CELEX: 51990PC0343
Language: en
Date: 1990-09-14
Title: PROPOSAL FOR A COUNCIL DECISION ON A SPECIFIC RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME IN THE FIELD OF NUCLEAR FISSION SAFETY ( 1990-1994 )

No C 247/2                             Official Journal of the European Communities                                   2. 10. 90
                                                              II
                                                      (Preparatory Acts)
                                                 COMMISSION
               Proposal for a Council Decision on a specific research and technological development
                              programme in the field of nuclear fission safety (1990 to 1994)
                                                     COM(90) 343 final
                                      (Submitted by the Commission on 3 August 1990)
                                                        (90/C 247/02)
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,                          Whereas an estimate should be made of the amount of
                                                                  Community financial resources needed to carry out this
                                                                  specific programme; whereas the appropriations actually
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European             available will be determined in the course of the
Atomic Energy Community, and in particular Article 7              budgetary procedure in line with the financial
thereof,                                                          perspectives annexed to the Interinstitutional Agreement
                                                                  of 29 June 1988 (2), and with any future financial
                                                                  perspectives covering the period 1993 to 1994;
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission,
after consulting the Scientific and Technical Committee,
                                                                  Whereas, pursuant to Article 4 and Annex I of Decision
                                                                  90/221/Euratom, EEC, the amount deemed necessary
Having regard       to  the   opinion   of   the  European        for the whole framework programme includes an amount
Parliament,                                                       of ECU 57 million for the centralized dissemination and
                                                                  exploitation of results, to be divided up in proportion to
                                                                  the amount envisaged for each activity; whereas, in view
                                                                  of the importance of this specific programme within the
Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and
                                                                  'Energy' activities, the estimate of the financial resources
Social Committee,
                                                                  needed by this programme is to be reduced by ECU 0,37
                                                                  million, which amount is to be allocated to the
                                                                  centralized activities;
Whereas, by Decision 90/221 /Euratom, EEC C) the
Council adopted a third framework programme for
Community activities in the field of research and techno-
logical development (1990 to 1994), specifying inter alia         Whereas this programme must be implemented by the
the activities to be pursued in the area of nuclear fission       Commission, as provided for in Article 7 of the Treaty;
safety; whereas this Decision should be taken in the light        whereas to help accomplish this, the Member States are
of the grounds set out in the preamble to that Decision;          bound, pursuant to Article 192 of the Treaty, to facilitate
                                                                  the achievement of its tasks where necessary;
Whereas, for activities falling under the Euratom Treaty,
Article 2 of Decision 90/221/Euratom, EEC provides for            Whereas the implementation of this programme must
the implementation of a third framework programme                 consist essentially in the selection of research and devel-
through programmes adopted in accordance with Article             opment projects to enable them to benefit from
7 of the said Treaty;                                             Community participation; whereas the Commission
                                                                  should encourage the submission of such projects by the
                                                                  usual means of publishing calls for proposals in the
                                                                  Official Journal; whereas a special procedure should also
Whereas the Joint Research Center shall contribute
                                                                  be devised so as to maintain a degree of flexibility
through its own programme to the implementation of the
                                                                  enabling the Commission, in the face of the continuous
aforesaid activities;
                                                                  evolution and gradual acceleration of technological
                                                                  progress,     also      to    take    into     consideration
O OJ No L 117, 8. 5. 1990, p. 28.                                 (2) OJ No L 185, 15. 7. 1988, p. 33.
 ---pagebreak---   2. 10. 90                            Official Journal of the European Communities                              No C 247/3
 spontaneous proposals consistent with the objectives of          3.    An indicative breakdown of expenditure is set out
 the programme;                                                   in Annex II.
                                                                  4.    Should the Council take a decision pursuant to
 Whereas the projects to be carried out under the
                                                                  Article 1 (4) of Decision 90/221/Euratom, EEC, this
 programme must be selected with special attention to the
                                                                  Decision shall be amended to take account of that
 principle of economic and social cohesion in the
                                                                  decision.
