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COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION

of 3 February 1982

on the storage and reprocessing of irradiated nuclear fuels

(82/74/Euratom)

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN

COMMUNITIES,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Atomic Energy Community, and in particular Article 124 thereof,

Having regard to the Council resolution of 18 February 1980 on the reprocessing of irradiated nuclear fuels (1),

Having regard to the report of July 1981 of the ad hoc Advisory Committee on the Reprocessing of Irradiated Nuclear Fuels, as set up by Council Decision 80/237/Euratom (2),

Whereas reprocessing is increasingly coming to be seen as an essential element in medium and long-term nuclear policies, in that it makes it possible to achieve a reduction in natural uranium and enrichment requirements as a result of the recycling of uranium and plutonium in thermal and fast reactors, with the prospect of reduced dependence on outside supplies of uranium through fast-breeder technology;

Whereas, accordingly, steps should be taken to create the best possible conditions, from the point of view both of promoters and of users, for its industrial development in compliance with public-safety and environmental-protection objectives and the aim of ensuring that nuclear materials are not diverted to applications other than those stipulated by their users,

Hereby recommends that the Governments of the Member States, the competent national authorities and the promoters and users each take the measures necessary to:

- make decisions and implement them without delay so as to ensure that programmes for the construction of the capacity necessary for the interim storage of irradiated fuels are completed by the appropriate time;

- explore all possibilities conducive to the setting-up of reprocessing undertakings capable of bringing together the interests expressed by a number of Member States and of such a kind as to:

- facilitate the creation of an economically viable capacity,

- ensure that partner undertakings have access to reprocessing services on financial terms fixed by common accord,

- comply with International Nuclear Fuel Cycle Evaluation conclusions according to which it is considered desirable that, as far as possible, reprocessing be developed in the context of multinational corporations, thus providing possible additional advantages as regards the application of safeguards,

- encourage the creation of a genuine market in this sector,

- facilitate some degree of work-sharing among the reprocessing plants in such a way, for instance, that small and medium-sized plants possessing sufficient flexibility would be used, as a matter of priority, for reprocessing fuels from experimental and research reactors;

- encourage industrial cooperation within the Community by adopting as open an attitude as possible to the question of technology transfers and exchanges of experience, notably in the field of plant safety.

Done at Brussels, 3 February 1982.

For the Commission

Karl-Heinz NARJES

Member of the Commission

(1) OJ No C 51, 29. 2. 1980, p. 4.

(2) OJ No L 52, 26. 2. 1980, p. 9.