Joint Convention on the Safety of 
Spent fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management as those reports 
describe mainly the legal framework and responsibilities. 
Reported information under the JC art.27 and SD art.15 from Member States are: 

AUSTRIA 

-On the basis of the Austrian Federal Constitutional Act on a “Non-Nuclear Austria” Austria 
explicitly prohibits any transport of fissile material from the production of nuclear energy (art 
27). 

-No export outside the EU of waste or spent fuels reported (art 15). 

BELGIUM 

-The data provided by Belgium are exhaustive and well detailed in both reports. 

-No export outside the EU of waste or spent fuels reported (art 15). 

BULGARIA 

-It  is  noted  that  the  Republic  of  Bulgaria  has  experience  only  as  a  State  of  origin  of  spent 
nuclear fuel. Presentation is made of the international agreements related to receiving of SF 
for processing on behalf of the Russian Federation, and its transit through the territory of the 
Ukraine (art 27). 

-1  additional  shipment  in  Oct  2011  –  all  mentioned  shipments  are  also  transiting  through 
Romania (art 15). 

CYPRUS 

-Very small amounts of radioactive waste produced in research activities are kept in storage 
for  licensed  disposal  or  shipment  abroad.  A  condition  imposed  to  the  licensees  during  the 
licensing  procedure  is  to  return  back  to  the  supplier/manufacturer,  outside  Cyprus,  any 
disused  source.  In  addition,  all  scrap  metals  exported  to  various  countries  are  checked  for 
radioactivity before shipment (art 27). 

-No export outside the EU of waste or spent fuels reported (art 15). 

CZECH REPUBLIC 

-Both reports are identically the same. 

EN 

22 

   EN 

 
-In  the  Czech  Republic;  there  have  been  no  activities  concerning  the  export  of  radioactive 
waste and spent fuel to third countries (art 15). 

DENMARK 

-The National Institute of Radiation Protection has in the period from the last Review Meeting 
consented 17 transboundary movements between EU-countries, but only with Denmark as a 
country of transit (art 27). 

-No export outside the EU of waste or spent fuels reported (art 15). 

ESTONIA 

-Both reports are identically the same. 

-No export outside the EU of waste or spent fuels reported (art 15). 

FINLAND 

-There have been few cases of transboundary movements. In 2008–2010 two spent fuel rods 
were shipped out of Finland for research purposes (art 27). 

-No export outside the EU of waste or spent fuels reported (art 15). 

FRANCE 

-Transboundary  movements  of  spent  fuel  and  radioactive  waste  between  France  and  third-
party countries involve mainly spent-fuel processing operations, that are performed at the La 
Hague Plant on behalf of Belgian, Dutch, German, Italian, Japanese and Swiss customers. 
Most transboundary movements between European countries are made by rail. Sea routes are 
used  for  Japan  bound  shipments,  since  suitable  port  infrastructures  meeting  the  required 
nuclear-safety  level  have  been  built  at  both  ends  of  the  itinerary.  No  significant  incident 
compromising safety, security or radiation protection has been notified in recent years during 
those shipments (art 27). 

-4 authorisations for export outside the EU- China, Switzerland and USA (art 15). 

GERMANY 

-National  Report  describes  legal  framework  and  responsibilities,  but  does  not  explain  how 
many shipments there were. As there is yet no repository available for the spent fuel, it will be 
stored intermediately at the sites where it was generated; corresponding storage facilities exist 
as  needed.  Usually,  the  spent  fuel  from  research  reactors  will  be  returned  to  its  country  of 
origin. In addition to German facilities, facilities in other European foreign countries are also 
utilised  for  waste  management.  Radioactive  waste  generated  from  the  operation  of  nuclear 
installations is delivered to Sweden for conditioning and subsequently returned to Germany. 
Waste  from  the  reprocessing  of  spent  fuel  from  German  power  reactors  is  conditioned  in 
France and the United Kingdom (e.g. vitrification of the high-level fission product solutions) 

EN 

23 

   EN 

and are then also returned to Germany. Furthermore, they [the producers] are also responsible 
for the safe management of the radioactive waste resulting from the reprocessing of German 
spent fuel in France and the United Kingdom following  its  return, which Germany is under 
obligation to accept (art 27). 

