Convention on Nuclear Safety

SUMMARY OF:

Convention on nuclear safety — Declaration by the European Atomic Energy Community according to the provisions of Article 30(4)(iii) of the Nuclear Safety Convention

Decision 1999/819/Euratom — accession to the Convention on Nuclear Safety by the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom)

WHAT IS THE AIM OF THE CONVENTION AND THE DECISION?

The Convention on Nuclear Safety is an international convention which aims to improve nuclear safety worldwide. All EU countries are party to the convention. The Community established by the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) Treaty shares jurisdiction with EU countries in the fields governed by the convention.
The decision approves the accession to the Convention by the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom). It was amended in 2004 to take account of the accession to the EU of new member countries.

KEY POINTS

Euratom responsibilities

Euratom does not possess nuclear installations as defined in the convention.
The safety of nuclear installations is the main responsibility of the holder of the corresponding licence from the EU country on whose territory the installation has been set up.
The responsibilities of Euratom within the convention are derived from the Euratom Treaty (Title II, Chapter 3) dealing with the protection of the health of workers and the general public against the dangers of ionising radiation as confirmed by the Court of Justice of the European Union (Judgment C-29/99).

Objectives

The convention seeks to:
- achieve and maintain a high level of nuclear safety through the enhancement of national measures and technical cooperation;
- establish and maintain effective defences against radiological hazards in nuclear installations in order to protect people and the environment, etc.;
- prevent nuclear accidents and limit their consequences.
The convention does not lay down detailed safety standards but represents a commitment to the application of fundamental safety principles for nuclear installations.

Scope

The convention applies to the safety of fixed civil nuclear power plants including facilities for storage, handling and treatment of radioactive materials that are on the same site and are directly related to the operation of the nuclear power plant.

Implementation

The parties to the convention are committed to establishing a legislative and regulatory and administrative framework to ensure the safety of nuclear installations which provides for:
- the establishment of sufficient national safety requirements and regulations;
- a system for licensing nuclear installations and the prohibition of operating without a licence;
- a system of inspection and assessment. Comprehensive and systematic assessments shall be carried out before the construction and commissioning of an installation and throughout its life;
- measures to enforce the regulations and the terms of licensing (suspension or revocation of licences, etc.).
The parties must set up an independent regulatory body to grant licenses and to ensure that the regulations are correctly implemented. The duties of this body must be effectively separated from those of any other organisation whose task is to promote or use nuclear energy.
Licence holders must establish policies prioritising safety and must draw up a quality assurance programme to ensure that the requirements are met. Emergency measures must also be put in place, detailing the procedures for informing the relevant authorities, such as hospitals.
Each party to the convention must submit to the other parties a report on the measures that they have taken to meet their obligations under the Convention. The reports are reviewed during the regular meetings of the contracting parties.

Safety of installations

The regulatory body is in charge of granting operating licences to nuclear installations. The convention specifies assessment criteria for each phase in the life of an installation: siting, design and construction, and operation.
In choosing the site, consideration must, among other things, be given to its effect on the safety of the installation and the effects of the installation on individuals and the environment. Other contracting parties in the vicinity of the site must also be consulted if the installation is likely to have consequences for them.
Regarding design and construction, safety measures must be put in place against the release of radioactive materials and the techniques and equipment used must be proven by experience or testing.
Authorisation to operate a nuclear installation is based on safety analysis and a commissioning programme. The management of the installation must conform with the regulations established by the national authorities. Programmes to collect and analyse data must also be introduced.
Each installation must also have on-site and off-site emergency plans to protect workers, the general public, the environment, etc. in the case of a radiological emergency.

Organisational arrangements

Parties meet at least once every 3 years. The European Commission represents Euratom at these meetings where parties report on measures they have taken to fulfil the treaty obligations. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) provides the secretariat for the convention.

DATE OF ENTRY INTO FORCE

The convention entered into force on 24 October 1996.

BACKGROUND

For more information, see:

Nuclear safety (European Commission)
Convention on Nuclear Safety (International Atomic Energy Agency).

MAIN DOCUMENTS

Convention on nuclear safety — Declaration by the European Atomic Energy Community according to the provisions of Article 30(4)(iii) of the Nuclear Safety Convention (OJ L 318, 11.12.1999, pp. 21-30)

Commission Decision 1999/819/Euratom of 16 November 1999 concerning the accession to the 1994 Convention on Nuclear Safety by the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) (OJ L 318, 11.12.1999, p. 20)

Successive amendments to Decision 1999/819/Euratom have been incorporated into the original text. This consolidated version is of documentary value only.