Workshop on the EU nuclear safety directive

Significant progress has been made by EU Member States in terms of implementing the obligations of the Nuclear Safety Directive following the 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident. However, despite the good general level, there is still the opportunity for improvement. The continuous improvement of nuclear safety is also one of the cardinal principles underlying the Directive.
The Workshop on the implementation of the Nuclear Safety Directive underway in Luxembourg starts from this consideration, expressed last April by the European Commission, on the occasion of the publication of the second report on the subject.
Participants in the Workshop, lasting two days, are representatives of the European Commission, the competent regulatory authorities of the member states, industry, non-governmental organizations and other organizations and stakeholders. For Italy, the National Inspectorate for Nuclear Safety participates.
After the 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident, the original 2009 Nuclear Safety Directive had been amended: the new version, from 2014, includes new provisions relating to stricter safety objectives, strengthening the independence of national regulatory bodies, transparency and public participation as well as the establishment of a European system of regular peer reviews on security issues, the so-called Topical Peer Reviews (TPR).
Divided into sessions, the ongoing workshop aims to deepen the numerous aspects related to the implementation of the Directive (dissemination of the culture of safety, independence of the regulatory authorities, transparency, implementation of the objectives of success, skills and resources of operators, TPR) to the in order to improve its effectiveness.
The ISIN intervention, scheduled for tomorrow, in the space dedicated to TPR (Topical Peer Review), will focus on the Italian experience.
The implementation of Topical Peer Reviews is promoted and coordinated by ENSREG, the EU's Group of Regulatory Bodies in the field of nuclear safety.
TPR I had as its theme the management of the aging of nuclear power plants and research reactors. TPR II, which will take place in 2023-24, has as its main theme the protection from fires, a subject of considerable importance for the safety of nuclear plants. For Italy, in addition to the research reactors in operation, the decommissioning installations, the waste storage facilities at the sites and the spent fuel storage facilities will also be involved in the review process.
Carrying out periodic TPR on issues relevant to safety is one of the key elements introduced by the Safety Directive to encourage continuous improvement of the nuclear safety of nuclear plants, not only within the Community.