- Germany reported 7 exports of waste and of spent fuels to Switzerland and USA (art 15). 

GREECE 

-Greece  has  no  nuclear  power  plants.  Spent  fuel  management  is  therefore  relevant  only  in 
connection with the operation of the unique research reactor GRR-1 at the National Centre of 
Scientific  Research  (NCSR)  “Demokritos”  and  of  two  small  subcritical  assemblies.  The 
policy  and  practice  for  spent  fuel  management  for  GRR-1  is  to  temporary  store  the  fuel 
elements in dedicated storage facilities, awaiting transfer to USA jurisdiction, according to an 
agreement  with  the  US  Department  of  Energy  for  shipment  until  2019.  All  future  fuel 
purchases  will 
nuclear 
companies/organizations that  will guarantee the return of spent fuel to the country of origin 
for storage or reprocessing. 

arrangements  with 

foreign 

similar 

based 

on 

be 

-Spent fuel from the reactor has been returned to the United States in 1996 and 2005 (art 27). 

-No export outside the EU of waste or spent fuels reported (art 15). 

HUNGARY 

-Paks NPP: In the course of the elaboration of the strategy for the closure of the fuel cycle it is 
worthwhile to examine various possibilities, including the shipment of spent fuel abroad. In 
principle,  this  latter  is  a  possible  option  due  to  the  protocol  on  conditions  concerning  the 
reshipment  to  the  Russian  Federation  of  Russian-made  spent  fuel  assemblies  signed  on  29 
April  2004  by  the  Government  of  the  Republic  of  Hungary  and  the  Government  of  the 
Russian Federation. That future decision should be based on technical, economical, political, 
social considerations and also on achievable guarantees at intergovernmental level. 

-If requested, Hungarian manufacturers take back radioactive sources produced by them from 
users within the country or abroad. These sources are either re-manufactured or disposed of in 
the  Radioactive  Waste  Treatment  and  Disposal  Facility  at  Püspökszilágy.  The  legislative 
system does not prevent Hungarian manufacturers from fulfilling such obligations. In recent 
practice,  numerous  such  obligations  have  been  undertaken,  and  re-shipments  take  place 
regularly (art 27). 

-No export outside the EU of waste or spent fuels reported (art 15). 

IRELAND 

-The transfer of radioactive sources or waste from Ireland to other countries is limited to the 
return of disused sources to the suppliers or to the transfer of disused sources to an overseas 
waste management facility (art 27). 

EN 

24 

   EN 

-No export outside the EU of waste or spent fuels reported (art 15). 

ITALY 

-For  export  of  spent  fuel  in  non  EU  countries  the  Council  Regulation  (EC)  n°  1334/2000, 
setting up a Community regime for the control of exports of dual-use items and technology, is 
applied. In that case an authorization for export is issued by the Italian  competent authority 
(Ministry of Economic) on the basis of a declaration of the consignee endorsed by the State of 
destination (art 27). 

-Approval of shipments to third countries are issued on the basis of the criteria established by 
the European Commission and according with the advice of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs 
and with the technical advice of ISPRA. 

-No export outside the EU of waste or spent fuels reported (art 15). 

LATVIA 

-Return to the supplier of the spent fuel from Latvia had been done in the frame of the IAEA-
Latvia-Russia  Project.  The  spent  fuel  has  been  moved  out  of  Latvia  in  2008  in  accordance 
with internationally agreed practice – return to the supplier (art 27). 

-The export criteria for radioactive waste and spent fuel that are referred to in Article 16 of 
Directive  2006/117/Euratom  have  been  adopted  in  Latvia  in  Cabinet  Regulation  No 129  of 
19 March  2002  "Requirements  for  operations  with  radioactive  waste  and  materials  related 
thereto". 

