COMMISSION OPINION

of 7 March 2012

relating to the plan for the disposal of radioactive waste arising from the SPIRAL-2 facility, located in France, in accordance with Article 37 of the Euratom Treaty

(Only the French text is authentic)

2012/C 71/01

The assessment below is carried out under the provisions of the Euratom Treaty, without prejudice to any additional assessments to be carried out under the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union and the obligations stemming from it and from secondary legislation.

On 15 September 2011, the European Commission received from the French Government, in accordance with Article 37 of the Euratom Treaty, general data relating to the plan for the disposal of radioactive waste arising from the SPIRAL-2 facility in France.

On the basis of these data, and following consultation with the group of experts, the Commission has drawn up the following opinion.

1.

The distance between the facility and the nearest point of another Member State, in this case the United Kingdom, is 170 km.

2.

Under normal operating conditions, discharges of liquid and gaseous radioactive effluents will not cause an exposure of the population of another Member State that is significant from a point of view of health.

3.

Solid radioactive waste is temporarily stored on site before being transferred to an authorised treatment or disposal facility in France.

4.

In the event of unplanned releases of radioactive effluents, which may follow an accident of the type and magnitude considered in the general data, the doses likely to be received by the population in another Member State would not be significant from the point of view of health.

In conclusion, the Commission is of the opinion that the implementation of the plan for the disposal of radioactive waste in whatever form from the SPIRAL-2 facility in France, both in normal operation and in the event of an accident of the type and magnitude considered in the general data, is not liable to result in a radioactive contamination of the water, soil or airspace of another Member State that would be significant from the point of view of health.

Done at Brussels, 7 March 2012.

For the Commission

Günther OETTINGER

Member of the Commission