The European Commission called Thursday for stress tests every six years on the dozens of nuclear reactors operating across the European Union to prevent a catastrophe such as Japan’s Fukushima disaster.
“The proposed legislation transmitted to member states aims to ‘Europeanise’ nuclear safety,” said the EU’s Energy Commissioner Gunther Oettinger. “We hope it will not be rejected by the states.”
The checks on the 64 nuclear plants in the EU, to be carried out by teams of international inspectors, aim both to avoid a Fukushima-style accident and to plan a response should a nuclear emergency occur.
If the proposal is agreed, the failure of a country to comply with safety recommendations issued after the stress tests would leave it open to judicial action and fines by Brussels.
“It’s up to member states to decide if they want to produce nuclear energy or not. The fact remains that there are 132 nuclear reactors in operation in Europe today,” Oettinger said.
“Our task at the Commission is to make sure that safety is given the utmost priority in every single one of them.”
A total 14 EU nations currently run nuclear plants, some with several reactors, and while Germany is shutting down its nuclear energy sector, Poland is planning to join the club.
Two-thirds of the reactors are located within 15 kilometres (nine miles) of towns of more than 100,000 people.
EU wants nuclear stress tests every six years
