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The challange to harmonise safety requirements
Plants, nuclear reactors as well as waste facilities, have been constructed individually and they meet safety requirements in different ways.
One way is not necessarily better than the other. Therefore safety judgements require a thorough understanding of how various safety factors interface and integrate to a whole. They require an in-depth knowledge of safety related technical and physical issues, as well as of design details, of each nuclear facility. It is equally important to be well aware of the culture in which the plant is operated. This knowledge of individual technical and cultural issues as they apply to each plant, is fundamental for someone who takes on the responsibility to regulate and supervise nuclear safety. Such knowledge exists today with national nuclear regulators.
Essential input towards maintaining and enhancing a high level of safety derives from that information and experience is exchanged from research activities, from events and from day to day operation of an international, a regional as well as of a national level. In addition, national regulators must have the power to promptly react to new safety concerns that are identified. To support the national regulators in their oversight there has to be a national legal framework.
Several countries in the enlarged European Union use the IAEA Safety Standards as a basis for formulating national regulations. These Standards have to be seen as good practices or tools for benchmarking. They can not be used as national legal requirements without appropriate adaptation.
Harmonisation of safety approaches in Europe
Two working groups were launched to harmonise safety approaches between countries in Europe - Reactor Harmonisation Working Group (RHWG) and Working Group on Waste and Decommissioning (WGWD). The aim was to continuously improve safety and to reduce unnecessary differences between the countries. It was recognised at the time when the working group on reactor safety was established that no specific indication was identified that the safety level reached with the most recent national requirements in WENRA countries was insufficient.
The mandate of the working groups was to analyse the current situation and the different safety approaches, compare individual national regulatory approaches with the IAEA Safety Standards, identify any differences and propose a way forward to possibly eliminate the differences without impairing the final resulting level of safety. The proposals should be based on the best practices among the most advanced requirements for existing power reactors and nuclear waste facilities.
The mission of the Working Groups did not include an all-encompassing scrutiny of the issues important for the safety of nuclear installations. Furthermore, the end goal is not a set of requirements applicable throughout the European Union. As an important conclusion of the results achieved by the two Working Groups, we have confirmed that the adopted working manner towards harmonising nuclear safety approaches in the European Union is viable, manageable and fruitful, and we also recognise that it is ambitious and resource demanding.
The working groups have now finalized their work on common reference levels with the objective to attain a common approach to nuclear safety within Europe. WENRA has decided to publish the common reference levels. Stakeholders have been invited to make comments on the published reference levels. To facilitate the interaction with stakeholders a seminar will be arranged in Brussels on 9th of February 2006. The reference levels might be further amended as a result of the interaction with stakeholders. In addition WENRA will individually elaborate on national plans with respect to the common reference levels agreed and periodically report back within WENRA about actions taken and progress made.
Essential input towards maintaining and enhancing a high level of safety derives from that information and experience is exchanged from research activities, from events and from day to day operation of an international, a regional as well as of a national level. In addition, national regulators must have the power to promptly react to new safety concerns that are identified. To support the national regulators in their oversight there has to be a national legal framework.
Several countries in the enlarged European Union use the IAEA Safety Standards as a basis for formulating national regulations. These Standards have to be seen as good practices or tools for benchmarking. They can not be used as national legal requirements without appropriate adaptation.
Harmonisation of safety approaches in Europe
Two working groups were launched to harmonise safety approaches between countries in Europe - Reactor Harmonisation Working Group (RHWG) and Working Group on Waste and Decommissioning (WGWD). The aim was to continuously improve safety and to reduce unnecessary differences between the countries. It was recognised at the time when the working group on reactor safety was established that no specific indication was identified that the safety level reached with the most recent national requirements in WENRA countries was insufficient.
The mandate of the working groups was to analyse the current situation and the different safety approaches, compare individual national regulatory approaches with the IAEA Safety Standards, identify any differences and propose a way forward to possibly eliminate the differences without impairing the final resulting level of safety. The proposals should be based on the best practices among the most advanced requirements for existing power reactors and nuclear waste facilities.
The mission of the Working Groups did not include an all-encompassing scrutiny of the issues important for the safety of nuclear installations. Furthermore, the end goal is not a set of requirements applicable throughout the European Union. As an important conclusion of the results achieved by the two Working Groups, we have confirmed that the adopted working manner towards harmonising nuclear safety approaches in the European Union is viable, manageable and fruitful, and we also recognise that it is ambitious and resource demanding.
The working groups have now finalized their work on common reference levels with the objective to attain a common approach to nuclear safety within Europe. WENRA has decided to publish the common reference levels. Stakeholders have been invited to make comments on the published reference levels. To facilitate the interaction with stakeholders a seminar will be arranged in Brussels on 9th of February 2006. The reference levels might be further amended as a result of the interaction with stakeholders. In addition WENRA will individually elaborate on national plans with respect to the common reference levels agreed and periodically report back within WENRA about actions taken and progress made.