EN EN

EUROPEAN COMMISSION

Brussels, 29.9.2026 COM(2026) 513 final

REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE

COUNCIL AND THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE

on the Member States' implementation of Council Directive 2006/117/EURATOM on

the supervision and control of shipments of radioactive waste and spent fuel

Fifth Report

{SWD(2026) 287 final}

1

Contents

1. Introduction ...................................................................................................... 2

1.1. Context ............................................................................................................. 3

2. Legal framework and its implementation ........................................................ 3

2.1. Implementation of the Directive ...................................................................... 5

2.2. Opinion of the Advisory Committee ............................................................... 6

2.3. Competent authorities ...................................................................................... 6

3. Observations .................................................................................................... 6

3.1. Statistics ........................................................................................................... 7

4. Follow-up and continuous improvement ....................................................... 10

5. Conclusions .................................................................................................... 11

2

1. INTRODUCTION

Council Directive 2006/117/Euratom (1) (‘the Directive’) lays down a Community

system of supervision and control of transboundary shipments of radioactive waste and

spent fuel to guarantee adequate protection of the population. It ensures that Member

States are informed of any shipments of radioactive waste and spent fuel to or via their

territory, obliging them to either give their consent to a shipment or to state their reasons

for refusing it.

All Member States have transposed the Directive and have been reporting to the

Commission about its implementation since 25 December 2011 and every three years

afterwards in accordance with Article 20. The most recent reports submitted by the

Member States covered the period from 2021 to 2023 (2).

As required by Article 20 of the Directive, the Commission has drawn up this summary

report (3) for the European Parliament, the Council and the European Economic and

Social Committee based on the reports from the Member States and the opinion of the

Advisory Committee (4), which paid particular attention to the return of non-authorised

shipments and undeclared radioactive waste (5). This fifth Commission report covers

authorisations of shipments of radioactive waste and spent fuel and related issues from

2021 to 2023, following up on the fourth (6) and third reports (7). The attached Staff

Working Document sets out the data on which the conclusions of this report are based

in more detail.

1.1. Context

All Member States produce radioactive waste, generated either at facilities such as

nuclear power plants and research reactors or through activities such as radioisotope

applications in medicine, industry, agriculture, research and education.

Nuclear reactor operations also generate spent fuel, i.e. nuclear fuel that has been

irradiated in and permanently removed from a reactor core. Spent fuel can either be

(1) Council Directive 2006/117/Euratom of 20 November 2006 on the supervision and control of

shipments of radioactive waste and spent fuel, OJ L 337, 5.12.2006, p. 21.

(2) The reports cover the period from 26.12.2020 to 25.12.2023 (authorisations). This was the fifth

reporting cycle for all Member States except Croatia, for which it was the fourth since it joined

the EU on 1 July 2013.

(3) Article 20(2) of the Directive requires the Commission to draw up a summary report in

accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 21.

(4) The Advisory Committee was set up in 2007 as required by Article 21 of the Directive.

(5) Article 4 of the Directive.

(6) COM(2023) 77 final, Report from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council and

the European Economic and Social Committee on Member States implementation of Council

Directive 2006/117 Euratom on the supervision and control of shipments of radioactive waste

and spent fuel, Fourth Report, 16.2.2023 and SWD(2023) 43 final.

(7) Report from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament on progress of

implementation of Council Directive 2011/70/Euratom and an inventory of radioactive waste

and spent fuel present in the Community’s territory and the future prospects, COM(2024) 197

final of 22.5.2024.

3

kept as a resource for reprocessing or discarded as radioactive waste for final disposal,

with no plans for further use.

Nuclear energy accounted for 22.8% of the EU’s electricity generation in 2023 (8), the

last year of the reporting period, with 101 nuclear power reactors operating across

12 Member States (9). Gross electricity generation by nuclear power plants in the EU

amounted to 619.6 TWh in 2023, an increase of 1.7% compared to 2022.

Pending their (re)processing or disposal, spent fuel and radioactive waste must be

safely stored. This may involve shipping (i.e. moving) these materials from the sites

where they were generated or managed. These practices occur in most Member States,

regardless of the scale of their nuclear programmes. Shipments are mainly by road, rail

or sea or, to a more limited extent, by air.

Imports and exports of radioactive waste and spent fuel, and their transit through one

or more Member States, are also common practices in the EU.

2. LEGAL FRAMEWORK AND ITS IMPLEMENTATION

Safe and responsible management of radioactive waste and spent fuel, including their

safe shipment in and outside of Member States, is a legal requirement under both

international and Euratom law.

At international level, the Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management

and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management (‘the Joint Convention’) (10) is

the main reference. Among other things, the Joint Convention aims to ensure the safety

of transboundary movements (imports, exports and transit) of spent fuel and radioactive

waste. Each contracting party involved in a transboundary movement must therefore

take steps to ensure the Joint Convention and other binding international instruments,

are complied with (11). In addition to the Euratom Community, all its 27 Member States

are contracting parties to the Joint Convention (12), demonstrating their commitment to

ensuring a high level of safety, from generation to disposal, for spent fuel and

radioactive waste.

At EU level, a comprehensive legal framework ensures that workers and the general

public are protected from risks to their health due to ionising radiation from spent fuel

and radioactive waste, including during shipments. The framework currently consists

of the Directive in addition to Council Directive 2013/59/Euratom (‘the Basic Safety

(8) Slight increase in nuclear power production in 2023 - News articles - Eurostat. (9) Belgium, Bulgaria, Czechia, Spain, France, Hungary, the Netherlands, Romania, Slovenia,

(Croatia), Slovakia, Finland, and Sweden. (10) The Joint Convention entered into force on 18 June 2001. It applies to spent fuel and radioactive

waste from civilian nuclear reactors and applications and spent fuel and radioactive waste from

military or defence programmes where such materials are transferred permanently to and

managed under a civilian programme or a contracting party declares them to be spent fuel or

radioactive waste for the Convention’s purposes. It also applies to planned and controlled

releases into the environment of liquid or gaseous radioactive materials from regulated nuclear

facilities.

(11) Article 27 of the Joint Convention.

(12) There are currently 93 contracting parties to the Joint Convention (05 March 2026)

(https://www.iaea.org/sites/default/files/22/06/jointconv_status.pdf).

4

Standards Directive’) (13) and Council Directive 2011/70/Euratom (‘the Radioactive

Waste Directive’) (14), both of which affect the Directive’s scope.

The Directive forms part of the Euratom nuclear and radiation safety rules, focusing in

particular on authorisations and other procedural aspects of transboundary shipments

of radioactive waste and spent fuel from civilian facilities and activities. Its overall

objective is to strengthen the supervision and control of shipments of spent fuel and

radioactive waste to ensure protection against the risk of exposure to ionising radiation.

The Directive applies in cases where:

• the country of origin or destination of the spent fuel or radioactive waste, or any

country of transit, is a Member State of the Community; and

• the quantities and concentration of the spent fuel or radioactive waste in a

shipment (referred to as a ‘consignment’ in the Directive) exceed the levels laid

down in the Basic Safety Standards.

If a shipment cannot be completed or the conditions for shipment laid down in the

Directive are not complied with, the competent authorities of the Member State of

origin must ensure that the holder takes back the shipped material (15), unless an

alternative safe arrangement can be made. They must also ensure that the person

responsible for the shipment takes corrective safety measures where necessary. The

holder is liable for any costs arising in cases where the shipment cannot or may not be

completed (16).

Any refusal to authorise a shipment of spent fuel or radioactive waste needs to be

justified based on the criteria set out in the Directive. Also, a refusal must not be made

arbitrarily and must be founded on relevant national, Community or international law.

A Member State’s decision to consent to or refuse a shipment must comply with the

provisions of the Joint Convention and the Directive (17) prohibiting exports of

radioactive waste or spent fuel to a destination south of latitude 60° south, to an African,

Caribbean or Pacific country or to a third country which does not have the resources to

safely manage radioactive waste or spent fuel.

In addition to reporting to the Commission every three years, Member States are

required to inform the Commission and the Advisory Committee of any unauthorised

shipments to third countries on a yearly basis (18). They must also give the Commission

(13) Council Directive 2013/59/Euratom of 5 December 2013 laying down basic safety standards

for protection against the dangers arising from exposure to ionising radiation, and repealing

Directives 89/618/Euratom, 90/641/Euratom, 96/29/Euratom, 97/43/Euratom and

2003/122/Euratom, OJ L 13, 17.1.2014, p. 1.

(14) Council Directive 2011/70/Euratom of 19 July 2011 establishing a Community framework for

the responsible and safe management of spent fuel and radioactive waste, OJ L 199, 2.8.2011,

p. 48.

(15) Holder means any natural or legal person who, before carrying out a shipment of radioactive

waste or spent fuel, is responsible under the applicable national law for such materials and plans

to carry out a shipment to a consignee (Article 5(9) of the Directive).

