The EU Approach for Responsible and Safe Management of Spent Fuel and Radioactive Waste - 12118
- European Commission, Directorate-General for Energy, Luxembourg L-2920 (Luxembourg)
In July 2011 legislation on responsible and safe management of spent fuel and radioactive waste was adopted in the European Union (EU). It aims at ensuring a high level of safety, avoiding undue burdens on future generations and enhancing transparency. EU Member States are responsible for the management of their spent fuel and/or radioactive waste. Each Member State remains free to define its fuel cycle policy. The spent fuel can be regarded either as a valuable resource that may be reprocessed or as radioactive waste that is destined for direct disposal. Whatever option is chosen, the disposal of high level waste, separated at reprocessing, or of spent fuel regarded as waste should be considered. The storage of radioactive waste, including long-term storage, is an interim solution, but not an alternative to disposal. To this end, each Member State has to establish, maintain and implement national policy, framework and programme for management of spent fuel and/or radioactive waste in the long term. Member States will invite international peer reviews to ensure that high safety standards are achieved. The EU approach is anchored in internationally endorsed principles and requirements of the IAEA safety standards and the Joint Convention and in this context makes them legally binding and enforceable in the EU. The EU approach of regulating the management of spent fuel and radioactive waste is anchored in the competence of the national regulatory authorities and in the internationally endorsed principles and requirements of the IAEA Safety Standards and the Joint Convention. Member States have to report to the Commission on the implementation of Directive 2011/70/Euratom for the first time by 23 August 2015, and every 3 years thereafter, taking advantage of the review and reporting under the Joint Convention. On the basis of the Member States' reports, the Commission will submit to the European Parliament and the Council a report on progress made and an inventory of radioactive waste and spent fuel present in the EU territory and the future prospects. Directive 2011/70/Euratom is a logical next step after the Council Directive 2009/71/Euratom on the nuclear safety of nuclear installations. The EU is the first major regional actor providing a binding legal framework on nuclear safety and on responsible and safe management of spent fuel and radioactive waste, and thus is a real model to progress spent fuel and waste management in a safe and responsible manner. (authors)
- Research Organization:
- WM Symposia, 1628 E. Southern Avenue, Suite 9-332, Tempe, AZ 85282 (United States)
- OSTI ID:
- 22293433
- Report Number(s):
- INIS-US-14-WM-12118; TRN: US14V1087114957
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: WM2012: Waste Management 2012 conference on improving the future in waste management, Phoenix, AZ (United States), 26 Feb - 1 Mar 2012; Other Information: Country of input: France; 4 refs.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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