[en] The Council of Ministers of the European Communities adopted the third five-year EC programme of research on radioactive waste management and disposal in March 1985. It was recognized that the inevitable production of radioactive waste required perfecting and demonstrating systems for managing the waste produced by the nuclear industry, ensuring at the various stages the best possible protection of man and the environment. Task 3 of the programme 'evaluation of conditioned waste and qualification of engineered barriers' is subdivided into five sections. This book, in two volumes, is a compilation of reports on the progress achieved in four of the sections during 1986, the first year of the third programme. Volume 1 is concerned with Sections 1 and 5, 'Research on low-and medium- active waste' and 'Quality control methods'. Volume 2 covers Section 2 'HLW form characterization' and Section 3 'Other engineered barriers' Section 4 'Development of standard test methods' is not included in this edition, as results from an interlaboratory round robin test now in progress will only be available for inclusion for the year 1988