(16) Article 12 of the Directive.

(17) Article 16 of the Directive.

(18) Article 16(1)(c) of the Directive.

5

the contact details of their competent authority or authorities together with any

information that is necessary to rapidly communicate with them (19).

2.1. Implementation of the Directive

The Directive requires the use of a standard document (20) for all shipments within the

scope of the Directive; this includes imports, exports and transits between Member

States and shipments from and to third countries. A standard document was drawn up

by a Commission decision (21) and subsequently amended (22). It includes forms for the

following purposes:

• application for authorisation to ship spent fuel or radioactive waste (Section B-1

or A-1);

• acknowledgement of receipt of application – request for missing information on

the spent fuel or radioactive waste (Section B-2 or A-2);

• consent to or refusal of spent fuel or radioactive waste shipment by the competent

authorities concerned (Section B-3 or A-3);

• authorisation of spent fuel or radioactive waste shipment(s) (Section B-4a or A-

4a);

• refusal of spent fuel or radioactive waste shipment(s) (Section B-4b or A-4b);

• description of the spent fuel or radioactive waste consignment and list of packages

(Section B-5 or A-5);

• acknowledgement of receipt of the spent fuel and/or radioactive waste (Section B-

6 or A-6).

When such materials are intended to be shipped to third countries for disposal, Member

States are also required, under Article 4(4) of the Radioactive Waste Directive, to apply

the criteria for shipment laid down by the Commission in a Recommendation (23)

pursuant to Article 16(2) of the Directive. One Member State refused authorisation

based on this requirement in the reporting period (see Section 3).

No major issues with using the standard document were reported. However, one

Member State suggested that the document include the shipment number(s) of previous

shipments to make it possible to cross-reference any return shipments with previous

authorisations/consents. This would make overall monitoring easier.

The Commission noted that there is scope for further improving and harmonising how

standard documents are managed, an issue also raised by a Member State. One way to

(19) Article 18 of the Directive.

(20) According to Article 17 of the Directive.

(21) Commission Decision of 5 March 2008 establishing the standard document for the supervision

and control of shipments of radioactive waste and spent fuel referred to in Council Directive

2006/117/Euratom, (notified under document number C(2008) 793), (2008/312/Euratom), OJ

L 107, 17.4.2008, p. 32.

(22) Corrigendum to Commission Decision 2008/312/Euratom of 5 March 2008 establishing the

standard document for the supervision and control of shipments of radioactive waste and spent

fuel referred to in Council Directive 2006/117/Euratom, OJ L 343, 23.12.2011, p. 149.

(23) Commission Recommendation of 4 December 2008 on criteria for the export of radioactive

waste and spent fuel to third countries (notified under document number C(2008)7570)

(2008/956/Euratom).

6

improve the exchange of information in general, and standard documents in particular,

could be to develop an electronic tool specifically for this purpose.

2.2. Opinion of the Advisory Committee

The Advisory Committee discussed the draft report and Staff Working Document at its

13th meeting in Luxembourg on 29 September 2025. The meeting concluded with a

positive opinion.

2.3. Competent authorities

As of January 2025, all Member States have provided up-to-date information on their

competent authorities under Article 18 in conjunction with Article 5(13) of the

Directive (24). The list of competent authorities is attached to the Staff Working

Document.

3. OBSERVATIONS

The Commission noted that no shipment failures involving transboundary movements

of radioactive waste or spent fuel had been reported by Member States in the current

reporting cycle.

It concluded, based on the fact that no issues had been reported that could fall under

Article 4 ‘Reshipment related to non-authorised shipments of undeclared radioactive

waste’, Article 12 ‘Shipment failure’ or Article 16(1)(c) ‘Prohibited exports’, that no

unauthorised shipments had taken place in the EU during the reporting period.

There were two cases of refusal to grant consent.

• One Member State reported that it had refused an application for authorisation to

dispose of radioactive waste (contaminated soil) in the United Kingdom. The

application was rejected following refusal by the UK authorities.

• One Member State reported that it had refused an application at the consignee’s

request. The consignee had received materials with higher radioactivity levels than

those declared by the holder on an earlier occasion and wished to investigate the

cause of this discrepancy before importing more radioactive waste from the same

holder.

The following 10 Member States did not report any authorisations for the shipment of

radioactive waste on their territory in the reporting period: Croatia, Cyprus, Estonia,

Greece, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland and Portugal. Three of them – Croatia,

(24) Article 5(13) of the Directive defines ‘competent authorities’ as ‘any authority which, under the

law or regulations of the countries of origin, transit or destination, are empowered to implement

the system of supervision and control of shipments of radioactive waste or spent fuel’. Article

18(2) of the Directive requires Member States to regularly forward to the Commission any

changes to the name(s) and the address(es) of the competent authority or authorities.

7

Cyprus and Malta – have not reported any shipment authorisations since 2009, i.e. since

the entry into force of the reporting obligations under the Directive.

The Staff Working Document attached to this report gives more detailed information

on transboundary shipments of radioactive waste and spent fuel in the EU during the

current reporting period.

3.1. Statistics

This section provides a statistical overview of authorisations and shipments.

Figure 1. Total number of authorisations

The 148 authorisations reported by 17 Member States in the period from 2021 to 2023

correspond to 1 220 authorised shipments. An authorisation usually covers several

shipments and may well remain valid beyond the reporting period.

The number of authorisations reported was lower than in the previous period and one

of the lowest since the start of reporting under the Directive in 2009 (Figure 1). The

number of shipments also fell compared to the previous reporting cycle (Figure 2). The

UK’s withdrawal from the EU partly explains this trend.

8

Figure 2. Number of authorised shipments

Authorised shipments can be broken down by radioactive waste, accounting for 99%

(1 204 shipments) and spent fuel, accounting for 1% (16 shipments).

In previous reporting periods, most authorisations and shipments pertained to intra-

Community movements. In the period from 2021 to 2023 this changed, mainly due to

the UK’s leaving the EU, which meant that numerous intra-Community shipments

became imports/exports. Overall, 40% of authorised shipments were intra-Community

(MM), while 10% were exports (ME) and 50% imports (IM).

Statistics show that 80% of all intra-Community shipments of radioactive waste

originated from the nuclear industry and 20% from non-nuclear activities (for example,

medicine or research).

The main purposes of the shipments were the processing of radioactive waste (such as

treatment for volume reduction, or conditioning) in special facilities and returns of

processed radioactive waste or spent fuel to the country of origin. Belgium, Sweden

and Germany issued the highest number of authorisations, both as country of origin and

as country of destination.

Movements of spent fuel or fuel fragments were mainly intended for reprocessing,

scientific research or post-irradiation examination.

1791 1732

1204

43 38 16

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2015-2017 2018-2020 2021-2023

Number of shipments per period

Radioactive Waste Spent Fuel

9

Figure 3. Number of authorised shipments of radioactive waste, intra-Community (MM), exports

(ME), imports (IM)

Figure 4. Number of authorised shipments of spent fuel, intra-Community (MM), exports (ME),

imports (IM)

10

Figure 5. Extra-Community shipments 2021-2023

3 Member States issued 8 authorisations to import up to 607 shipments of radioactive

waste from third countries from 2021 to 2023. These imports were for treatment, post-

treatment returns and disposal of radioactive waste from the non-nuclear energy

industry. 2 Member States issued 4 authorisations for imports of spent fuel, primarily

for post-irradiation examination.

5 Member States issued a total of 15 authorisations to export 113 shipments of

radioactive waste from the Community to third countries. These exports related to

research, treatment, and return after treatment/reprocessing; none was for final disposal

in a third country. 2 Member States issued a total of 3 export authorisations for

4 shipments of spent fuel to a third country. These exports were for reprocessing, return

to the owner after reconditioning, and post-irradiation examination.

No transits originating from outside the Community with a third country as their final

destination were authorised during the 2021-2023 reporting period.

4. FOLLOW-UP AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT

Previous Commission reports on the Directive’s implementation highlighted the need

for greater consistency between the standard document and the reporting template.

Based on a proposal from a Member State, the Commission proposed a revision of the

reporting template in line with Articles 17(2) and 21 of the Directive, so that it now

includes information on authorisation registration numbers (ARNs) and references to

initial shipments. The standard document was then updated in line with the reporting

template. As a result, the Member States will be able to link return shipments to earlier

11

shipments. In addition, following a suggestion by two Member States, the Commission

has issued an editable digitalised version of the standard document.

These changes have improved the cross-referencing of interconnected shipments and

made reporting easier.

A need for better communication and a more harmonised way of managing standard

documents was identified during the reporting cycle. The lack of a formal procedure

for exchanging information could put the proper monitoring of the authorisation

process at risk and lead to inconsistencies in reporting. For example, there have been

cases of transit countries giving their consent to an authorisation not yet granted or no

longer valid because they had not been informed of its date of issue or cancellation,

which led to inconsistent reporting. As a solution, it has been proposed to develop an

electronic tool for the exchange of standard documents between Member States.

