ACCESS TO NATIONAL PROGRAMMES on Radioactive Waste Management

An important step forward for transparency

In response to our request, the European Commission gave access to all national programmes and implementation reports on management of spent fuel and radioactive waste.

National Programmes and National Reports
According to Article 11 of Council Directive 2011/70/EURATOM, Member States had to develop and describe a national programme for the responsible and safe management of spent fuel and radioactive waste. The first programmes were, according to art. 14, to be reported to the European Commission before 23 August 2015.
The 2011 Directive also requires Member States to submit, on a triennial basis, a National Report on progress made on implementing the Directive including progress made on implementing the national Programme.

Availability of information
Member States are obliged to ensure that necessary information on the management of spent fuel and radioactive waste is made available to workers and the general public, and that the public is given the necessary opportunities to participate effectively in the decision-making process regarding spent fuel and radioactive waste management in accordance with national legislation and international obligations. The outcomes of the peer reviews shall be reported to the Commission and the other Member States. Member States are obliged to regularly review and update their national programmes, taking into account technical and scientific progress as appropriate as well as recommendations, lessons learned and good practices from peer reviews.

Acces to information and Transparency
After a Request from NTW for access to all national programmes, the European Commission released national programmes and reports. This is an important step forward in the transparency in the radioactive waste discussion.
NTW has a habit – as transparency organisation – to publish important documentation and correspondence on our website. To find all the reports on one place allows citizens to have easy access to their national reports and compare them also with those of other countries.
Some of the reports and programmes are still subject to further talks between the European Commission and the Member States. NTW will publish updated versions as soon as it will receive those from the Commission.
According to Johan Swahn, coordinator of NTW’s radioactive waste working group, “It is important that citizens can see where the European Union Member States are currently standing with their radioactive waste programmes. Radioactive waste is an ongoing problem for which none of the Member States can show a full and safe solution.”

NTW requested access to initially missing information in a confirmatory application, after which the European Commission granted access to some of that information and argued why other information (from Cyprus) remained confidential.
NTW does not agree with the Commission that Regulation 1367/2006 (also called the Aarhus Regulation) would not be valid for the Euratom Treaty.
This Regulation is not only part of EU environmental law under art. 192 of the Treaty of the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) (as the Commission argues), but it is also part of transparency law valid for the EU and Euratom under art. 15 of the TFEU, which according to art. 106a of the Euratom Treaty is effective for the Euratom Treaty.

The national programmes and reports on Radioactive Waste Management:

Austria
National Programme, August 2015 & National Report

Belgium
No National Programme & National Report (FR) – National Report (NL)

Bulgaria
National Programme, August 2015 & National Report

Croatia
No National Programme & National Report

Cyprus
National Programme (EL) – National Programme (EN) , July 2015 & National Report (EL) – National Report (EN) – Report redacted – Annex not disclosed for security reasons as it contains information on discuses sources (Exception of Article 4.1 of Reg 1049/2001)

Czech Republic
National Programme, November 2014 & National Report (CS) – National Report (EN) – The Programme entitled “Update of the concept of radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel management” is currently undergoing the SEA process and thus the final version is still to be finalized.

Denmark
National Programme, August 2015 & National Report

Estonia
National Programme, 2015 & National Report

Finland
National Programme (FI) – National Programme (EN), August 2015 & National Report (FI) – National Report (EN)

France
National Programme, 2014 & National Report

Germany
National Programme, August 2015 & National Report

Greece
National Programme, 2015 & National Report

Hungary
National Programme, July 2015 & National Report

Ireland
National Programme, 2015 & National Report

Italy
No National Programme & National Report

Latvia
No National Programme & National Report

Lithuania
National Programme, 2015 & National Report

Luxembourg
National Programme, 2015 & National Report