The European Commission has proposed extending European Union (EU) rules on moving nuclear waste between, from or to EU member states so that they also cover spent nuclear fuel (SNF).
Because SNF is currently excluded from directive 92/3Euratom, there is a risk that national EU rules on trans-frontier spent fuel movements might be contradictory. EU energy commissioner Andris Piebalgs said: “By expressly covering shipments of spent nuclear fuel, it now makes clear that the same strict controls are required”. The proposal would also bring EU rules in line with the IAEA Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management.