The Commission acknowledges the need for better communication between Member

States and for keeping transit countries better informed of transit procedures.

5. CONCLUSIONS

The Directive was correctly implemented. Use of the standard document ensured that

all transboundary movements of radioactive waste and spent fuel in the Community

took place with the prior consent of the competent authorities of the Member States

concerned, including transit countries. During the three-year reporting period, the

Commission received information on authorised shipments on a regular basis from all

Member States. This ensured supervision and control of shipments of radioactive waste

and spent nuclear fuel throughout the Community. Use of the reporting template, while

not mandatory, helped streamline data collection and minimise the risk of

misinterpretation. Its continued use is therefore highly recommended.

Overall, the Commission concludes that the current Euratom legal framework,

consisting of the Directive, the Basic Safety Standards and the Radioactive Waste

Directive, ensured the highest possible safety levels for transboundary shipments of

radioactive materials in the Community, keeping the risks from ionising radiation to a

minimum. Nonetheless, the Commission notes that possible differences in how the

Member States define radioactive waste may give rise to some issues in the information

and consent process.

In its past report on the implementation of the Radioactive Waste Directive (25), the

Commission presented the intention to carry out an evaluation of that directive. After

18 years of implementation of the Directive, the Commission also intends to evaluate

the Directive in conjunction with the Radioactive Waste Directive. This would make it

possible to simplify and streamline simplification measures under the two Directives.

(25) Report from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament on progress of

implementation of Council Directive 2011/70/Euratom and an inventory of radioactive waste

and spent fuel present in the Community’s territory and the future prospects, COM(2024) 197

final of 22.5.2024.

EN EN

EUROPEAN COMMISSION

Brussels, 29.9.2026 SWD(2026) 287 final

COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT

Accompanying the document

Report from the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament and the

European Economic and Social Committee

on the Member States' implementation of Council Directive 2006/117/EURATOM on

the supervision and control of shipments of radioactive waste and spent fuel

Fifth Report

{COM(2026) 513 final}

1

Contents

1. Introduction .................................................................................................................. 3

2. General principles for shipment of spent fuel and radioactive waste .......................... 4

3. Status of implementation of the general provisions ..................................................... 8

3.1. Transposition of the Directive ...................................................................................... 8

3.2. Standard Document for the supervision and control of shipments .............................. 8

3.3. Competent authorities .................................................................................................. 8

3.4. Transmission ................................................................................................................ 9

3.5. Regular reports ............................................................................................................. 9

4. Shipments of radioactive waste and spent fuel in 2021-2023 .................................... 10

4.1. Overview of authorised shipments ............................................................................. 10

4.2. Intra-community (MM type) authorisations .............................................................. 13

4.3. Extra-Community shipments (exports and imports) .................................................. 15

4.4. Quality of the reporting .............................................................................................. 19

4.5. Issues reported by Member States when using the Standard Document ................... 19

4.6. Information on significant conditions required by the Member States for shipment –

and export criteria implementation ............................................................................ 20

4.7. Information on significant cases of refusal to give authorisation/consent ................. 21

4.8. Highlights ................................................................................................................... 21

ANNEX I. List of competent national authorities .................................................................... 23

ANNEX II. Reporting template ............................................................................................... 28

2

List of abbreviations and acronyms

ARN Authorisation registration number

EU European Union

EURATOM European Atomic Energy Community

IAEA International Atomic Energy Agency

IM Import/s from non-EU countries

ME Export/s to non-EU countries

MM Transit internal EU, passing from one Member State to another Member State;

Import/s intra EU; Export/s intra EU

NORM Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material

RW Radioactive Waste

SF Spent Fuel

SWD Staff Working Document

TT Transit/s from/to a non-EU country

UK United Kingdom

USA United States of America

3

1. INTRODUCTION

This Staff Working Document (SWD) supports the European Commission's fifth report to the

European Parliament, the Council and the European Economic and Social Committee

(COM(2025)XX) on the implementation of Council Directive 2006/117/Euratom (1) on

supervision and control of shipments of spent fuel and radioactive waste by the European Union

Member States (the Directive) in the period 2021-2023 (2). It is based on the latest national

reports from Member States to the European Commission on the implementation of the

Directive, which were due by 25 December 2023.

Pursuant to Article 20, Member States have to report every three years to the European

Commission on the implementation of the Directive. Based on national reports, the European

Commission has to establish a summary report for the European Parliament, the Council and

the European Economic and Social Committee, in accordance with the procedure laid down in

Article 21 (Advisory Committee). In its report the European Commission has to pay particular

attention to the implementation of Article 4 on reshipment related to non-authorised shipments

and undeclared radioactive waste.

This Staff Working Document provides an overview and analysis of the authorisations for

import, export and transit of radioactive waste and spent fuel issued by Member States. It also

summarises the feedback received from Member States in implementing the Directive.

In 2023 (end of the reporting period), nuclear energy provided 22.8% of the EU’s electricity

generation (3). There were 101 nuclear power reactors operating across 12 Member States (4).

The gross electricity generation from nuclear power plants in the EU in 2023 amounted to 619.6

TWh which represented an increase of 1.7% compared to 2022.

Looking at the EU Member States, 65 nuclear power plants have been shut down permanently

since 1956 (5), located in 10 Member States (6).

19 Member States have research reactors at various stages of their lifecycle – operational,

shutdown or decommissioning. Subject to the research reactor design Member States often

depend on supply of nuclear fuel from third countries such as the United States of America and

the Russian Federation. In most cases there is also an arrangement for the return of spent fuel

to the supplier, which is covered both by the provision of this Directive and by Directive

2011/70/Euratom (7).

(1) Council Directive 2006/117/Euratom of 20 November 2006 on the supervision and control of shipments of

radioactive waste and spent fuel, OJ 337, 5.12.2006, p 21-32.

(2) From 26 December 2020 to 25 December 2023.

(3) Slight increase in nuclear power production in 2023 - News articles - Eurostat

(4) Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Spain, France, Hungary, Netherlands, Romania, Slovenia (Croatia), Slovakia,

Finland, and Sweden.

(5) Start of commercial operation of the first nuclear power plants in Europe.

(6) IAEA „Power Reactor Information System“, https://pris.iaea.org/Home/Pris.asp

(7) Council Directive 2011/70/Euratom of 19 July 2011 establishing a Community framework for the responsible and

safe management of spent fuel and radioactive waste. OJ L 199, 2.8.2011, p. 48–56

4

Member States that do not operate nuclear power plants or research reactors, also generate

radioactive waste from applications of ionising radiation. As a result, all EU Member States

generate radioactive waste from numerous activities, such as energy production, research,

industrial, medical, and other applications. Moreover, Member States operating nuclear power

plants and research reactors also generate spent fuel, which can be either considered as

radioactive waste for direct disposal or a valuable resource for reprocessing.

The purposes of shipments of radioactive waste and spent fuel were mainly: (i) treatment of

radioactive waste or reprocessing of spent fuel; (ii) return of treated radioactive waste or

radioactive waste originated in the reprocessing of spent fuel back to the country of origin; and

(iii) return of spent fuel from research reactors to the supplier.

The management of radioactive waste and spent fuel is subject to legal requirements ensuring

the highest standards of safety and protection of workers, the general public and the

environment. These requirements stem from both international and Euratom law. At European

Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) level, Directive 2011/70/Euratom establishes a

Community framework for the responsible and safe management of spent fuel and radioactive

waste. This framework aims to avoid imposing undue burdens on future generations and ensures

that Member States provide for national arrangements that prioritize a high level of safety in

managing spent fuel and radioactive waste, thereby protecting workers and the public from the

dangers of ionising radiation. Besides, the Basic Safety Standards Directive 2013/59/Euratom

(8) aims to enhance protection against the dangers of ionizing radiation exposure. It repeals and

consolidates in a single piece of legislation the provisions of five Euratom Directives, including

the High-Activity Sealed Sources Directive (9). In compliance with the latter Directive, EU

Member States have established restricted national electronic registries for radioactive sources

and source holders. In addition to other provisions, Directive 2013/59/Euratom also sets out

requirements for the management of orphan sources and contaminated scrap metal, as well as

on management of material containing naturally occurring radionuclides (NORM).

Within the scope of this comprehensive EU framework, Directive 2006/117/Euratom

specifically addresses transboundary shipments of radioactive waste and spent fuel, laying

down a system of supervision and control for import to, transit through and export from the

Community aiming at adequate protection of EU population.