-So  far  no  export  shipments  of  radioactive  waste 
in  accordance  with  Directive 
2006/117/Euratom have occurred in Latvia. In the event of an export permit being requested 
from the Radiation Safety Centre of  the State Environment Service, the criteria specified in 
Directive  2006/117/Euratom  and  Commission  Recommendation  of  4  December  2008  on 
third  countries 
criteria 
(2008/956/Euratom) will be evaluated. 

radioactive  waste  and  spent 

the  export  of 

fuel 

for 

to 

-In  addition  to  the  requirement  to  fulfil  the  conditions  specified  in  the  above  mentioned 
documents,  VVD  RDC  will  require  that  the  operator  also  take  out  the  relevant  licence 
(permit)  in  accordance  with  the laws  and  regulations  in  force  (currently  Cabinet  Regulation 
No 723 of 20 September 2011 on "Procedures for licensing activities with ionizing radiation 
sources") (art 15). 

LITHUANIA 

-It is forbidden to import radioactive waste. It is possible only in case if source was produced 
in Lithuania and is being returned for final disposal. But at present there are no manufacturing 
or  reprocessing  practices  here  in  Lithuania  and  consequently  disused  sealed  sources  are  not 
imported.  It  is  foreseen  in  the  legal  acts  of  the  country,  that  consignor  of  radioactive  waste 
and spent nuclear fuel shall take back the waste, if the shipment cannot be finished or if the 
conditions  for  the  shipment  are  not  fulfilled.  Appropriate  state  authorities  control,  that 
radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel is returned to the holder in Lithuania, and in cases, if 
the radioactive waste is shipped from the non EU Member State to the Republic of Lithuania, 
it is controlled, that the consignee of the waste agrees with waste holder, who is in the country 

EN 

25 

   EN 

non  EU  Member  State,  on  his  responsibility  to  take  back  the  waste,  if  it  is  not  possible  to 
carry out its shipment. Yet there were no such cases in the practice (art 27). 

-Since  the  Regulations  were  approved,  none  of  applications  for  the  shipment  of  radioactive 
waste or spent fuel were submitted to Radiation Protection Centre - a competent authority on 
the supervision and control of shipments of radioactive waste or VATĒSI (art 15). 

LUXEMBOURG 

-During the recent years, the amount of waste and disused sources stored in Luxembourg has 
been reduced. At  the  licensee’s  side this is due to the fact that some facilities have stopped 
using radioactive sources and returned all disused sources to the suppliers. The reduction at 
the NISF has been achieved by systematically organizing transfers to Belgium (art 27). 

-No export outside the EU of waste or spent fuels reported (art 15). 

THE NETHERLANDS 

-Under  the  “Off-site  Fuels  Policy”,  which  expired  in  1988  for  HEU  fuel,  the  United  States 
accepted foreign research reactor fuel. Consequently, up to that year the research reactors in 
the Netherlands sent their spent fuel back to the US. Also in later years occasional shipments 
with  spent  nuclear  fuel  to  the  US  have  taken  place.  This  fuel  will  not  be  returned  to  the 
Netherlands (art 27). 

-No export outside the EU of waste or spent fuels reported (art 15). 

POLAND 

-Shipments of the SNF to the Russian Federation, which have been described in more detail in 
Sections  B  and  D  of  the  Report,  have  been  performed  in  accordance  of  the  prevailing 
international and State regulations (see Annexes 5, 6 and 7) (…). 

-It has been recently agreed, that spent fuel shipment to Russian Federation will cover EK-10 
fuel  (LEU).  These  option  is  not  financed  by  US-DOE  under  GTRI  and  appropriate  funding 
shall be provided by Polish Government (…). 

-Information  on  planned  activities  or  official  findings  on  the  shipment  of  spent  LEU-type 
nuclear fuel EK-10, derived from the research reactor EWA, to Russian Federation. 

-In 2009, in the frames of GTRI-RRRFR Program, an agreement was signed with the United 
States  of  America  and  the  Russian  Federation  for  the  permanent  removal  and  shipment  of 
HEU-type  spent  nuclear  fuel  from  the  research  reactors  to  Russian  Federation.  Due  to  the 
analyses both sides agree that in case of Poland, the Agreement with the Russian Federation 
gives  possibility  to  ship  to  Russian  Federation  also  the  low-enriched  fuel  EK-10.  In 
September 2011 Poland, Russian Federation and the USA agreed for : transport of EK-10 will 
take place in 2012, cost of transportation will be covered by the USA, to the end of this year 
Poland and Russian Federation will agree upon the financial conditions of the contract. 