 Community, the transnational nature of the projects and
 the support to be given to small and medium-sized enter-
 prises;
                                                                  5.    The budgetary authority shall decide on the appro-
                                                                  priations available for each financial year.
 Whereas the activities pursued by the Community for
 strengthening the scientific and technological basis of
                                                                                           Article 3
 European industry and encouraging it to become more
 competitive include promoting cooperation on research            Rules for the implementation of the programme are set
 and technological development with third countries and           out in Annex III.
 international organizations; whereas such cooperation
 may prove particularly beneficial to the development of
 this programme;
                                                                                           Article 4
                                                                 The rate of the Community financial contribution shall
Whereas it is necessary, as Annex II to Decision                 be laid down in accordance with Annex IV to Decision
90/221/Euratom, EEC, provides, to foster a harmonized            90/221/Euratom, EEC.
approach to nuclear fission safety in the Community, by
bringing together all the parties involved, thus rein-
forcing the pre-normative dimension of research, namely
                                                                                           Article 5
in radiation protection and reactor safety,
                                                                  1.    During 1992 the      Commission shall review the
                                                                 programme and submit        a report on the results of its
                                                                 review to the Council      and the European Parliament,
HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:                                       together with proposals    for any necessary changes.
                                                                 2.     At the end of the programme the Commission shall
                           Article 1
                                                                 assess the results obtained. It shall submit a report
                                                                 thereon to the Council and the European Parliament.
A specific research and technological development
programme       for    the    European    Atomic    Energy
Community in the field of nuclear fission safety, as
defined in Annex I, is hereby adopted for a period of            3.    The reports shall be drawn up having regard to the
five years as from 1 January 1990.                               objectives set out in Annex I to this Decision and in
                                                                 accordance      with    Article   2    (4)   of   Decision
                                                                 90/221/Euratom, EEC.
                           Article 2
                                                                                           Article 6
1.     The total Community funds estimated as necessary
for the implementation of the programme adopted by               To assist the Commission in the implementation of the
this Decision amount to ECU 199 million. This amount             programme a Management and Coordination Committee
comprises ECU 37 million for the carrying out of the             for nuclear fission safety shall be established. Articles 2
activities approved by this Decision, and ECU 162                to 6 of Council Decision 84/338/Euratom/ECSC/
million for the activities which the Joint Research Centre       EEC (') shall apply to that committee.
will contribute to the programme and which will be the
subject of a separate Council Decision.
                                                                                           Article 7
2.     The said sum of ECU 37 million is reduced by              In implementing this programme, decisions may be
ECU 0,37 million for centralized dissemination and               taken, where necessary, to carry out supplementary
exploitation of results. The resulting sum of ECU 36,63
million includes staff costs, which may amount to a
maximum of 19 %.                                                 O OJ No L 177, 4. 7. 1984, p. 25.
 ---pagebreak--- No C 247/4                          Official Journal of the European Communities                             2. 10. 90
programmes or to participate in programmes undertaken         contracts under the second paragraph of Article 101 of
by several Member States or in joint undertakings within      the Treaty, the Commission shall be authorized to
the meaning of Articles 45 to 51 of the Treaty.               negotiate them. The conclusion of such agreements or
                                                              contracts shall be effected in accordance with the
                                                              provisions of the second paragraph of that Article.
                        Article 8
Where cooperation with third countries and international                              Article 9
organizations aimed at achieving the objectives of this
programme requires the conclusion of agreements or            This Decision is addressed to the Member States.
 ---pagebreak--- 2. 10. 90                              Official J o u r n a l of the E u r o p e a n C o m m u n i t i e s                No C 247/5
                                                                ANNEX      I
                             SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL OBJECTIVES A N D C O N T E N T
          This specific programme fully reflects the approach embodied in the Third Framework Programme in
          terms of the scientific and technical goals and the underlying aims which it pursues.