2. GENERAL PRINCIPLES FOR SHIPMENT OF SPENT FUEL AND RADIOACTIVE WASTE

Directive 2006/117/Euratom applies to shipment of spent fuel and radioactive waste whenever

the country of origin, the country of destination, or any country of transit is an EU Member

State. The Directive requires that Member States involved in the shipment (State of origin, State

(8) Council Directive 2013/59/Euratom of 5 December 2013 laying down basic safety standards for protection against

the dangers arising from exposure to ionising radiation, and repealing Directives 89/618/Euratom, 90/641/Euratom,

96/29/Euratom, 97/43/Euratom and 2003/122/Euratom, OJ L 13, 17.1.2014, p.1.

(9) Council Directive 2003/122/Euratom of 22 December 2003 on the control of high-activity sealed radioactive sources

and orphan sources.

5

of destination, and transit States) be informed about any planned shipments on their territories.

These Member States have to either give their consent or provide a reasoned refusal to these

shipments.

Under the Directives, each Member State should remain fully responsible for the choice of its

own policy on the management of radioactive waste and spent fuel within its jurisdiction. The

Directive should therefore be without prejudice to the right of Member States to export their

spent fuel for reprocessing or radioactive waste for processing. Besides, nothing in its

provisions implies that a Member State of destination has to accept shipments of radioactive

waste and/or spent fuel for final treatment or disposal, except in the case of reshipment (return

to the country of origin). However, any refusal needs to be justified based on the criteria set out

in the Directive. They should not be arbitrary and should be founded on relevant national,

Euratom/EU or international law. Moreover, in line with the provisions set by the Joint

Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste

Management, the Directive prohibits the export of radioactive waste or spent fuel to a

destination south of latitude 60° south, to African, Caribbean or Pacific countries or to a third

country which does not have the administrative and technical capacity to manage it safely.

For intra-Community shipments, whenever an entity which, under the applicable national law,

is responsible for the radioactive waste or spent fuel (i.e. holder (10)) plans to carry out a

shipment, it has to submit a duly completed application to the competent authorities of the

Member State of origin (11). The competent authority of the country of origin submits the duly

completed application for consent to the competent authorities of the Member State of

destination and of the Member States of transit, if any (12).

Imports from third countries into the Community also require the consignee (13) to submit an

application to the competent authorities of the Member State of destination (14). Concerning

exports outside the EU borders, the holder must apply for authorisation to the competent

authorities of the Member State of origin and then the competent authorities in the Member

State of origin must ask the relevant authorities of the country of destination and countries of

transit, if any, for their consents (15).

As regards transits of radioactive waste and spent fuel through the Community originating from

and destined to a third country, the entity responsible for the safe management of the material

in the first Member State of transit must apply for authorisation to the competent authorities of

that Member State (16). The competent authorities of this Member State must ask the consent

of the competent authorities of the Member States of transit, if any.

(10) Any natural or legal person who, before carrying out a shipment of radioactive waste or spent fuel is responsible

under the applicable national law for such materials and plans to carry out a shipment to a consignee.

(11) See Article 6 of Directive 2006/117/Euratom.

(12) See Article 7 of Directive 2006/117/Euratom.

(13) Any natural or legal person to whom radioactive waste or spent fuel is shipped.

(14) See Article 13 of Directive 2006/117/Euratom.

(15) See Article 15 of Directive 2006/117/Euratom.

(16) See Article 14 of Directive 2006/117/Euratom.

6

The Directive sets out requirements for the use of a Standard Document for the Supervision and

Control of Shipments of Radioactive Waste and Spent Fuel (further referred to as “Standard

Document”), and the establishment of criteria for intra-Community shipments, imports from

outside the EU, exports from Member States to third countries and transits within the

Community. The Standard Document was adopted by a European Commission decision in 2008

(17). It acknowledges distinct types of shipments reflected in the “Type Code”. The types of

shipments and the respective Type Codes are graphically presented in Figure 1 and summarised

in Table 1.

Table 1. Types of shipment and respective “Type Code” according to the Standard Document of Directive

2006/117/Euratom.

Type Different possibilities for movements within, into and

out of Community

Type

Code

Extra

Community

Import, from a non-EU country (third country) to an EU

Member State. IM

Export, from an EU Member State to a non-EU country (third

country).ME

Transit, from a non-EU country to a non-EU country (third

countries of origin and destination), through one or more EU

Member State(s).

TT

Intra

Community

• Import, (for the Member State that consents as

destination) can be associated with shipment from an EU

Member State to another EU Member State, i.e. internal

EU shipment.

• Export, (for the Member State that authorises as origin)

can be associated with movement from an EU Member

State to another EU Member State, i.e. internal EU

shipment.

• Transit, (for the Member State that consent the transit)

can be associated with internal EU movement, from an

EU Member State to another EU Member State.

MM

(17) Commission Decision of 5 March 2008 establishing the standard document for the supervision and control of

shipments of radioactive waste and spent fuel referred to in Council Directive 2006/117/Euratom (notified under

document number C(2008) 793) (2008/312/Euratom). The Decision was corrected in 2011.

7

Figure 1. Types of shipments and respective “Type Code”.

The shipments of spent fuel and/or radioactive waste cannot take place until the competent

authorities of the country of destination and of all countries of transit have notified the

competent authorities of the country of origin their consent. In case of MM shipments, the

competent authorities of the Member State of origin have to send the duly completed application

to the competent authorities of the Member State of destination and of the Member States of

transit, if any (18). In case of ME shipments, the competent authorities of the Member State of

origin have to notify the competent authorities of the country of destination of the planned

shipment and ask their consent, and send the application referred to in paragraph 1 for consent

to the competent authorities of the Member States of transit, if any (19). The Directive stipulates

a period of two months after receipt of the application for notification of consent or refusal. No

reply upon expiry of this period is deemed tacit consent to the shipment (20).

The authorisation is issued to the holder by the competent authority of:

• in case of ME and MM, Member State of origin of the shipment,

• in case of IM, Member State of destination of the shipment,

• in case of TT, the first Member State through which the shipment enters the

Community.

(18) See Article 7 of Directive 2006/117/Euratom.

(19) See Article 15 of Directive 2006/117/Euratom.

(20) See Article 9(2) of Directive 2006/117/Euratom.

8

The competent authorities may add conditions to the shipments of spent fuel and/or radioactive

waste. Nevertheless, for shipments within the Community, it is not possible to lay down

conditions which are more stringent than those laid down by the national law of a Member State

on the shipment of radioactive waste on its own territory.

The authorisation may cover more than one shipment and can be valid up to three years.

Finally, if conditions applying to a shipment are not complied with or a shipment cannot be

completed, the competent authorities of the Member State of origin must ensure that the

radioactive waste and/or spent fuel in question are taken back by the holder, unless an

alternative safe arrangement can be made. The holder is liable for costs arising in cases where

the shipment cannot or may not be completed (21).

3. STATUS OF IMPLEMENTATION OF THE GENERAL PROVISIONS

3.1. Transposition of the Directive

All Member States transposed the Directive by 2013 and notified transposition measures to the

European Commission.

3.2. Standard Document for the supervision and control of shipments

The Standard Document includes forms for the following purposes:

• application for authorisation of shipment(s) of spent fuel or radioactive waste;

• acknowledgement of receipt of application – request for missing information for spent

fuel and radioactive waste;

• refusal or consent of radioactive waste or spent fuel shipment by the competent

authorities concerned;

• description of radioactive waste consignment and list of packages;

• acknowledgement of receipt of radioactive waste and spent fuel;

• authorisation of shipment(s) of spent fuel and radioactive waste.

3.3. Competent authorities

Article 5(13) of the Directive defines “competent authorities” as “any authority which, under

the law or regulations of the countries of origin, transit or destination, are empowered to

implement the system of supervision and control of shipments of radioactive waste or spent

fuel”. To facilitate communication between Member States regarding supervision and control

of shipments of spent fuel and radioactive waste, all Member States provided the European

Commission with updated contact details of their competent authority or authorities (see Annex

(21) See Article 12 of Directive 2006/117/Euratom.

9

I). According to Article 18(2) of the Directive, Member States have to regularly forward any

changes of such data to the European Commission.

3.4. Transmission

In compliance with the requirement set out in Article 19(1) of the Directive, the European

Commission issued a Recommendation (22) for a secure and effective system of transmission

of the documents and information relating to the provisions of the Directive.

In compliance with the requirement set out in Article 19(2) of the Directive, the Commission

services have also established a dedicated webpage (Radioactive waste and spent fuel -

European Commission) containing information on the Directive. The data has been updated,

where appropriate, based on information transmitted to the Commission by each Member State

as foreseen under Article 19 of the Directive, including the contact details of the competent

authorities in the Member States, the languages acceptable to the competent authorities of each

Member State, and all general conditions and additional requirements, if any, necessary for the

competent authorities of each Member State to authorise a shipment.

