Following the nuclear accident in Fukushima on March 2011, the EU heads of state and government asked the Commission together with the European Nuclear Safety Regulators’ Group (ENSREG) to carry out stress tests ans to review the EU nuclear safety legislation. The process of stress tests conducted from June 2011 to April 2012 focused on safety but did not include the evaluation of off-site EP&R provisions in the EU.
EP&R working group
To ensure the effective presence and visibility of NTW at national and European level, the network will start practical activities as soon as created, order to demonstrate the effectiveness of the presence of civil society at national and European levels. The question of Nuclear Emergency Preparedness and Response is a priority issue in the post-Fukushima context. The contribution of civil society is to play a essential role in off-site management of nuclear emergency and post-emergency. It is therefore an important topic for NTW and an area of strong legitimacy for civil society with potential margins for significant progress.
Objectives of the working group EP&R:
The working group on emergency preparedness and respond was established on 7th of November 2013 as a first working group within Nuclear Transparency Watch with the aim to:
- Identify key stakes regarding nuclear EP&R from the point of view of civil society,
- Identify main needs for improvements of existing EP&R provisions in Europe at the local, national and European level:
- concerning the content of EP&R arrangements (exposure standards, intervention levels, zoning, …),
- concerning the decision-making processes for EP&R in the perspective of the Aarhus convention.
- Identify strategic opportunities to push forward key changes in EP&R at the local, national and European level.
The proposed process will identify country-specific or site-specific issues on EP&R, including trans-boundary (identified and addressed by national investigations) and EP&R issues of European relevance for the viewpoint of civil society. The WG on EP&R will prepare concrete conclusions and recommendations at the European and national level with special report by end of 2014. The proposed process will rely on interactions between:
- National investigations led by EP&R WG members (in cooperation with other civil society organizations) at the national and/or local levels notably through national or regional Aarhus Convention & Nuclear (ACN) roundtables (when appropriate),
- Investigations at the European level (seminar, meetings, hearings, …) by NTW, integrating national views.
Support from EP&R WG will include activities as inception seminar, methodological and strategic advise, issuing of guidelines for national investigations and participation of NTW members to ACN roundtables. Download the methodology of work of the EP&R Working Group.
Have a look at the second meeting in June 2014.
REPORT of EP&R WG, one year of investigation published on 15th April 2015
The working group on Emergency Preparedness and Response (EP&R) has conducted a one-year investigation of off-site EP&R to present current challenges with regard to nuclear safety from the civil society point of view. This report has been presented on 15 April 2015 n the European Parliament in the presence of MEP Klaus Buchner, Ana Gomes, Jo Leinen, Michèle Rivasi and Julie Ward.
Whereas the industry is well organized at the European level, this EP&R report aims to give a different point of view from the civil society and to contribute in increasing the quality of decision -making on safety. The NTW report presents a review of EP&R provisions, in the perspective of the main challenges identified in the management of the Fukushima emergency.
The heterogeneity of measures in different countries (like the distribution of iodine tablets, evacuation perimeters and zoning) is a crucial transboundary dimension. Vigilance on nuclear safety will remain a key European issue in the future that transcends borders whatever Member states choices will be made on the energy mix. NTW urges the European Parliament, the European Commission, national governments, regional bodies and municipalities, together with nuclear operators, to provide access to relevant information and to support participation of interested citizens and civil society organisations in the development of better provisions and systematic transboundary arrangements.
Executive summary of the NTW report “Emergency preparedness & Response”
Position Paper of NTW Working Group on Emergency Preparedness & Response (15 pages)
Report of NTW Working Group on Emergency Preparedness & Response (180 pages)