           Paragraph 5 B of Annex II of the Framework Programme forms an integral part of the present specific
          programme.
          The following presents an analytical description of the content of the programme, based on and taking
           account of the above elements.
                                                                 AREA 1
                                                           Radiation protection
          The aim is to provide the scientific knowledge for an objective assessment of radiation effects and risks as
          well as the methods to optimize radiation protection. Research will be carried out to define the extent of
          exposure and the ways in which it can occur from natural, medical and industrial sources, study the health
          consequences including the treatment of over-exposure, and assess, in a comparative and quantitative way,
          the risks which radiation can pose to man and his environment.
          The scientific knowledge obtained by this action is a prerequisite for the continued updating of the basic
          safety standards for the health protection of the general public and workers against the dangers of ionizing
          radiation (') and will provide the scientific background for the continued evolution of radiation protection
          concepts and practices. It is also aimed at maintaining and enhancing both the technical and regulatory
          aspects of expertise in radiation protection and will enable the relevant authorities to evaluate the impact of
          long-term choices in energy policy on man and his environment, to manage normal operational and rare
          emergency situations, and to inform the public objectively about the risks and benefits of radiation.
          Issues related to concerns about radiation and its effects, heightened by the accident at Chernobyl and by
          more recent information on risk estimates and on the extent of exposure from natural, medical and
          industrial sources will be addressed. Research will aim a t reducing the uncertainties related to the
          evaluation of risks at low doses/low dose rates by combining the information obtained from a variety of
          experimental approaches with that from epidemiology.
          An assessment of the risks related to radon in homes will aim at the development of effective and durable
          countermeasures to reduce population exposure. Research on optimizing procedures will be carried out in
          order to reduce patient exposure from medical diagnostic radiology. Management procedures based on
          improved scientific information will be developed to optimize radiological protection in the work place.
          Scientific procedures will be developed to allow the consequences of nuclear emergencies to be assessed in
          real-time and their management to be improved, thus enabling the most effective countermeasures to be
          taken, to reduce transfer of radioactive contamination to man, and to treat victims of radiation accidents.
          The solution of the complex problems involved requires that information from quite different subject areas
          be integrated in a multi-disciplinary approach in which the following themes will be addressed:
          Human exposure to radiation and radioactivity
          The objective is to develop the ways and means to measure radiation doses in a sensitive and reliable way,
          and to define the critical pathways of radioactivity in the environment and possible strategies to impede the
          transfer of radionuclides to man.
          (') O] No L 246, 17. 9. 1980, p. 1. and OJ No L 265, 5. 10. 1984, p. 4.
 ---pagebreak--- N o C 247/6                             Official J o u r n a l of the E u r o p e a n C o m m u n i t i e s                            2. 10. 90
            The measurement of radiation doses and their interpretation will be improved by implementing the new
            dosimetric quantities and by developing better procedures and instrumentation for personal and accident
            dosimetry. Particular attention will be paid to exposure from incorporated radionuclides.
            The behaviour of radionuclides in the environment will be studied focusing on natural and long-lived
            artificial radionuclides which can accumulate in natural or semi-natural ecosystems or undergo chemical
            and biological modifications. In addition, countermeasures to reduce the consequences of radioactive
            contamination to the environment and man will be investigated.
             Consequences of radiation exposure to man: their assessment, prevention and treatment
            The objective is to determine quantitatively effects occurring at low doses/low dose rates (stochastic effects
            of radiation), to develop means to recognize and treat consequences of radiation accidents (non-stochastic
            effects) and to assess effects on the developing organism.
            A concerted approach based on microdosimetry, biophysical modelling, molecular, cellular and animal
            studies and epidemiology will be undertaken to understand the mechanisms involved and to evaluate the
            risks of radiation-induced cancer and genetic damage in man. This will lend crucial support to the interpre-
            tation of human epidemiological data and to their extrapolation to low doses/low dose rates.
