The nuclear events in Japan have prompted European decision-makers to take decisions to ensure such an accident never happens in Europe. On 15 March during an extraordinary meeting on the impact of the Japanese accident organised by the European Commission (EC), Energy Ministers, regulators, experts and industry representatives agreed on the introduction of risk and safety  assessments (so-called "stress tests") at nuclear power plants in Europe.

The safety assessments will be defined and adopted by June. The tests should be carried out during the second half of the year. However the tests would be made on a voluntary basis since nuclear safety is an area of shared competences between the EU and its Member States. Nuclear industry representatives declared they were ready to contribute to such an initiative by defining safety criteria and by assisting in the implementation of those tests in cooperation with national safety authorities. Following the extraordinary Energy Council on 21 March, Tamas Fellegi, Hungarian Minister for National Development (representing the EU Presidency) said that " the European Nuclear Safety Regulators Group (ENSREG) in cooperation with Member States and the Commissioner should be invited to define the scope and modalities of the risk and safety assessments (“stress tests”) in light of the situation in Japan and using the expertise available and the lessons learnt from the accident." The assessments will focus on risks associated with earthquakes, floods, cooling systems, backup power, age and reactor design. He also welcomed "voluntary steps taken by national authorities and nuclear operators regarding the review of the NPPs' safety." The Energy Commissioner, Mr Oettinger, called for an early revision of the Safety Directive that must be transposed into national law by Member States by July 2011. On 22 and 23 March, the Western European Nuclear Regulators Association (WENRA) met in Helsinki and drew up a "first proposal" for the scope, methodology and schedule of the safety assessments. They also announced that they had created a task force in charge of defining them. The 24-25 March European Council's conclusions gave more precisions regarding the way the assessments will be conducted. ENSREG and the EC will define "the scope and modalities of these tests in a coordinated framework in the light of lessons learned from the accident in Japan" using the expertise already available (i.e WENRA). The assessments will be carried out by the national regulatory bodies and the results will have to be communicated to the European Commission, ENSREG and the general public. By the end of 2011, the European Council will assess the findings based on the EC report. The Council also insisted on the necessity for neighbouring countries to carry out similar tests.

It is important to note that NPPs operating in Europe are safe and comply with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safety standards. Their safety is being continuously evaluated by national regulatory authorities and international bodies such as the IAEA. Moreover the IAEA Safety Standards have been made partially legally binding in the EU by the Safety Directive adopted in 2009. Energy Commissioner, Günther Oettinger confirmed in an interview that “I think safety and security have a very real high level in all European member states”.

The Japanese nuclear events have also sparked a series of political reactions in Europe. Some countries have decided to postpone their decision to build new plants or to extend the lifetime of their NPPs, or have even halted some of their reactors. In Germany, Chancellor, Angela Merkel, announced on 15 March the immediate closure at least until June of seven nuclear power reactors that started operating before 1980. She decided also to impose a three-month moratorium on the unpopular recently-adopted decision to extend the operational duration of the country’s NPPs. The Chancellor’s decision was prompted by the regional elections that took place at the end of March. The Belgian Energy Minister, Paul Magnette, said that the decision to extend the lifetime of the country’s NPPs would be put on hold until “stress tests” had been carried out. In Switzerland, the government has suspended the approval process for the construction of three new NPPs in order to review safety standards. The Swiss Federal Nuclear Safety Inspectorate (ENSI) has also been required to carry out safety evaluations at Switzerland's existing NPPs. In Italy , where a referendum on nuclear new build is expected to be held in spring, the government approved on 23 March a one-year moratorium on the construction of the country's first NPP by 2020.

In addition the Bulgarian Economy, Energy and Tourism Minister, Traicho Traikov, did not exclude the possibility of building a new nuclear reactor at the existing NPP in Kozloduy instead of constructing it in Belene, which is more exposed to seismic activity. The Russian and Bulgarian governments are also set to agree a three-month moratorium on the construction of the Belene NPP to calculate an exact price for the NPP and to fully assess seismic risks. In France, though the President, Mr. Sarkozy, reaffirmed the safety of the country’s 58 nuclear reactors, French green groups have called for a referendum on the future of nuclear power. The French Minister, Mr. Fillon, asked the French regulatory authority (ASN) to reassess the safety of all NPPs in France in light of the Japanese accident. Britain's Energy and Climate Change Secretary, Chris Huhne, said he had commissioned the Chief Nuclear Inspector to compose a thorough report on the implications of the situation in Japan and the lessons to be learned. The Health and Safety Executive said on 5 April that the safety review is likely to delay the approval of reactor designs for new build by three months. Other countries confirmed their new build or life extension plans despite the Japanese events. Poland said that the country would stick to its plans to build its first nuclear plant by 2020. The Dutch and the Czech governments said they would carry on their new build plans. In Sweden, the Prime Minister said that the government would not reconsider its decision to replace nuclear reactors at the end of their lifetime. 

Until there is a better understanding of the technical implications of the on-going nuclear events in Japan, EU policy-makers should refrain from making any premature policy decisions that could have significant implications for Europe’s energy future. Nuclear power accounts for around one third of EU electricity production and two thirds of low-carbon electricity. Therefore its contribution to meeting EU’s energy needs, CO2 reduction and competitiveness objectives is significant and the role of nuclear power must be debated in an objective and non-ideological way.

For further information, you can read the press releases of the European Parliament and of FORATOM. You can also read the press release of the EC and the main results of the 21 March Energy Council and watch the press conference that followed it.