Europe's 143 nuclear reactors should face new safety standards, EU ministers agreed on Monday, but for now any stress tests will remain voluntary and will not be backed up by penalties. A renewed push to phase out nuclear energy from Europe has been led by Germany and Austria.
Even France, which gets 80 percent of its power from nuclear plants, called for pan-European standards at an emergency meeting of European Union ministers to discuss safety issues in the wake of Japan's nuclear crisis. France also took the opportunity to tout the strong credentials of its own nuclear technology, which it hopes to sell to its neighbours.
"France already has, in the EPR (reactor), a product considered third generation, so we have a number of assets when we talk of the future of nuclear," French industry Minister Eric Besson said at the meeting In Brussels.
Germany was quick to react to the crisis at Japan's Fukushima Daiichi plant, announcing last week that it would suspend operations at all seven of its pre-1980 nuclear plants.
Austria, which banned new nuclear plants in 1974, called for stress tests to make sure European nuclear plants could cope with natural catastrophes and infrastructure failures. Austrian environment minister Nikolaus Berlakovich has gone further, proposing new cross-border European liability rules for nuclear accidents so taxpayers do not have to foot the bill. "In addition to stress tests (for nuclear plants) we should regulate that all those who profit - operators, suppliers, builders, etc - should be held liable for all damage caused by any accidents and across borders as well," he said in a statement on Sunday.
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