3.5. Regular reports

As stated in Article 20, all Member States have to inform the European Commission on the

implementation of the Directive. This is done by means of regular reports submitted by the

competent authorities every three years. To support Member States in their reporting

obligations and ensure a certain degree of harmonisation of the information received, the

Commission services provided Member States with a reporting template which they may use

for submitting their national reports to the European Commission. Based on these national

reports, the European Commission has to issue a summary report aimed at informing the

European Parliament, the Council and the European Economic and Social Committee on the

implementation of the Directive. This Staff Working Document supports and accompanies the

aforementioned report.

The deadline for submission of the last national reports was 25 December 2023. The majority

of Member States submitted their reports within the deadline.

This fifth reporting period covered shipments authorised between 26 December 2020 and 25

December 2023.

The Commission services thoroughly assessed the national reports and interacted with some

Member States when necessary to clarify or complete the information. Based on the information

contained therein, the European Commission prepared the fifth report to the European

Parliament, the Council and the European Economic and Social Committee on the

(22) Commission Recommendation 2009/527/Euratom, of 7 July 2009, for a secure and effective system of transmission

of documents and information relating to the provisions of Council Directive 2006/117/Euratom (OJ L 177, 8.7.2009,

p. 5).

10

implementation of the Directive by the Member States during the considered reporting period.

This report provides an overview of authorisations given Community-wide and informs about

any trends or practical difficulties. The present Staff Working Document supports this report.

4. SHIPMENTS OF RADIOACTIVE WASTE AND SPENT FUEL IN 2021-2023

4.1. Overview of authorised shipments

The Directive requires that shipments of radioactive waste and spent fuel take place only with

prior informed consent of competent authorities of all involved Member States, including transit

Member States (23). During the reporting period, 17 Member States reported on authorisations

or consents for shipments of radioactive waste or spent fuel on their territory.

The following 10 Member States did not report any authorisations for shipment on their

territory: Croatia, Cyprus, Estonia, Greece, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, and

Portugal. Three of these Member States – Croatia, Cyprus, and Malta – have not reported any

authorisations for shipments of radioactive waste on their territory since the reporting

obligations under the Directive began in 2009.

Overall, 148 authorisations covering 1220 shipments (24) and 279 consents have been reported

by EU Member States for the period 2021-2023.

In comparison with the previous reporting periods under the present Directive, the number of

reported authorisations is one of the lowest since the beginning of the reporting obligations in

2009 (Figure 2). One of the reasons for this decrease is the reduction of reporting Member

States from 28 to 27. However, most authorisations related to shipments from/to/through the

United Kingdom were still covered as most of the authorisations/consents reported by the

United Kingdom in the past reporting periods were related to future shipments to the

Community.

The total number of authorisations for shipments during the reporting periods is presented in

Figure 2.

(23) See Article 9 of Directive 2006/117/Euratom.

(24) A single authorisation may cover more than one shipment and can be related to multiple consents.

11

Figure 2. Number of total authorisations for shipments of radioactive waste (blue) and spent fuel (orange)

issued during the past reporting periods and the current reporting period. In the 2012-2014

period, MSs have also reported authorisations for shipments of materials.

As Figure 2 and 3 show, from 2021 until 2023 competent authorities issued 148 authorisations

corresponding to 1220 shipments of radioactive waste or spent fuel on the Community's

territory. The receiving or transit Member States issued 279 consents. Approximately 90%

(133) of the authorisations were for shipping radioactive waste, and 10% (15) for shipping spent

fuel.

Compared to previous reporting periods, the number of authorised shipments decreased to 1220

from 1834 (period 2018-2020) and 1770 (period 2015-2017). Approximately half of the

authorisations (80) covered multiple shipments; in 10 cases one authorisation covered 10 or

more shipments (compared to 40 in the previous reporting cycle). Almost half of the total

shipments were covered by only two authorisations: one for 400 shipments from UK to

Germany (IM), the other for 200 shipments from UK to Sweden (IM). While 1204 shipments

(99%) were shipments of radioactive waste, only 16 shipments (1%) were shipments of spent

fuel.

12

Figure 3. Top left: Number of authorisations for intra- or extra-Community shipments of radioactive waste

and spent fuel; top right: number of total authorised shipments intra- or extra-Community

shipment of radioactive waste and spent fuel; bottom left: number of authorisations for distinct

types of shipments; bottom right: number of total authorised shipments for distinct types.

Types of shipments

MM type shipments, i.e. shipments between Member States, were 492 under 118 authorisations

(about 80%). ME type shipments, i.e. exports to third countries, were 117 under 18

authorisations (about 12%). IM type shipments, i.e. imports from third countries, were 611

under 12 authorisations (about 8%).

Due to the United Kingdom becoming a third country, there was a notable change in the

structure of the types of shipments. As shown in Figure 4, the percentage of authorised

shipments to and from third countries increased significantly, with the United Kingdom being

a major partner for the Member States in relation to shipments of radioactive waste.

13

Figure 4. Comparison of number of total authorised shipments for distinct types between the 2018-2020

and 2021-2023 reporting cycles.

No transits originating from outside the EU and having a third country as final destination (TT)

were authorised during the reporting period 2021-2023.

4.2. Intra-community (MM type) authorisations

Radioactive waste

Out of 148 authorisations for radioactive waste shipments, 110 pertained to intra-community

(MM-type) shipments (Figure 5).

Figure 5. Distribution of intra-community authorisations during the reporting period (2021-2023).

14

Some authorisations were given for multiple shipments to be carried out over a time period that

may exceed the one covered by the present report (2021-2023). The MM-type authorisations

account for 484 shipments of radioactive waste authorised by 13 Member States of origin.

Three Member States (Belgium, Germany, and Sweden) issued 70% of the authorisations for

shipping radioactive waste to another Member State (93 authorisations for 638 shipments)

(Figure 6), mostly for returning treated waste to the country of origin. Sweden issued

authorisations covering the highest number of planned radioactive waste shipments (370

planned MM shipments covered by 30 authorisations).

Collectively Belgium, France, Germany, and Sweden also issued 68% of consents (78 in total)

as destination country (Figure 6); they were frequently the destination country because they

have facilities for repacking, conditioning, and treatment of radioactive wastes.

Figure 6. Number of MM authorisations issued for radioactive waste shipments (country of origin) and of

the respective consents (country of destination) during the reporting period (2021-2023).

About 55% of the issued authorisations for intra-community shipments of radioactive waste (60

authorisations) implied a transit through the territory of a third Member State.

The purposes of intra-community shipments of radioactive waste were: (i) treatment of waste

(25) in another Member State and its return to the country of origin (96 shipments, 87%); (ii)

return of radioactive waste to the country of origin after (re)treatment or reprocessing of spent

fuel in France (one shipment); (iii) analysis/research (13 shipments).

(25) E.g., (re)packaging, conditioning, volume reduction.

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50 Authorisations/consents per MS

Authorisations (country of origin) Consents (country of destination)

15

Nuclear industry was the originator of 80% of MM-type shipments of radioactive waste. The

remaining 20% pertained to non-nuclear activities (e.g. medicine, research).

Around 73% of shipments were transported by road, and 19% by railway. In addition to road

and rail transport, sea transport also played a significant role with about 15% of shipments

involving sea ways (road/sea, road/rail/sea, or rail/sea).

Spent fuel

Out of 15 authorisations for spent fuel shipments, 8 pertained to intra-community (MM-type)

shipments.

These shipments originated from Belgium, France, Germany, and the Netherlands. Member

States of destination were Belgium, France, and Sweden. Currently, only in France there are

operating specialized facilities for spent fuel reprocessing.

Only one of all the MM-type authorisations of spent fuel was related to the (re)treatment or

reprocessing of spent fuel in France. The remaining seven authorisations were for the purpose

of analysis/research or return after examination (as for example the shipments between Belgium

and France).

All but one authorisation were for shipments carried out by road. The only authorisation

involving rail transport (road/rail) was for spent fuel transfer from the Netherlands to France

for reprocessing.

Unlike radioactive waste authorisations, all intra-community authorisations for spent fuel were

issued for a single shipment.

4.3. Extra-Community shipments (exports and imports)

Radioactive waste

Concerning exports (26) of radioactive waste from the Community to third countries, 15

authorisations for 113 shipments (ME) were issued by five Member States (Slovenia, Italy,

Germany, Sweden, and Belgium) during the considered reporting period (Table 2).

With reference to imports (27) of radioactive waste from outside the Community, three Member

States (France, Germany, and Sweden) issued authorisations for receipt of radioactive waste

from third countries. In total, eight authorisations for 607 shipments (IM) were issued during

the 2021-2023 period (Table 3).

There were three authorisations for shipments of radioactive waste from Monaco to France with

the purpose of final disposal in France based on a bilateral agreement. Notably, while disposal

(26) Pursuant to the Directive, exports are shipments from the authorising MS to a third country; consents by transit MSs

are required.

(27) Pursuant to the Directive, imports are shipments from a third country to the authorising MS; consents by transit MSs

are required.

16

of foreign radioactive waste on French territory is prohibited under the French regulatory

framework, an exception is granted to the radioactive waste originating from the Principality of

Monaco.

