CELEX: 51988PC0415
Language: en
Date: 1988-07-28
Title: PROPOSAL FOR A COUNCIL DECISION ADOPTING A RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME FOR THE EUROPEAN ATOMIC ENERGY COMMUNITY IN THE FIELD OF THE DECOMMISSIONING OF NUCLEAR INSTALLATIONS ( 1989-1993 )

24. 9. 88                               Official Journal of the European Communities                                No C 250/7
                                                                II
                                                       (Preparatory Acts)
                                                  COMMISSION
                Proposal for a Council Decision adopting a research and technological development programme
               for the European Atomic Energy Community in the field of the decommissioning of nuclear
                                                          installations
                                                        (1989 to 1993)
                                                      COM(88) 415 final
                                      (Submitted by the Commission on 16 August 1988)
                                                         (88/C 250/07)
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,                             HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European                                          Article 1
Atomic Energy Community, and in particular Article 7
thereof,                                                             A research and technological development programme
                                                                     for the Eurpean Atomic Energy Community in the field
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission,                   of the decommissioning of nuclear installations, as
submitted after consulting the Scientific and Technical              defined in the Annex, is hereby adopted for a period of
Committee,                                                           five years from 1 January 1989.
Having regard        to   the  opinion   of   the  European                                    Article 2
Parliament,
                                                                     The amount deemed necessary for the execution of the
Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and                     programme is 31,5 million ECU including expenditure
Social Committee,                                                    on a staff of five.
Whereas certain parts of nuclear installations inevitably                                      Article 3
become radio-active during operation; whereas it is
                                                                     The Commission shall be responsible for the execution
therefore essential to find effective solutions which are
                                                                     of the programme. It shall be assisted by the
capable of ensuring the safety and protection of both
                                                                     Management and Coordination Advisory Committee
mankind and the environment against the potential
                                                                     CGC6 'Nuclear fission energy — Fuel cycle/processing
hazards involved in the decommissioning of these instal-
                                                                     and storage of waste', set up by Council Decision
lations;
                                                                     84/338/Euratom, ECSC, EEC (3)-
Whereas the research programme concerning the decom-
                                                                     The contracts entered into by the Commission shall
missioning of nuclear installations, adopted by Decision
                                                                     regulate the rights and obligations of each party, in
 84/60/Euratom ( l ), has yielded positive results and
                                                                     particular the methods of disseminating, protecting and
opened up encouraging prospects;
                                                                     exploiting the research results.
Whereas the scientific and technical basis necessary to
strengthen the safety and protection aspects of decom-                                         Article 4
missioning should be further reinforced, namely by
                                                                     In the third year of the programme, the Commission
demonstration of relevant techniques;
                                                                     shall undertake a review of the programme and it shall
                                                                     report to the Council and to the European Parliament on
Whereas the Council, by adopting the framework                       the results thereof, together, if necessary, with a proposal
programme of Community research and technological                    for modification or prolongation.
 development (1987 to 1991) (2), acknowledges the need
 for a further action on the decommissioning of nuclear              An evaluation of the results achieved will be conducted
 installations,                                                       by the Commission, which shall report thereon to the
                                                                      Council and the Eurpean Parliament.
 O OJ No L 36, 8. 2. 1984, p. 23.
 C) OJ No L 302, 24. 10. 1987, p. 1.                                  (3) OJ No L 177, 4. 7. 1984, p. 25.
 ---pagebreak--- N o C 250/8                                Official Journal of the European Communities                                  24. 9. 88
The abovementioned reports shall be established having                  agreements or contracts with a third State, an interna-
regard to the objectives and criteria set out in the Annex              tional organisation or a national of a third State, with a
to this Decision and in conformity with the provisions of               view to associating them wholly or partly with this
Article 2 (2) of the framework programme.                               programme.
                           Article 5
                                                                                                     Article 6
The Commission is authorised to negotiate, in
accordance with Article 101 (2) of the EAEC Treaty,                     This Decision is addressed to the Member States.
                                                                  ANNEX
             RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME IN THE FIELD OF THE
                                     DECOMMISSIONING OF NUCLEAR INSTALLATIONS
             The aim of the programme is the joint development of a system of management of nuclear installations
             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 will involve
             demonstration of relevant technologies.
             The programme seeks to promote:
             A. Research and development projects concerning the following areas:
                 Area No 1: long-term integrity of buildings and systems;
                 Area No 2: decontamination for decommissioning purposes;
                 Area No 3: dismantling techniques;
                 Area No 4: treatment of specific waste materials: steel, concrete and graphite;
                 Area No 5: qualification and adaptation of remote-controlled semi-autonomous manipulator systems;
                 Area No 6: estimation of the quantities of radioactive wastes arising from the decommissioning of
                                nuclear installations in the Community.
             B. Identification of guiding principles relating to:
                 — the design and operation of nuclear installations with a view to simplifying their subsequent decom-
                     missioning,
                 — the decommissioning operations with a view to making occupational radiation exposures as low as
                     reasonably achievable,
                 — the technical elements of a Community policy in this field.
             C. Testing of hew techniques in practice, within the framework of large-scale decommissioning operations
                 undertaken in Member States. The tests will be focused mainly on a few selected pilot dismantling
                 projects, but include complementary tests performed in other nuclear installations. The secondment of
                 research staff from other member countries, to the pilot dismantling projects, will be promoted.
             The implementation of the programme shall be done mainly through cost-shared research and development
             contracts, but also through concerted actions, studies and coordination activities.
             Besides this, secondment of scientific staff from other Member countries to the pilot projects, as well as
             training and mobility grants, shall be promoted.
             The Community's participation in shared-cost action research contracts will not exceed 50 % of the total
             costs.
 ---pagebreak--- 24. 9. 88                             Official Journal of the European Communities                                 No C 250/9
          The programme is to be evaluated by independent experts in accordance with the Community plan of
          action relating to the evaluation of Community research and development activities ('). The following
          criteria are to be considered in the evaluation:
          — the extent to which research proposals were selected against relevant criteria,
          — the extent to which substantial development of knowledge, techniques and equipment has resulted from
              the work supported,
          — the potential relevance of the results with regard to industrial decommissioning operations,
          — the potential relevance of the results with regard to safety and protection aspects of decommissioning
              and in particular to occupational radiation exposure of decommissioning workers,
          — the extent to which information exchange and cooperation across the borders of Member States have
              been promoted.
           0) COM(86) 660 final