Euradwaste '08 - EU Bookshop - Europa

What about multinational solutions? Theoretically, they have much to commend in terms of
economy of scale. As part of the 6 th Euratom Framework Programme, the Commission
funded the SAPIERR 2 project, which looked at the feasibility of such solutions in Europe.
But: first of all it is clear that a country must be willing to host such multinational centre
which requires political and social acceptance.
And equally important, in no way should the hope for multinational solutions be used as argument
for a wait-and-see policy. Instead, each Member State should actively seek for solutions
on its own territory which actually does not exclude offering a repository at a later
point in time to others, if the local population has build up trust and accepts the widening of
the scope.
It is also a clear Commission view that proposals from non-EU states for disposal of waste
and spent fuel should not be encouraged for technical, economical and also safety and security
reasons. This is in particular true when the potential receiving state has not put in place
the same technical, political and societal requirements and conditions as given at EU level.
At the end of the day, the real issue and the key to the problem is the timely collection of
funds covering the cost for radioactive waste management including decommissioning and
disposal. This being in place, the perceived "insurmountable barrier" disappears as the costs
of disposal are still manageable when compared to the total cost of electricity production.
The European Parliament and the Commission are putting a high importance on this very
issue. In 2006, the Commission has released a Recommendation covering form, transparency,
adequacy and auditing of funds earmarked for decommissioning and waste disposal
and is closely following-up the progress since then. Today we see that, although provisions
for a decommissioning and waste management fund are in place in the majority of the
Member States, the adequacy of the funds is still a matter of concern in most EU MS.
Timely funding is the key. Else, we would have to tell nuclear newcomers that unfortunately
they cannot proceed as their programme is not big enough to afford the management
of their wastes...
What about Public Acceptance?
The last Eurobarometer on radioactive waste has revealed that only a minority, namely 43%
of the EU citizens, believes that deep underground disposal represents the most appropriate
solution for the long-term management of highly radioactive waste. In addition, 51% fear
most the possible effects on environment and health if a repository would be built near their
home.
This lack of public acceptance and the resulting political hesitance is possibly the main reason
for the lack of progress in the EU Member States.
In fact, quite a number of repository projects failed at an early stage as they were build only
on pure scientific and technical evidence without properly involving the local population in
2 Support Action: Pilot Initiative for European Regional Repository
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