            Diagnosis and treatment of consequences of accidents involving whole-body or local external exposure, or
            internal contamination with radionuclides will be improved by studying their pathogenesis and making use
            of new molecular and cellular techniques.
            Investigations on the developing organism will focus on brain damage after irradiation in utero, on the
            induction of radiation-induced cancer and on the transfer of radionuclides in the foetus and during infancy
            and childhood.
            Risks and management of radiation exposure
            The objective is to evaluate the overall risks of human exposure to radiation and to provide the methods
            for optimizing and managing radiation protection under normal and accident situations.
            Systematic information on human exposure from natural, medical and industrial                   sources will be collected,
            and emphasis will be placed on epidemiological studies, including those in                       persons exposed at the
            workplace or to enhanced natural radioactivity. The factors affecting population                radon exposure in homes
            and possible countermeasures will be investigated. Radiation risks will be put into             perspective by comparing
            them with other risks.
            Optimization of radiation protection in normal and accident situations will be investigated to conform with
            new protection standards. Radiation accident consequence models and emergency management procedures
            will be further developed. Optimization of medical diagnostic exposure will be achieved by developing
            quality assurance measures for image quality and analyzing the risks and benefits of different procedures.
                                                                  AREA 2
                                                               Reactor safety
            The overall objective of this new activity is to contribute to the definition of what will be needed to satisfy
            the expected safety requirements for future generations of nuclear power plants and to improve confidence
            in safety analyses, through an exercise promoting the concertation of parties from all Member States of the
            Community, independent of whether or not they have a nuclear power programme.
            The work envisaged will contribute to the assessment of the safety margins associated with design and
            operation, and to building confidence in the completeness of safety analyses and the reliability of the
            components involved in accident management. It will provide a reference point for initiatives in the
            Community and a basis for possible, more extensive Community actions.
 ---pagebreak--- 2. 10. 90                             Official J o u r n a l of the E u r o p e a n C o m m u n i t i e s                N o C 247/7
          Selected key safety issues related to future nuclear power plants will be addressed, paying particular
          attention to passive technology. Work will focus also on the safe containment of radioactivity under severe
          accident conditions, and will mainly consider existing light water reactors which are more widespread in
          the Community, other European countries and the rest of the world. Moreover, there will be some partici-
          pation, from the point of view of design safety, in new types of reactors, i.e. those in the development stage
          or those planned for the future, which are likely to be constructed between now and the end of the
          century.
          The action at Community level will include studies, inter-comparisons of methods and tools, such as prob-
          abilistic safety analyses, and joint evaluations of research and development work. After considering the
          potential challenges to confinement in case of severe accidents and their implications on containment
          performance, the key issues will be addressed under the following three main themes:
          Accident progression analysis
          Severe accident phenomenology and its implications for containment will be studied with respect to in
          vessel phenomena related to containment loading and to ex vessel phenomena. The latter will deal, in
          particular, with hydrogen related phenomena and their modelling, detection and control; fission product
          behaviour; coolability of corium, steam explosion and corium-concrete interaction.
          Behaviour and qualification of the containment system
          Research will deal with the integrity of the containment system (venting, seismic and other external events,
          degradation of leak tightness due to ageing), modelling and failure mode analyses (material and structure
          behaviour, e.g. prestressed concrete), and the qualification and safety margins of containment structures,
          equipment and electronic systems with regard to severe accidents.
          Accident management and control
          Research will concentrate on the man-machine interface (computer based aids for operators handling
          complex procedures and novel situations, for example recognition of abnormalities and their diagnosis, and
          handling of incomplete or misleading information), and on strategies for intervention and accident miti-
          gation.
