Looking after the longer term: an act in 2006 on the sustainable management of radioactive wastes/Report on progress and prospects of research on the management of radioactive wastes

The report by Mr Christian Bataille and Mr Claude Birraux, Members of Parliament, follows the referral to the Parliamentary Office by the National Assembly Bureau at the initiative of the chairmen of the four National Assembly political groups - UMP; PS, UDF and PC. It is published a few months before the end of the 15 year period provided for by the Act of 30 December 1991 on the management of radioactive wastes. On the basis of the scientific results obtained since 1992, the Rapporteurs firstly show the sound complementarity of the three radioactive waste management methods - separation-transmutation, deep geological disposal and long term storage - and unveil their possible implementation schedule. Secondly, the Rapporteurs present the general principles of a sustainable management of radioactive wastes which include: a disclosure procedure; research and development and its exploitation; decisions in principle and their implementation; overall logic of radioactive waste management; and R and D and management funding. All these provisions could be at the core of the Act to be adopted in 2006