In the case of countries that wish to develop nuclear generating capacity, whether or not they have research reactors and for which the issue arises of intervention at the appropriate moment to ensure that a nuclear safety and security culture is fostered in parallel with the development of the nuclear generating programme, especially as regards strengthening nuclear safety governance, and the independence and capacity of the regulatory authorities and technical support organisations.

14. Stresses that in the EU, 47 nuclear power plants, with 111 reactors between them, have more than 100 000 people living within a 30-km radius; regrets the fact that the scope of the stress tests was not extended to off-site emergency preparedness, despite the importance of this factor in limiting the impact of potential nuclear accidents on the population; welcomes the initiative undertaken by the Commission, with the support of ENSREG, of launching a study focusing on cross-border regions in the EU; asks the Commission, as part of the upcoming nuclear safety directive, to make recommendations on cross-border and in-country off-sit ...[+++]e emergency preventive measures; recommends, in this context, securing the involvement of the competent crossborder authorities at national and regional level, in terms of their safety action plans and experiences in information and communication processes where NPPs are located directly on national borders;

F. whereas the development of the new nuclear projects in Belarus and Russia (Kaliningrad Region) raises major concerns regarding nuclear safety standards and compliance with the relevant obligations under international conventions (such the Espoo and Aarhus Conventions); whereas these concerns are relevant not only to the Member States directly bordering Belarus and the Kaliningrad region, but for wider Europe as well, making it imperative that the EU, including relevant actors in the European Commission, act together in a principle ...[+++] of solidarity,

The study came up with a number of recommendations, incl. a better cooperation between key players and universities as well as operators and regulatory bodies in order to mutually optimise their training programmes, a better reporting on the staff situation under the Convention on Nuclear Safety, an increased international and bilateral information exchange on operating experience, the establishment of a post graduate nuclear academy capable to educate graduated engineers in Europe-wide valid principles of nuclear safety, and finally ...[+++]a regular screening of the staff situation in the EU.

Commission Decision of 8 August 2007 approving the Nuclear Safety Strategy 2007-2013 for Community Cooperation Programmes and Indicative Programme 2007-2009 [C(2007) 3758].

4. Welcomes the Commission funding, through the TACIS nuclear safety programme, which has been used both to close down the Chernobyl reactors and to design a replacement shelter to seal off the destroyed reactor from the outside world;