EN 

26 

   EN 

-Global  Threat  Reduction  Initiative  –  Russian  Research  Reactors  Fuel  Return  Program  In 
accordance with the Global Threat Reduction Initiative, transport of HEU-type spent nuclear 
fuel  to  the  Russian  Federation  was  carried  out.  The  shipment  program  was  prepared  by 
Interministerial  Team  for  Coordinating  Tasks  Connected  with  the  Performance  by  the 
Republic of Poland of „the International Research Reactor Fuel Return Program supplied by 
Russia” established by virtue of the Decree No 132 of the Prime Minister as of 14 November 
2007.  The  said  team  was  led  by  the  President  of  National  Atomic  Energy  Agency.  The 
program  started  to  be  executed  in  2009.  In  the  last  2  years  (2009-2010)  there  were  5 
shipments  of  highly  enriched  (i.e.  exceeding  20%  U-235)  spent  nuclear  fuel  from  Polish 
research  reactors  EWA  and  MARIA.  The  direct  responsibility  for  transport  rested  with  the 
Radioactive  Waste  Management  Plant,  whereas  the  NAEA  President  granted  authorizations 
regarding shipments and supervised their execution. 

-In 2009, the first shipment of spent fuel to the Russian Federation has been held, followed by 
4  transports  in  2010.  The  NAEA  President  on  the  basis  of  documentation  provided  by  the 
Radioactive  Waste  Management  Plant  issued  in  2010  a  series  of  authorizations  concerning 
carriage of spent fuel. The said licenses included among others the quantity and specification 
of shipped fuel and were issued in accordance with the Regulation of the Ministers’ Council 
of 21 October 2008 on Licensing the Carriage of Radioactive Waste and Spent Nuclear Fuel 
in the Territory of the Republic of Poland and Transit Across this Territory. Each operation of 
loading and transport of spent fuel was supervised by the NAEA nuclear regulatory inspectors 
and the results of inspection confirmed absolute safety of those operations. All the shipments 
were  performed  on  schedule  and  with  no  disturbances.  In  December  2010  the  NAEA 
President submitted to the Prime Minister a report on the activities of Interministerial Team, 
thus by the end of 2010 the Team finished its work. Due to the fact that MARIA reactor is 
still operating with the use of 36% enriched fuel (HEU), it is expected that the shipment of 
this fuel to the Russian Federation will take place in the following years, after the expiry of a 
period which is necessary for fuel cooling (art 27). 

-Poland  implemented  all  criteria  and  conditions  required  by  the  Directive.  There  were  no 
additional conditions required by the Polish regulatory framework except those, which arise 
from Article 27 of the Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the 
Safety  of  Radioactive  Waste  Management,  the  Convęntion  on  thę  Physical  Protection  of 
Nuclear Material, IAEA Regulations for the Safe Transport of Radioactive Material TS-R-1 
and the international modal transport Regulations. 

-5 authorisations for spent fuels exportation to Russia reported (art 15). 

PORTUGAL  

-In  1999,  in  the  context  of  international  initiatives  to  enhance  non-proliferation  measures, 
safeguards and nuclear security and to combat nuclear terrorism, Portugal declared its interest 
in  participating  in  the  “United  States  Foreign  Research  Reactor  Spent  Nuclear  Fuel 
Acceptance  Program”  of  the  Department  of  Energy  of  the  United  States  of  America 
(DoE/USA).  The  Portuguese  Government  committed  to  abandoning  the  use  of  highly 

EN 

27 

   EN 

enriched uranium (HEU) by 12th May 2006 (deadline that shifted to 31st May 2007) and to 
return all HEU fuel, fresh and spent, before 12th May 2009. 

-On  20th  December  2006  an  agreement  to  carry  out  the  project  was  signed  in  Vienna, 
between  the  International  Atomic  Energy  Agency  (IAEA),  Portugal  and  the  USA,  which 
foresaw IAEA technical support and United States financial assistance. 