Spent fuel

A total of three export authorisations for four shipments of spent fuel to a third country (ME)

were issued by two Member States (Bulgaria and Sweden).

Bulgaria reported to have granted a single authorisation for a shipment of spent fuel for

reprocessing in Russia, in compliance with the European Commission Recommendation of 4

December 2008 on the criteria for the export of radioactive waste and spent fuel to third

countries (28).

Sweden issued two export authorisations for shipments of spent fuel – one for return to the

original owner after reconditioning and the second one for research activity (examination and

destroying testing with final disposal of residue in the United Kingdom).

As regards import authorisations (IM), two Member States (France and Sweden) issued four

authorisations. France issued an authorisation for a single shipment from Switzerland related to

a research project. Sweden issued three authorisations for research activities (post-irradiation

examinations) – one authorisation for a single shipment from South Korea and two

authorisations for shipments from Switzerland. Concerning authorisations from Switzerland, it

is noted that the remains of the material will be disposed of in Sweden, and nothing will be

returned to Switzerland.

(28) Commission Recommendation 2008/956/Euratom, of 4 December 2008, on the criteria for the export of radioactive

waste and spent fuel to third countries (OJ L 338, 17.12.2008, p. 69).

17

Table 2. Authorisations for exports to third countries

Member State

(authorising

and sending

the shipment)

Third

country

(country of

destination)

Number of

authorisations

(shipments per

authorisation)

Radioactive waste/

Spent fuel

Purpose of the shipment as

reported by Member States

Bulgaria Russian

Federation

1 (1) SF Reprocessing

Sweden UK 1 (2) SF Return to original owner after

reconditioning

Sweden UK 1 (1) SF Examination and destroying testing

with final disposal of residue in

United Kingdom

Belgium UK 1 (3) RW Return of solid burnable waste and

metallic waste from primary pump

of EDF Energy Sizewell B

Germany USA 1 (1) RW Medicine, research, nonnuclear

industry

Germany USA 1 (2) RW Treatment

Germany USA 1 (1) RW Treatment

Germany UK 1 (30) RW Return transport of smelting waste

(slag, dust, wipes)

Germany USA 1 (3) RW Treatment, e.g.(re)packing,

conditioning, volume reduction

Germany USA 1 (1) RW Treatment, e.g.(re)packing,

conditioning, volume reduction

Germany UK 1 (1) RW return of resin waste samples after

resin treatment trial in D

Germany USA 1 (3) RW Treatment, e.g.(re)packing,

conditioning, volume reduction

Italy USA 1 (5) RW Treatment

Slovenia29 USA 1 (1) RW Treatment

Slovenia USA 1 (1) RW Treatment

Sweden Switzerland 1 (2) RW Other purposes (to be specified):

Treatment not possible. From

(SSM2020-456 Rev. 1)

Sweden Switzerland 1(9) RW Return of radioactive waste after

treatment of radioactive waste from

(SSM2020-456 Rev.1)

Sweden UK 1(50) RW Return of radioactive waste after

treatment of radioactive waste from

TFSRW 2017 001 (SSM2017-

3057) & TFSRW 2019 002

(SSM2019-1898)

(29) Slovenia reported two authorisations for the same shipment with different routes. However, the shipment concerned

was only carried out once (based on the second authorisation). Even though the first authorisation was issued it was

never used or cancelled.

18

Table 3. Imports from third countries

Member State

(authorising and

receiving the

shipment)

Third country

(country of origin)

Number of

authorisations

(shipments per

authorisation)

Type of

shipment

Purpose of the shipment as

reported by Member States

Sweden South Korea 1 (1) SF Post-irradiation examinations

Sweden Switzerland 1 (1) SF Final disposal, other: post

irradiation examinations, After

the examinations, the remains of

the material will be disposed in

Sweden. Nothing will be

returned to Switzerland.

Sweden Switzerland 1 (1) SF Final disposal, other: post

irradiation examinations, After

the examinations, the remains of

the material will be disposed in

Sweden. Nothing will be

returned to Switzerland.

France Switzerland 1 (1) SF Research project

Germany United States 1 (2) RW Return of radioactive waste after

treatment of radioactive waste

Germany UK 1 (400) RW Treatment, e.g. (re)packaging

Sweden UK 1 (200) RW Treatment, e.g. (re)packaging,

conditioning, volume reduction

Sweden UK 1 (1) RW Treatment, e.g. (re)packaging,

conditioning, volume reduction

France Monaco 1 (1) RW Final disposal

France Monaco 1 (1) RW Definitive elimination

France Monaco 1 (1) RW Final disposal

France Switzerland 1 (1) RW Temporary storage

19

4.4. Quality of the reporting

During the 12th meeting of the Advisory Committee (30), no changes to the reporting template

were introduced.

The overall quality of national reports submitted by the Member States has improved over the

subsequent reporting periods. Most of the Member States submitted their reports within the

deadline. During the analysis of the reports, the Commission services identified a few

inconsistencies and requested clarifications to seven Member States. All concerned Member

States promptly replied to the requests for additional information.

The most significant improvement in reporting was the inclusion of authorisation reference

numbers (ARN), which uniquely identify each authorisation in the reports. All but one Member

State provided ARN in their reports. The use of ARN facilitated the cross-checking of reported

authorisations. The widespread use of ARN allowed for the correct identification of

authorisations for shipments reported in the previous reporting period, whose consents by

destination or transit countries were reported in subsequent reporting cycles.

Reporting inconsistencies were primarily due to Member States reporting consents to

authorisations that were not issued eventually by the Member State of origin. In the previous

reports, it was already pointed out that refused or cancelled authorisations were not consistently

reported in the national reports. Therefore, the root cause for such inconsistencies appears to be

communication gaps between the Member State issuing the authorisation and involved Member

States issuing consents (e.g. when authorisation was ultimately not issued).

The analysis of the Commission services showed that during the period 2021-2023 there were

other kind of inconsistencies that had not appeared or that had not been detected during previous

reporting cycles. Several Member States reported consents to authorisations that were still in

the approval process and were not yet issued. This raises questions whether the information

exchange between concerned Member States functioned properly.

4.5. Issues reported by Member States when using the Standard Document

The European Commission acknowledged that all the Members States are familiar with the

Directive and that the quality of the reports improved. All Members States fulfilled its

requirements and properly implemented it. As regards the use of the Standard Document, no

major issues were reported by the Member States during the reporting period 2021-2023.

However, several Member States raised some minor issues or suggestions.

• One Member State reported that a destination non-EU country was not familiar with the

Standard Document and suggested to disseminate more information on Directive

2006/117/Euratom in non-EU countries.

(30) 12th meeting of the Advisory Committee held on 7 November 2022.

20

• One Member State reported that the formal administration of Standard Documents

varied very much (e.g. some requests were sent by post, others by e-mail). A harmonised

approach to administer these documents would be beneficial. There was a high rate of

non-submission of Sections A-5 and A-6 of the Standard Document. The Member State

proposed developing an electronic tool to address this issue. Similar electronic systems

were already in use in areas like the transport of animals or are being developed (e.g.

for the transport of dangerous goods).

• One Member State reported that the lack of a formal information exchange procedure

led to inconsistencies in reporting. When a transit country had given its consent to the

transboundary shipment, but the Member State of origin – for any reason – refused the

authorization, the reports of those Member States unintentionally were inconsistent

because such refusal was not communicated to the competent authorities of the transit

country. An electronic tool for the submission and exchange of the Standard Document

could help to resolve communication issues between Member States issuing

authorisations and Member States issuing consents. However, pending the availability

of such instrument, all involved Member States should be timely informed about a status

change of the authorisation request and the authorisation date or cancellation of an

existing authorisation (see 4.8 below).

• Two Member States reported that, in general, they would reject the processing of

applications, if the application’s subject was not defined as radioactive waste under their

national framework; for example, in the case of contaminated scrap metal shipped for

recycling via melting. However, by rejecting such applications, the Member States

would not object to these shipments provided that concentration thresholds were not

exceeded based on their national regulations. The concerned Member States did not

report any such refusals during the period 2021-2023. In this context, the Commission

services addressed this issue already in the previous report: pursuant to the definition of

radioactive waste in Article 5(1) of the Directive, to establish whether any materials are

radioactive waste under the scope of the Directive, only the qualifications of the

regulatory body of the countries of origin and destination are relevant.

• One Member State highlighted that in case of return shipments the transit countries have

no clear information regarding the previous shipment(s) based on the application form.

Although this information is not necessary to give consent, it would greatly contribute

to traceability purposes. Row 11 of section A-1 of the Standard Document could be

supplemented by a required data on previous shipments (e.g. Authorisation Registration

Number of the previous shipment) in case of return shipments. A minor amendment of

the Standard Document can address this issue.

