CELEX: 51983PC0298
Language: en
Date: 1983-06-17
Title: PROPOSAL FOR A COUNCIL DECISION ADOPTING A PROGRAMME OF RESEARCH ON THE DECOMMISSIONING OF NUCLEAR INSTALLATIONS ( 1984 TO 1988 )

No C 178/6                            Official Journal of the European Communities                            5.7.83
              Proposal for     a Council Decision adopting a programme of research                on the
                                 decommissioning of nuclear installations (1984 to 1988)
                            (Submitted by the Commission to the Council on 17 June 1983)
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN                                    Whereas the Council has by Decision . . . approved
COMMUNITIES,                                                   the structures and procedures for the management
                                                               and      coordination    of     Community    research,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the
                                                               development and demonstration activities;
European Atomic Energy Community, and in
particular Article 7 thereof,                                  Whereas the Council has by Decision . . . adopted a
                                                               framework programme defining a European scientific
Having regard to the proposal submitted by the
                                                               and technical strategy;
Commission after consultation of the Scientific and
Technical Committee,                                           Whereas the Commission has communicated to the
                                                               Council an action programme for the development of
Having regard to the opinion of the             European
                                                               nuclear fission energy,
Parliament,
Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and
Social Committee,                                              HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS:
Whereas certain parts of nuclear installations                                         Article 1
inevitably become radioactive during operation;
whereas it is therefore essential to find effective            A programme of research on the decommissioning of
solutions which are capable of ensuring the safety and         nuclear installations, as defined in the Annex, is
protection of both human life and the environment              hereby adopted for a five-year period beginning
against the potential hazards involved in the                  1 January 1984.
decommissioning of these installations;
                                                                                       Article 2
Whereas the programme of action of the European
Communities on the environment, approved by the                The      expenditure    commitments    necessary    to
Council of the European Communities and the                    implement the programme are             estimated   at
representatives of the Governments of the Member               12 100 000 ECU with a staff of five.
States, meeting within the Council, in the resolution
of 17 May 1977 ('), underlines the need for                                            Article 3
Community measures on the decommissioning of
nuclear power plants and lays down the content of              The programme may be reviewed at the end of the
and procedures for implementing such measures;                 third year, in accordance with the appropriate pro-
                                                               cedures.
Whereas the research programme concerning the
decommissioning of nuclear power plants adopted by                                     Article 4
Council Decision 79/344/Euratom (2) has yielded                In the implementation of this programme the
positive results and opened up encouraging prospects;          Commission shall be assisted by the Management and
                                                               Consultative Committee 'Nuclear Fission', the terms
                                                               of reference and composition of which were defined
(') OJ No C 139, 13. 6. 1977, p. 1.                            in Decision . . . (structures and procedures for the
O OJ No L 83, 27. 3. 1979, p. 19.                              management and coordination).
 ---pagebreak--- 5. 7. 83                        Official Journal of the European Communities                                  N o C 178/7
                                                            ANNEX
                           Programme of research on the decommissioning of nuclear installations
         The aim of the programme is the joint development of a system of management of nuclear instal-
         lations finally shut down and of the radioactive wastes produced in their dismantling which, at its
         various stages, will provide mankind and the environment with the best protection possible; the
         programme seeks to promote:
         A. Research and development projects concerning the following subjects:
             Project No 1: Long-term integrity of buildings and systems;
             Project No 2: Decontamination for decommissioning purposes;
             Project No 3: Dismantling techniques;
             Project No 4: Treatment of specific waste materials: steel, concrete and graphite;
             Project No 5: Large containers for radioactive waste produced in the dismantling of nuclear
                              installations;
             Project No 6: Estimation of the quantities of radioactive wastes arising from decommissioning
                              of nuclear installations in the Community;
             Project No 7: Influence of plant design features on decommissioning.
         B. Identification of guiding principles, namely:
             — certain guiding principles in the design and operation of nuclear installations with a view to
                 simplifying their subsequent decommissioning,
             — guiding principles in the decommissioning of nuclear installations which could form the
                 initial elements of a Community policy in this field.
         C. Testing of new techniques under real conditions, within the framework of large-scale
             decommissioning operations undertaken in Member States.