European Union: European Commission studies and projects in the field of low level radioactive waste in countries of Central and Eastern Europe

European Commission studies and projects in the nuclear sector are financed through a number of programmes and managed by various technical services in the Commission. The PHARE Nuclear Safety Programme is managed by the Task Force for Nuclear Issues (TFNI) of DG-Enlargement, which provided funding for projects in the then EU candidate countries in Central and Eastern Europe. Over the course of the PHARE Nuclear Safety Programme there were numerous projects in the field of LLW within the EU candidate countries. A useful, though not definitive, guide to projects before 1999 can be found in the Commission Report EUR 19154. As a result of the reorganization of the Commission's services in 2000, no PHARE multicountry programme was launched that year. TFNI restarted the nuclear safety programming activities in 2001. However, one project of interest was implemented during the intervening period: Project -006-RO/PHARESCR/ A6-01, Preparatory Measures for the Long-term Safety Assessment of the Low Level Radioactive Waste Repository Baita Bihor, Romania (completed in September 2001). Following the accession of the majority of these countries in 2004 there are no further PHARE annual programmes and the TFNI, along with DG-Enlargement, will be disbanded. The Euratom Research Framework Programme is managed by DG-Research (Unit JO4). Most of the research projects in the field of radioactive waste launched under the fifth Euratom Framework Programme were concerned with high level waste issues. Nonetheless, the work that has been undertaken within this programme could be of general interest to anyone in the radwaste sector. A complete summary of the various research conducted within the programme can be found in the following publication: Nuclear Fission and Radiation Protection Projects Selected for Funding 1999-2001, which is available at http://www.cordis.lu/fp5-euratom/src/lib_docs.htm. The first call for proposals for the sixth Framework Programme has now taken place. However, the emphasis of this programme is on issues essentially related to geological disposal. The so-called 'B7 budget line Co-operation Programme' was managed by the Nuclear Safety Policy Unit (then in DG-Environment) until the end of 2000. Most of the information related to this programme can be obtained by consulting the reports page of DG-Energy and Transport's 'Nuclear Issues' web site: http://europa.eu.int/comm/energy/nuclear/index_en.html/. Following the reorganization of the Commission's services, this budget line has been discontinued. The management of the ongoing projects was transferred to TFNI (with technical support from DG-Energy and Transport). The Tacis Programme, managed by the Europe Aid Co-operation Office and DG-External Relations, which provides funding for projects in the Russian Federation and the countries of the former Soviet Union. Limited details of the Tacis programme can be accessed via the following web page on the Commission's Europa web site: http://europa.eu.int/comm/external_relations/nuclear_safety/intro. However, there are probably very few projects that are relevant to the LLW sector. The only one perhaps of any significance is described briefly on the following web page: http://europa.eu.int/comm/external_relations/north_dim/examples.htm