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Cross-border Emergency Preparedness and Response to nuclear accidental and post-accidental situations

Aarhus Convention & Nuclear Roundtable

12-19-26 January 2022

Jan Panek

DG ENER Director Nuclear energy, safety and ITER

European Commission

Energy

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Euratom Treaty – priority areas

Emergency preparedness & response

Waste management

Radiation protection (Basic safety standards)

Nuclear safety

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EU Council Conclusions on

off-site nuclear EP&R

The European Council, in 2015, under the LU presidency, adopted a set of Council Conclusions

Importance of off-site EP&R to policymakers, decision-makers and the public

Need for coherent protection in cross-border situations

Opportunity to improve coherence of EP&R in the EU through the transposition and implementation of Council Directive 2013/59/Euratom

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EU Council Conclusions on

off-site nuclear EP&R

Stressed the benefits of involving civil society in preparedness activities, in particular when organising nuclear and radiological emergency exercises, to increase transparency and public participation, and to improve public confidence in the arrangements…

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EU legal framework (1)

Ratification of Aarhus and Espoo conventions
Directive 2011/92/EU on the assessment of the effects of certain public and private projects on the environment (the “EIA Directive”) that requires information and consultation of the public
Directive 2014/87/Euratom provides provisions on

transparency of the regulatory decision-making,
information of the public,
public participation in the relevant phases of the decision-making process

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EU legal framework (2)

The Basic Safety Standards Directive explicitly requires stakeholder involvement in the provisions:

on the implementation of strategies for the management of existing exposure situations (Article 102) and integrated in emergency management systems (Annex XI).
on contaminated areas (Article 73),
records of the estimation of doses to members of the public (Article 66).

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Civil society participation

ENCO/UJV EPR study, 2014

BSS transposition workshop, Oct 2015

European Nuclear Energy Forum, Oct 2016

ANCCLI ACN Roundtable on EP&R, Nov 2016

NTW Seminar/Roundtable, Dec 2016

Study on good practices in public information, 2017-2018
Study on implementation of EP&R requirements in EU MS and neighbouring countries, 2021-2022

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Present Context (1)

On-going discussions about the future contribution of nuclear power to the overall energy mix; opinion of Member States divided
However:

more than 100 nuclear power reactors in operation in the EU at present and in near future
effective management of responses to potential nuclear or radiological accidents is relevant to all countries, irrespective of their national views on the future of nuclear

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Present Context (2)

Covid crisis provides experience of managing large health emergencies from the perspective of:

decision-makers
affected public

=> Possible lessons for preparing for other types of emergency and recovery, such as radiological ones.

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New EC studies

The resilience of the nuclear sector in Europe�in the face of pandemic risks. Brings interesting elements on how resilience was built (although not focused on EP&R).

Final report to be published (springtime)

Implementation of EP&R requirements in EU Member States and neighbouring countries

First workshop held in November 2021
Table-top exercises from March 2022.

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Objectives of the EPR study

Review the practical implementation of national emergency preparedness and response arrangements
Analyse the coherence of these arrangements in a cross-border context for EU Member States and participating countries and improve their coherence, harmonization, and implementation in practice
Develop recommendations for future policy actions at the EU-level and identify broadly supported and practical proposals to improve implementation practices

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Going Forward

Effective EP&R protective measures for workers and the population in place for all phases, from the preparation up to post-accidental management

Several key challenges to focus on:

Ensure cross-border coordination
Effective decision-making process
Crisis Recovery phase, long-term management
Communication with public
Effective public participation