4.6. Information on significant conditions required by the Member States for

shipment – and export criteria implementation

Exports of radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel to third countries fall under Articles 15 and

16 of the Directive. When submitting their national reports, Member States are required to

21

indicate any significant conditions they may have established regarding the shipment. For the

period 2021-2023, no new significant conditions were reported by the Member States.

4.7. Information on significant cases of refusal to give authorisation/consent

According to Article 9 of the Directive, any refusal of authorisation for shipment of radioactive

waste and spent fuel:

• needs to be justified based on the criteria set out in the Directive;

• should not be arbitrary;

• should be founded on relevant national, Community or international law.

Two cases of refusals were reported by Member States.

1. Italy reported a refused authorisation for disposal of radioactive waste (contaminated

soil) in the United Kingdom.

2. Sweden reported a refusal of an application for authorisation due to the consignee's

concerns about the radioactivity levels in a previous application by the same holder. The

levels in that case were declared lower than afterwards discovered by the consignee.

The consignee had to, in this case, investigate the cause of inconsistency before

importing more radioactive waste from the holder.

4.8. Highlights

A majority of the Member States used the latest version of the reporting template facilitating

the analysis of authorisations. Consequently, there were only a few cases requiring additional

clarification. Wide use of the ARN facilitated linking of authorisations to consents reported by

different Member States, as well as tracking of return shipments.

Due to the effective communication with the Member States, all inconsistencies found in the

reports were quickly resolved. The validation of the authorisations by cross checking

information provided by different Member States did not uncover contradictions.

The Commission services identified a potential lack of communication between Member States

during the authorisation issuance process. Member States granting consent are not always

informed about the status changes of the authorisation. The services of the Commission deem

that all involved Member States should be timely informed about a status change of the

authorisation request or cancellation of an existing authorisation.

This is specifically the case when authorisation requests are processed close to the end of the

reporting period. The reporting template clearly states that ‘Only those shipments are to be

reported for which either an authorisation or a refusal has been issued during the reporting

period.’ Member States issuing consents should preferably report them during the same

reporting period when the authorisation is officially issued. To achieve that, better exchange of

information between the Member State issuing an authorisation and the involved Member

States granting consents should be ensured.

22

There are no changes proposed to the reporting template.

According to Article 20 and the procedures laid down in Article 21 of the Directive, the

Advisory Committee member’s views of 29 September 2025 on this Staff Working Document

have been taken into account.

23

ANNEX I. LIST OF COMPETENT NATIONAL AUTHORITIES

List of Competent National Authorities

under Article 18 of Council Directive 2006/117/Euratom

Austria Federal Ministry for Agriculture and Forestry, Climate and

Environmental Protection, Regions and Water Management

Department Radiation Protection

Stubenring 1

A-1010 Vienna

[email protected]

Belgium Federal Agency for Nuclear Control

Security and transport department

Import and transport office

Markiesstraat 1 bus 6A

B-1000 Brussels

Bulgaria Bulgarian Nuclear Regulatory Agency

69 Shipchenski prokhod Blvd.

BG-1574 Sofia

Croatia Ministry of the Interior Civil Protection Directorate

Nehajska 5

HR-10000 Zagreb

Cyprus Ministry of Labour and Social Insurance

Radiation Inspection and Control Service

Department of Labor Inspection

12 Apellis Street

CY-1080 Nicosia

Czech Republic State Office for Nuclear Safety of the Czech Republic (SÚJB)

Division of Radioactive Waste and Spent Fuel Management

Senovážné namesti 9

CZ-110 00 Prague 1

24

Denmark Danish Health Authority

Radiation Protection

Knapholm 7

DK-2730 Herlev

Estonia Ministry of the Environment of Estonia

Paldiski rd 96

EE-Tallinn 13522

Finland Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (STUK)

Nuclear Waste Regulation and Safegards

Jokiniemenkuja 1

FI-01370 Vantaa

France Bureau de la Réglementation et des Affaires techniques

Sous-direction de l'industrie nucléaire - SD4/4C

Direction de l’énergie

Direction Générale de l'Énergie et du Climat

Ministère chargé de l’industrie et de l’énergie

Tour Sequoia

F-92055 LA DEFENSE Cédex

Germany Bundesamt für Wirtschaft und Ausfuhrkontrolle (BAFA)

Referat 323 – Nukleartechnik (NSG), Radioaktive Stoffe

Frankfurter Straße 29-35

D-65760 Eschborn

[email protected]

Greece Greek Atomic Energy Commission (EEAE)

Chairman Office

P.O. Box 60092

GR-153 10 Aghia Paraskevi-Attiki

[email protected]

Hungary Hungarian Atomic Energy Authority

P.O. Box 676

H-1539 Budapest

Fényes Adolf str. 4

H-1036 Budapest

[email protected]

25

Ireland Environmental Protection Agency

Office of Environmental Enforcement

Radiation Protection Regulation

3 Clonskeagh Square, Clonskeagh Road

IE-Dublin D14 H424

Italy Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security

Nuclear Division

Directorate General for Energy Demand and Efficiency

Via Sallustiana, 53, I-00187 Rome

[email protected]

ISIN - National Inspectorate for Nuclear

Safety and Radiation Protection

Via Capitan Bavastro, 116

00154 Rome

Latvia Radiation Safety Centre

State Environmental Service

Rupniecibas iela 23

LV-Riga 1045

Lithuania Radiation Protection Centre (RPC)

Kalvariju st. 153

LT-08352 Vilnius

[email protected]

Luxembourg Ministère de la Santé

Division de la Radioprotection

6b, Rue Nicolas-Ernest Barblé

L-1210 Luxembourg

Malta Environment & Resources Authority

Hexagon House

Spencer Hill

MT-Marsa

MRS 1441

26

Poland National Atomic Energy Agency of the Republic of Poland

Radiation Protection Department

Nowy Świat 6/12

PL-00-400 Warsaw

[email protected]

Portugal Department of Emergencies and Radiation Protection

Portuguese Environment Agency

Agência Portugesa do Ambiente

Rua da Murgueira 9/9A – Zambujal

Ap.7585

2610-124 Amadora

Romania National Commission for Nuclear Activities

Control (CNCAN)

14 B-dul. Libertatii Street, Sector 5

RO-050706, Bucharest

Slovakia Nuclear Regulatory Authority of the Slovak Republic (nuclear

safety)

Bajkalska 27

P. O. Box 24

SK-820 07 Bratislava

Ministry of Transport of

the Slovak Republic

Radiation Protection Department

Namestie slobody 6

SK-810 05 Bratislava

Slovenia Slovenian Nuclear Safety Administration

Litostrojska cesta 54

SI-1000 Ljubljana

27

Spain Subdirección General de Energía Nuclear

Dirección General de Planificación y Coordinación Energética

Ministerio para la Transición Ecológica y el Reto Demográfico

Paseo de la Castellana 160, 6ª Planta Despacho 23

E-28046 – Madrid

Consejo de Seguridad Nuclear

C/Pedro Justo Dorado Dellmans, 11

E-28040 – Madrid

Sweden Swedish Radiation Safety Authority (SSM)

Solna strandväg 96

SE-171 16 Stockholm

The Netherlands Authority for Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection (ANVS)

Postbus 16001

NL-2500 BA Den Haag

28

ANNEX II. REPORTING TEMPLATE

REPORT ON THE IMPLEMETATION IN THE MEMBER STATES OF DIRECTIVE

2006/117 EURATOM ON THE SUPERVISION AND CONTROL OF SHIPMENTS OF

RADIOACTIVE WASTE AND SPENT FUEL BETWEEN MEMBER STATES AND

INTO AND OUT OF THE COMMUNITY

Member State: ……

Reporting Period: from dd/mm/yy to dd/mm/yy

PART A (31)

INFORMATION ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF DIRECTIVE 2006/117/Euratom

1) INFORMATION ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF DIRECTIVE

E.g.

• overall number of authorisations, consents and refusals for spent fuel and radioactive waste import,

export and transit through the Community;

• changes to the legal, regulatory and organisational basis and structure;

• requirements for shipment of spent fuel and radioactive waste;

• changes of the national competent authority(ies) or requirements for the electronic platform

2) INFORMATION ON SIGNIFICANT CONDITIONS REQUIRED BY THE MEMBER STATES –

EXPORT CRITERIA IMPLEMENTATION

E.g. how does the Member State ensure compliance with the requirements for shipments to third

countries.

3) INFORMATION ON CASES OF REFUSAL TO GIVE AUTHORISATION /CONSENT,

RESHIPMENTS AND SHIPMENT FAILURES

E.g. including shipments that were not completed (Article 12 – Shipment failure) and spent

fuel/radioactive waste returned (Article 4)

4) PROBLEMS EXPERIENCED WHEN USING THE STANDARD DOCUMENT

5) OTHER ISSUES, PROPOSALS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF

THE DIRECTIVE

(31) Part A of the form can be filled in by plain text whereas Part B also requires numerical data.

