Consultation on the transposition of Council Directive 2006/117/Euratom on the supervision and control of shipments of radioactive waste and spent fuel
Defra has issued a consultation inviting views on the proposed approach in transposing European Council Directive 2006/117/Euratom on the supervision and control of shipments of radioactive waste and spent fuel into UK legislation. The Directive replaces the existing Directive 92/3 Euratom and the changes include:
· The inclusion of shipments of spent nuclear fuel for reprocessing, ensuring consistency with the ‘Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management’
· The ‘automatic consent procedure’ will be compulsory, meaning a Member State of destination or transit will be deemed to have consented to a shipment if it acknowledges but then fails to respond to a request for consent within the specified time limit of three months. The existing UK opt-out will no longer apply.
· The incorporation of technical aspects of other legislation, in particular the Basic Safety Standards Directive
· Exports of waste or spent fuel from the Community under the new regime will require the consent of the country of destination
The consultation document includes nine questions regarding the draft regulations as well as background and supporting information.
The consultation will close on 19 May 2008.
Further information about the consultation is available from:
http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/radwaste-shipments/index.htm
Source: www.defra.gov.uk (accessed 04/03/08)