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Energy

Rules and implementation

Nuclear safety covers ensuring proper operating conditions for nuclear installations, preventing accidents and mitigating the consequences if they happen.

About a fifth (21.8%) of the electricity in the EU was generated by nuclear energy in 2022, according to Eurostat. It is crucial that this type of energy is produced in a safe and secure way, which is why nuclear safety is an absolute priority for the EU.

While plant operators, under the supervision of independent national regulatory authorities, are primarily responsible for the safety of their installations, an EU-wide approach to nuclear safety is of key importance because a nuclear accident could have negative consequences for countries across Europe and beyond.

Nuclear Safety Directive

The Nuclear Safety Directive 2009/71/Euratom, that established a community framework for the nuclear safety of nuclear installations was amended in 2014 and with the amending Nuclear Safety Directive (2014/87/Euratom), the EU significantly enhanced its leadership in nuclear safety worldwide.

The amendment is based on nuclear risk and safety assessments (stress tests) carried out in 2011 and 2012, the lessons learned from the Fukushima nuclear accident, and the safety requirements of the Western European Nuclear Regulators Association (WENRA) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

The directive requires EU countries to give the highest priority to nuclear safety at all stages of the lifecycle of a nuclear power plant. This includes carrying out safety assessments before the construction of new nuclear power plants and ensuring significant safety enhancements for old reactors. Specifically, the directive

  • strengthens the role of national regulatory authorities by ensuring their independence from national governments. EU countries must provide the regulators with sufficient legal powers, staff, and financial resources
  • creates a system of peer reviews. EU countries choose a common nuclear safety topic every 6 years and organise a national safety assessment on it. They then submit their assessment to other countries for review. The findings of these peer reviews are made public
  • requires a safety re-evaluation for all nuclear power plants to be conducted at least once every 10 years
  • increases transparency by requiring operators of nuclear power plants to release information to the public, both in times of normal operation and in the event of incidents

National implementation reports

The Nuclear Safety Directive (2009/71/Euratom) requires that EU countries submit national reports to the Commission on its implementation, as of 22 July 2014 and every 3 years thereafter. The reports aim at demonstrating how countries are addressing the directive’s obligations by illustrating the approaches taken at national level. Based on the 2014 reports, pursuant to the directive, the Commission submitted on 18 November 2015 the first progress report and a staff working document on the directive’s implementation to the Council and the European Parliament.

The amendment to the Nuclear Safety Directive (2014/87/Euratom) modified the above reporting obligation by requiring that EU countries submit the second round of national reports by 22 July 2020. Based on these reports, the Commission published in April 2022 the second and final progress report on the directive’s implementation, which has been passed to the Council and European Parliament.

The below list includes all EU countries’ national reports submitted in the 2014 and the 2020 reporting cycles.

Stress tests and follow-up

In response to the 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident, risk and safety assessments ('stress tests'), were carried out on all EU nuclear power plants. Neighbouring countries were also associated with the stress tests and Switzerland and Ukraine participated fully. The Commission also encouraged and cooperated with nuclear regulators around the world to perform similar exercises.

The aim of the tests was to check whether the safety standards used when specific power plants received their licences were sufficient to cover unexpected, extreme events like for example earthquakes, flooding, terrorist attacks or aircraft collisions.

According to the tests, the safety standards of European nuclear power plants were generally high, but further improvements were recommended. Nuclear regulators set up national action plans, which were peer-reviewed by experts from EU countries and the Commission.

The implementation of the stress tests recommendations is a national responsibility and is ensured by operators and national regulators. The Commission is committed to support EU countries and follow the implementation of national action plans closely.

European Nuclear Safety Regulators Group

The group, referred to as ENSREG, is an independent, expert advisory group that was created in 2007, following a decision of the European Commission.

It is composed of senior officials from the national nuclear safety, radioactive waste safety or radiation protection regulatory authorities and senior civil servants with competence in these fields from all EU countries and representatives of the Commission.

ENSREG’s role is to help to establish the conditions for continuous improvement and to reach a common understanding in the areas of nuclear safety and radioactive waste management.

Documents

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