The European Commission last week gave five nations two months to provide overdue information regarding their domestic programs for management of spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste. Should they fail to meet their commitment, Austria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Italy, and Portugal could be directed to the European Union Court of Justice, the commission said in a July 13 alert.
The commission’s 2011 Radioactive Waste and Spent Fuel Management Directive places a number of obligations on EU member nations, including establishing a national program for dealing with such material produced within their borders, and ensuring funding and independent oversight for this work.
All EU countries produce radioactive waste through power, medical, research, industrial, and agricultural operations, the European Commission said. “Member States were required to notify their national programmes by 23 August 2015,” according to the notice. “The Member States concerned have two months to comply with their obligations; otherwise, the Commission may decide to refer them to the Court of Justice of the EU.”
The European Commission statement did not specify what penalties, if any, the five nations could face for continued failure to meet their obligation under the radioactive waste directive.