-The RPI received fresh LEU fuel in early 2007, from the French supplier CERCA (AREVA 
Group).  The  reactor  conversion,  from  HEU  to  LEU  (with  less  than  20%  of  U-235  – 
specifically, U3Si2-Al – and a uranium density of 4.8 g/cm3), was performed in September 
2007. The RPI achieved full power with LEU fuel in October 2007. 

-The ITN then prepared the shipment of the HEU fuel, and performed radiological shielding 
calculations for the optimization of the spent fuel loading into the transport cask. Some fresh 
HEU assemblies were returned in the same transport cask. The fresh and irradiated assemblies 
(ca. 7 kg U-235, initial value) were returned in July 2008 to the USA. 

-The LEU fuel currently in use will also be returned to the USA. Portugal does not have high-
level radioactive waste and does not require any activities concerning handling or storage of 
spent fuel, other than interim storage in the pool of the RPI before shipment to the USA (art 
27). 

-No export outside the EU of waste or spent fuels reported (art 15). 

ROMANIA 

-Romania has adhered to the USA Government policy with respect to return to the country of 
origin  the  HEU  type  spent  fuel  in  American  research  reactors  abroad.  According  to  the 
agreement  signed  by  Romania,  in  2006,  all  the  HEU  type  fuel  has  been  removed  from  the 
SSR. This fuel was returned to USA. The first shipment to USA of HEU spent fuel has been 
performed in 1999 and the second in July 2008, thus all HEU type fuel has been repatriated in 
USA (art 27). 

-3 shipments (authorised by Bulgaria) involving Romanian territory (export of SNF to Russia) 
(art 15). 

SLOVAK REPUBLIC 

-ÚJD SR issued authorization for shipment of spent nuclear fuel from a research reactor in the 
Czech Republic to the Russian Federation within the US initiative - Global Threat Reduction 
Initiative.  All  transboundary  shipments  of  spent  nuclear  fuel  were  made  on  the  basis  of 
consents and authorizations from the relevant regulatory and administrative authorities of the 
State of Origin after notification to the State of destination and with its consent. In 2009 ÚJD 
SR issued authorization for shipment of metal radioactive waste from the Slovak Republic to 
the Russian Federation for the purpose of its processing (melting) and subsequent import of 
the melting products back to the Slovak Republic. The shipment has not been realized until 
now  due  to  not  meeting  all  the  conditions  imposed  on  the  applicant.  The  communication 

EN 

28 

   EN 

process  between  the  authorities  of  the  affected  countries  took  place  in  compliance  with  the 
amended Atomic Act (No. 541/2004 Coll. l.) and the relevant standard documents were used 
(art 27). 

-The UJD issued authorization for shipment of spent nuclear fuel mentioned in the National 
report before 25 December 2008. It means that the shipment was out of the reporting period 
required by Directive. The spent nuclear fuel shipment mentioned in the National report was 
the last shipment of spent fuel carried out as a transit through the territory of the Slovakia up 
to now (art 15). 

SLOVENIA 

-In  the  framework  of  the  United  States  and  Russian  research  reactor  spent  fuel  return 
programmes  three  transits  and  one  export  of  own  spent  fuel  were  accomplished  on  the 
territory  of  the  Republic  of  Slovenia  before  2008.  However,  from  2008  the  activities  were 
intensified. 

-In 2008 three permits were issued for the transit of nuclear fuel through Slovenia. 

-At the end of July 2008, a road transport of irradiated fuel elements from Romania took place 
from Dolga vas to the Port of Koper. The cargo was loaded on a ship and transported to the 
USA.  On  the  same  vessel,  bound  for  the  USA,  another  shipment  was  loaded,  namely  non-
irradiated enriched uranium. This road shipment derived from Italy. 

-In the middle of September 2008, a rail transport of irradiated fuel elements, either high- or 
low-enriched,  from  a  Hungarian  research  reactor  was  accomplished.  The  containers  with 
transfer  casks  were  loaded  on  a  vessel  and  the  consignment  continued  its  journey  to  the 
Russian Federation. 

