COMMISSION OPINION of 1 April 1992 concerning the plan to release radioactive effluents from the Covra NV radioactive waste processing and storage facility at Sloe (Netherlands), pursuant to Article 37 of the Euratom Treaty (92/236/Euratom)

On 16 September 1991, the Commission of the European Communities received from the Dutch Government, in accordance with Article 37 of the Euratom Treaty, the general data concerning the plan to release radioactive effluents resulting from the operation of the Covra NV radioactive waste processing and storage facility at Sloe.

On the basis of these data and after consulting the group of experts, the Commission has drawn up the following opinion:

1. the distance between the facility and the nearest point on the territory of another Member State, in this case Belgium, is 16 kilometres;

2. under normal operating conditions, the discharges of liquid and gaseous effluents will produce an exposure of the population in other Member States that is not significant from the point of view of health;

3. the solid radioactive wastes resulting from the processing of low and intermediate-level wastes are treated and stored on-site;

4. in the event of unplanned discharges of radioactive effluents which may follow an accident of the magnitude considered in the general data, the doses likely to be received by the population in other Member States would not be significant from the point of view of health.

Consequently, the Commission considers that the implementation of the plan to release radioactive effluents from the Covra NV radioactive waste processing and storage facility at Sloe, both in normal operation and in the event of an accident of the magnitude considered in the general data, is not liable to result in radioactive contamination, significant from the point of view of health, of the water, soil or airspace of another Member State.

For the Commission

Carlo RIPA DI MEANA

Member of the Commission