18 May (NucNet): The European Commission has referred Austria, Croatia and Italy to the Court of Justice of the EU for failure to notify it of their final national programmes for the management of the spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste, as required under the bloc’s Spent Fuel and Radioactive Waste Directive.
According to the directive, EU member states were required to notify their national programme for the first time to the EC by 23 August 2015.
The EC said in a statement on 17 May 2018 that it reminded the three countries of their obligation under the directive. Austria, Croatia and Italy had only notified the EC of draft versions of their programmes, so letters of formal notice were sent to them on 29 April 2016 and were followed by reasoned opinions in July 2017.
None of the three countries has any commercial nuclear plants, although Italy has four that have been permanently shut down and are being decommissioned.
The EC said the waste covered by the directive also comes from the non-power use of nuclear and radiation technologies, such as research in science and various medical applications.
“It is a priority for the EC to ensure that the highest safety standards for radioactive waste and spent fuel management are in place,” the statement said.
The Spent Fuel and Radioactive Waste Directive establishes a framework for ensuring the responsible and safe management of spent fuel and radioactive waste to avoid imposing undue burdens on future generations, the EC said.
The directive requires member states to provide for appropriate national arrangements for a high level of safety in spent fuel and radioactive waste management.
