Commission Opinion

of 27 June 2001

concerning the plan for the disposal of radioactive waste from the Rossendorf research site located in the Land of Saxony in the Federal Republic of Germany, in accordance with Article 37 of the Euratom Treaty

(2001/C 204/05)

(Only the German text is authentic)

On 4 January 2001 the European Commission received from the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany, in accordance with Article 37 of the Euratom Treaty, general data relating to the plan for the disposal of radioactive waste from the Rossendorf research site.

On the basis of these data and additional information subsequently provided by the German Government, and following consultations with the group of experts, the Commission has drawn up the following opinion:

(a) the distance beween the plant and the closest border of a Member State (Austria) is approximately 260 km, while the distance to the State border of the nearest neighbouring country, the Czech Republic, is about 25 km;

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

(c) solid radioactive waste will be temporarily stored or disposed of at licensed sites in Germany; non-radioactive solid waste or residual materials and materials which are released from regulatory control subject to compliance with clearance levels will be released for disposal as conventional waste or for reuse or recycling, in all cases complying with the criteria laid down in the Basic Safety Standards (Directive 96/29/Euratom);

(d) in the event of unplanned discharges of radioactive waste which may follow and accident of the type and 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 health point of view.

In conclusion, the Commission is of the opinion that the implementation of the plan for the disposal of radioactive waste arising at the Rossendorf research site, both in normal operation and in the event of an accident of the type and magnitude considered in the general data, is not liable to result in the radioactive contamination, significant from the point of view of health, of the water, soil or airspace of another Member State.