European Commission re-assesses the nuclear power plants

The European Commission issued a release which read, that from 1 June 2011 onwards, all 143 nuclear power plants in the EU will be re-assessed using EU wide criteria. These are comprehensive tests as the Commission has called for which embrace both natural and man made hazards (i.e. effects of airplane crashes and terrorist attacks). The European Commission and the European Nuclear Safety Regulators' Group (ENSREG) agreed today on the criteria covered and the way controls will be done,.

"Günther Oettinger, Commissioner for Energy, said: "I appreciate that the Commission and the Member States' regulators have been able to agree on comprehensive and ambitious risk and safety assessments for nuclear power plants. We will put all our efforts into implementing the highest safety standards for nuclear power plants in and close to the European Union. The tough part starts now: implementing the criteria with all the necessary rigour."

To guarantee the highest safety standards in the world, the EU draws the lessons from Fukushima and focuses in the tests on all sorts of natural disasters and includes also the effects of man-made accidents such as airplane crashes as well as terrorist or other malevolent attacks.

All security-related aspects such as measures preventing terroristic attacks will be dealt separately, following discussions with Member States recognising among others the need for confidentiality.

The Commission is also in close contact with countries outside the EU and is working with them on re-assessing their nuclear power plants. These are in particular Switzerland, the Russian Federation, Ukraine and Armenia."