EU environment ministers on Thursday agreed to make international safety rules on nuclear power stations legally binding, a move which Brussels hailed as a model for the rest of the world. While the EU becomes the "first major regional nuclear actor" to make the rules binding, a European Commission spokesman said that safety standards in Europe were already high.
The decision makes binding "international safety standards that exist currently only on a voluntary basis," said commission spokesman Ferran Tarradellas Espuny in Brussels. Nevertheless the systems used in Europe vary, with Lithuania's Ignalina plant, for example, built to the same design as Ukraine's infamous Chernobyl power station.
Slovenia's sole nuclear power plant had to be shut down a year ago after a leak in the cooling system that set off a Europe-wide alert. As the first big regional player to make the safety rules binding, the European Union is "a real model for the rest of the world in a context of renewed interest in nuclear energy," the commission said. The ministers meeting in Luxembourg formally endorsed the proposal which has ready been backed by the European parliament.
"This Nuclear Safety Directive brings legal certainty by clarifying responsibilities and provides increased guarantees to the public," said EU Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs. The rules will apply to both new and existing nuclear plants.
The EU has the largest number of nuclear power plants in the world, with France foremost, though member states are free to decide whether or not to produce nuclear energy. The directive requires EU nations in particular to set up and continuously improve national nuclear safety frameworks. It also enhances the role and independence of national regulatory authorities and requires a high level of transparency of regulatory actions and guarantees regular independent safety assessments.