COMMISSION OPINION of 12 November 1991 concerning the plan to build the Aube storage centre for radioactive waste, submitted on 23 May 1991 by the Office of the Permanent Representative of France pursuant to Article 37 of the Euratom Treaty (91/600/Euratom)

On 23 May 1991, the Commission of the European Communities received from the French Government, in accordance with Article 37 of the Euratom Treaty, the general data concerning the plan to build the Aube storage centre for radioactive waste.

On the basis of these data and after consultation of the group of experts, the Commission drew up the following opinion:

(1) The distance between the storage centre and the nearest point on the territory of other Member States, in this case Belgium and Luxembourg, is approximately 200 kilometres; Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy and Spain are at distances of 230, 400, 360 and 690 kilometres respectively.

(2) Under normal storage and monitoring 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) 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 the surrounding area and in other Member States would not be significant from the point of view of health.

In conclusion, the Commission is of the opinion that the implementation of the plan to establish the Aube storage centre for radioactive waste, 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