-In 2009, no transit permits were issued. 

-In  2010  one  permit  was  issued  for  the  transit  of  irradiated  high-  or  low-enriched  fuel 
elements.  The  shipment  was  carried  out  in  November  2010.  The  rail  transport  between  the 
Slovenian-Hungarian  border  and  the  Port  of  Koper  was  followed  by  loading  the  containers 
onto a vessel that travelled across the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean to the port of 
Murmansk (north of the Russian Federation). 

-Besides  these  occasional  transits  there  is  approximately  every  three  years  a  shipment  of 
radioactive  waste  from  the  Krško  NPP  sent  for  incineration  and  melting  to  one  of  the  EU 
Member States. The last shipment was sent in December 2008 and was returned to the Krško 
NPP in November 2009 (art 27). 

-Slovenia does not export any radioactive waste or spent fuel since return of research reactor 
spent fuel to USA prior to Slovenian membership in EU (art 15). 

SPAIN 

-The  Spanish  experience  of  transboundary  movements  during  the  period  considered  has 
consisted of transfers of low and intermediate level radioactive wastes, with Spain being the 

EN 

29 

   EN 

destination.  Specifically,  radioactive  wastes  from  the  inspection  and  decontamination  of  the 
hydraulic circuit of reactor coolant pump circuits and four motors at Spanish nuclear power 
plants  have  been  received.  One  such  shipment  has  already  been  carried  out  applying  the 
procedure established in Royal Decree 243/2009. 

-Furthermore,  in  2009,  3  shipments  of  irradiated  fuel  rods  were  sent  from  the  Almaraz  and 
Vandellós II nuclear power plants to the hot cell laboratories of CEA (France) and Studsvik 
(Sweden),  within  the  framework  of  a  research  programme  aimed  at  the  study  of  various 
properties  of  cladding  materials.  These  transport  operations  were  carried  out  in  compliance 
with all the obligations established in the national and international standards on the trans port 
of hazardous goods and the physical protection of nuclear materials (art 27). 

-No export outside the EU of waste or spent fuels reported (art 15). 

SWEDEN 

-Studsvik  Nuclear  AB  carries  out  volume  reduction  of  radioactive  waste  on  a  commercial 
basis, by incineration of combustible waste and melting of scrap metal. The activities are to a 
certain extent based on services to companies abroad, and Studsvik imports radioactive waste 
and scrap metal for the purpose of volume reduction. The remaining radioactive waste is re-
exported  to  the  country  of  origin.  Approximately  one  hundred  transboundary  shipments  of 
this kind is carried out each year (art 27). 

-4 authorisations covering exports to Japan, Switzerland and Norway reported (art 15). 

UNITED KINGDOM 

-In  2010  the  UK  carried  out  the  first  shipments  of  high-level  vitrified  waste  to  Sellafield's 
overseas  reprocessing  customers.  The  first  shipments  were  to  Rokkasho,  Japan  and  to 
COVRA  in  the  Netherlands.  The  programme  will  last  about  10  years.  All  shipments  were 
carried  out  under  the  Shipments  Directive.  Since  2007  the  UK  has  been  exporting  metallic 
wastes  from  nuclear  decommissioning  for  treatment  by  the  metal-melt  process.  Shipments 
have  been  made  to  Sweden,  Germany  and  the  USA.  The  metal  is  mostly  carbon  steel,  but 
alloy steels and lead have also been treated and recycled. The European companies engaged in 
these recycling processes repatriate the radioactive furnace slag and other process wastes to 
the  UK.  As  the  metal  is  recycled,  the  volume  reduction  on  radioactive  wastes  requiring 
disposal  to  the  UK’s  national  Low  Level  Waste  Repository  is  greater  than  10:1.  This  is  an 
ongoing international trade. Small numbers of shipments have been made for other treatments 
and  processes,  including  incineration.  The  quantities  of  oil  and  other  combustible  wastes 
involved are generally low, as most combustible wastes are dealt with at UK facilities (art 27). 

-4 authorisations covering exports to Japan and USA reported (art 15). 

EN 

30 

   EN