                                                               ANNEX      II
                                     INDICATIVE BREAKDOWN O F EXPENDITURES
          In per cent, for the period 1990 to 1994:
          — Area 1: Radiation protection: 7 8 - 7 9 %
          — Area 2: Reactor safety: 21-22 %
          The breakdown between different areas does not exclude the possibility that projects could cover several
          areas.
 ---pagebreak--- No C 247/8                                  Official Journal of the European Communities                                        2. 10. 90
                                                                 ANNEX       III
           RULES FOR IMPLEMENTING T H E PROGRAMME A N D ACTIVITIES FOR DISSEMINATION
                                               A N D EXPLOITATION O F T H E RESULTS
            1. The Commission shall implement the programme on the basis of the scientific and technical content
               described in Annex I.
           2. The rules for implementing the programme, referred to in Article 3, comprise: research and techno-
               logical development projects, accompanying measures and concerted actions.
               The direct research activities carried out by the Joint Research Centre will be the subject of a separate
               Council decision.
               The projects shall be the subject of shared-cost research and technological development contracts.
               The accompanying measures consist of applying the means to ensure proper technical execution,
               management and evaluation of the programme, as well as adequate dissemination and accessibility of
               the results, and coordination, training and consciousness-raising of the participants in the programme.
               The concerted actions are those defined in the Financial Regulations.
           3. The participants in the projects must be natural or legal persons established in the Corrynunity (*), such
               as universities, research organizations and industrial firms, including small and medium-sized enter-
               prises, or associations thereof, in particular European Economic Interest Groupings (EEIGs).
               Natural or legal persons established in countries which have concluded agreements with the Community
               foreseeing scientific and technical research, may, based on the criterion of mutual advantage, take part
               in the projects undertaken in the context of this programme. The contracting parties under such
               arrangements shall not benefit from Community funding. They shall contribute to the general adminis-
               trative costs.
           4. The choice of projects shall be carried out according to the following order of priority, the first method
               being the rule, the second the exception:
               The participants in the projects shall be selected on the basis of the ordinary procedure of calls for
               proposals and published in the Official Journal of the European Communities.
               The Commission may also accept proposals according to an exceptional procedure and under the
               conditions mentioned below, when they make a particularly promising and significant contribution as
               regards the originality of the theme proposed, the novelty of the scientific and technical approach and
               the methodology of execution, also taking into account the particular nature of the proposers.
               A favourable technical evaluation of such proposals shall not by itself be a sufficient justification for
               accepting a project; this exceptional procedure may only apply after verification that the nature of the
               project, as defined above, does not justify the use of the normal procedure for calls for proposals.
               The exceptional procedure must be completed before the ordinary procedure in such a way that the
               available amount for the Community's financial participation in projects retained by the ordinary
               procedure can be determined precisely. The closing date for the exceptional procedure shall be
               published each year in the Official Journal of the European Communities.
               The amount of the financial participation of the Community for all the projects retained by the excep-
               tional procedure will be decided each year, in relation to the projects selected according to particularly
               strict criteria of excellence. In any case, this amount may not exceed 15 % ; it may be revised each year
               in the light of experience.
           (') In the interests of the present programme, the European Center for Nuclear Research (CERN) based in Geneva, most
               of whose installations are located in the Community, may participate in contracts.
 ---pagebreak--- 2. 10. 90                             Official Journal of the European Communities                                    No C 247/9
             The Commission shall draw up a vade-mecum setting out all the rules applicable to this exceptional
             procedure in order to guarantee full transparency.
          5. The projects must provide for participation by at least two mutually independent partners established in
             different Member States.
          6. The Commission may encourage the participants to form a European Economic Interest Grouping
             (EEIG) or make other arrangements for carrying out projects, such as those on a large scale, permitting
             decentralized management adapted to the specific requirements of the project.
          7. The knowledge acquired during the course of the projects shall be disseminated on the one hand within
             the specific programme and on the other hand by means of a centralized activity, pursuant to the
             Decision referred to in the third paragraph of Article 4 in Decision 90/221/Euratom, EEC.