European Commission: Commission publishes its second report assessing implementation of Nuclear Safety Directive

The Commission adopted today its second progress report showing the progress achieved by EU countries in implementing the Nuclear Safety Directive, as amended in 2014. In broad terms, the Commission concludes that there is a good overall level of implementation of the Directive’s obligations, and highlights the significant progress made by Member States in the 10 years since the Fukushima nuclear accident in 2011. However, it notes that there is still room for improvement, and recommends further reporting by EU countries on the actions taken in the highlighted areas.

Accompanied by a detailed staff working document, the report provides a comprehensive overview of the governance of the safety of nuclear installations in the EU. It is based primarily on the national reports submitted by EU countries in 2020, but also takes into account findings from the assessment of the Directive’s transposition, results of the EU Stress Tests and of the first Topical Peer Review, conclusions of international reviews and issues raised by EU citizens and other EU institutions.

Based on best practices and previous evaluations, the Commission identifies several areas where action at EU level would be beneficial, encouraging EU countries to work together. This would contribute to enhancing the independence of the regulatory authorities, strengthening the capabilities of licence holders, consolidating safety culture and transparency, supporting the application of the nuclear safety objective and making the European peer-reviews more effective.

The Commission will support and facilitate the process of further improvements in nuclear safety, working closely with EU countries and their regulatory authorities, with the licensees and with other stakeholders, including civil society.