29

PART B

INFORMATION ON THE SITUATION WITH REGARD TO SHIPMENTS OF

RADIOACTIVE WASTE AND SPENT FUEL OF INDIVIDUAL MEMBER STATES

The information provided in the section should support the overview in Section A above. It is proposed

to use the attached tables B-1 and B-2 for both authorisations and consents (all columns to be filled

out).

Specific information on the number and scope of (i) authorisations and (ii) consents issued for import,

export and transit through the Community in the reporting period for:

a) Radioactive waste will be provided in Table B-1;

b) Spent fuel will be provided in Table B-2.

Only those shipments are to be reported for which either an authorisation or a refusal have been issued

during the reporting period.

All information requested in table B-1 and B-2 of the present reporting template is based on the

Standard Document (32) and can be retrieved from it. Footnotes have been included in the reporting

template referring to specific sections of the Standard Document, with the objective to facilitate correct

reporting.

It is recommended to include in the first column of the B-1 and the B-2 tables the Authorisation

Registration Number, indicated on each Section of the Standard Document, for the reporting of both

authorisations and consents. Please, in column 2 of these tables, be clear on the type of shipments

(through use of shipment codes – MM, ME, EM, TT – as appropriate).

In case of return shipments, for traceability purposes, reporting Member States may include in the

column <Purpose of the shipment> a reference to the Authorisation Registration Number of the previous

shipment, if available.

(32) Commission Decision of 5 March 2008 establishing the standard document for the supervision and control of

shipments of radioactive waste and spent fuel referred to in Council Directive 2006/117/Euratom (notified under

document number C(2008) 793) (2008/312/Euratom).

Table B-1: Information on shipments of radioactive waste within the scope of Directive 2006/117/Euratom

Reporting period: 26/12/20xx – 25/12/20yy

Member State

authorising the

shipment(s)1

(recommended

Authorisation

Registration

Number2)

Type of

shipment(s)3

Number of

(planned)

shipments

per

authorisation4

Nature of the

waste5 and

physico

chemical

characteristics

of the waste6

Total activity

of the

authorisation7

(GBq)

a) total alpha

activity

b) total

beta/gamma

activity

Main

radionuclides8

Maximum

activity per

package9

(GBq)

a) maximum

alpha

activity

b) maximum

beta/gamma

activity

Type of

activity

giving

raise to

the

waste10

Purpose of

the

shipment11

Mode(s)

of

transport 12

Ordered

list of

countries

involved13

Table B-2: Information on shipments of spent fuel within the scope of Directive 2006/117/Euratom

Reporting period: 26/12/20xx – 25/12/20yy

Member State

authorising

the

shipment(s)14

(recommended

Authorisation

Registration

Number2)

Type of

shipment(s)15

Number of

(planned)

shipments per

authorization16

Type of spent

fuel17

Maximum

enrichment18:

a) of U-235

(%)

b) maximum

plutonium

content (%)

Fuel burn

up

(average or

typical

range)19

(MWdays/

teHM)

Total net

mass 20

(kg)

Type of

activity

giving

raise to

the

spent

fuel21

Purpose of

the

shipment22

Proposed

mode(s) of

transport23

Sequential

list of

countries

concerned24

Explanatory notes for Tables B1 and B2 (including the location of the required

information on the Standard Document forms)

1 Section A-4a number 21 (in case the authorisation has been granted), or Section A-4b number 24

(in case the authorisation has been refused). The Member State authorising the shipment(s) is the

country: - of origin in case of a shipment type MM or ME; - of destination in case of a shipment

type IM; - where the shipment first enters the Community in case of a shipment type TT. In case

the authorisation has been refused, state “refused”.

2 In column 1 of these tables, the Authorisation Registration Number should be included. It is the

unique reference number for one single authorisation process (i.e. from application until the

granting of the authorisation), issued by the authorising Member State and shown on the top right

of every page of the Standard Document.

3 Section A-1 number 1 (possible types: Type MM: Shipment between Member States (via one or

more Member States or third countries); Type IM: Import into the Community (originating from

a third country); Type ME: Export out of the Community (having a third country as final

destination);Type TT: Transit through the Community (originating from a third country and

having a third country as final destination, it goes through the territory of one or more Member

States).

4 Section A-1 number 2.

5 Section A-1 number 8.

6 Section A-1 number 8 (possible characteristics: solid; liquid; gaseous; other - e.g. fissile, low

dispersible …; to be specified).

7 Section A-1 number 8. These values are estimates if the application relates to several shipments.

Activities are expressed in gigabequerel, unless otherwise indicated. The multiples of the

bequerel, their prefixes and symbols utilised in the table are the following: kilobequerel, kBq =

103 Bq; megabequerel, MBq = 106 Bq; gigabequerel, GBq = 109 Bq; terabequerel, TBq = 1012 Bq;

petabequerel, PBq = 1015Bq.

8 Section A-1 number 8.

9 Section A-1 number 8. A package consists of radioactive waste or spent fuel in a certain

consignment (e.g. in plastic bags, metal drums, other). A shipment may involve the movement of

one or more packages.

10 Section A-1 number 10 (possible activities: medicine; research: (non-nuclear) industry, nuclear

industry; other activity (to be specified)).

11 Section A-1 number 11 (possible purposes: return of radioactive waste after (re)treatment or

reprocessing of spent fuel; return of radioactive waste after treatment of radioactive waste;

treatment, e.g. (re)packaging, conditioning, volume reduction; interim storage; return after

interim storage; final disposal; other purpose (to be specified)). When referring to a return, please

if possible in this column also include the original Authorisation Registration Number.

12 Section A-1 number 14 (possible modes: road, rail, sea, air, inland waterway).

13 Section A-1 number 13.

14 Section B-4a number 21 (in case the authorisation has been granted), or Section B-4b number 24

(in case the authorisation has been refused). The Member State authorising the shipment(s) is the

country: - of origin in case of a shipment type MM or ME; - of destination in case of a shipment

type IM; - where the shipment first enters the Community in case of a shipment type TT. In case

the authorisation has been refused, state “refused”.

15 Section B-1 number 1 (possible types: see footnote 3)

16 Section B-1 number 2

17 Section B-1 number 8 (possible types: uranium metal; uranium dioxide; mixed oxide (MOX);

other (please specify))

18 Section B-1 number 8

19 Section B-1 number 8

20 Section B-1 number 9.

21 Section B-1 number 10 (possible types: research; commercial nuclear power; other activity (to be

specified))

22 Section B-1 number 11 (possible purposes: (re)treatment or reprocessing; interim storage; return

after interim storage; final disposal; other purposes (to be specified)). When referring to a return,

this column should also include the original Authorisation Registration Number.

23 Section B-1 number 12 (possible modes: see footnote 14).

24 Section B-1 number 13.

ET ET

EUROOPA KOMISJON

Brüssel, 29.9.2026 COM(2026) 513 final

KOMISJONI ARUANNE EUROOPA PARLAMENDILE, NÕUKOGULE NING

EUROOPA MAJANDUS- JA SOTSIAALKOMITEELE,

milles käsitletakse nõukogu direktiivi 2006/117/Euratom (radioaktiivsete jäätmete ja

kasutatud tuumkütuse järelevalve ja kontrolli kohta) rakendamist liikmesriikides

Viies aruanne

{SWD(2026) 287 final}

1

Sisukord

1. Sissejuhatus ...................................................................................................... 2

1.1. Taustteave ........................................................................................................ 2

2. Õigusraamistik ja selle rakendamine ............................................................... 3

2.1. Direktiivi rakendamine .................................................................................... 5

2.2. Nõuandekomitee arvamus ............................................................................... 6

2.3. Pädevad asutused ............................................................................................. 6

3. Tähelepanekud ................................................................................................. 6

3.1. Statistika .......................................................................................................... 7

4. Järelmeetmed ja pidev täiustamine ................................................................ 10

5. Järeldused ...................................................................................................... 11

2

1. SISSEJUHATUS

Nõukogu direktiivis 2006/117/Euratom1 (edaspidi „direktiiv“) on sätestatud ühenduse

radioaktiivsete jäätmete ja kasutatud tuumkütuse piiriüleste vedude järelevalve- ja

kontrollisüsteem, et tagada elanikkonna piisav kaitse. Sellega tagatakse, et liikmesriike

teavitatakse igast radioaktiivsete jäätmete või kasutatud tuumkütuse veost nende

territooriumile või läbi nende territooriumi, ning kohustatakse liikmesriike andma veole

oma nõusolek või teatama selle andmisest keeldumise põhjus.

Kõik liikmesriigid on direktiivi üle võtnud ja on kooskõlas artikliga 20 esitanud alates

25. detsembrist 2011 iga kolme aasta tagant komisjonile aruande selle rakendamise

kohta. Viimased liikmesriikide esitatud aruanded hõlmavad ajavahemikku 2021–

20232.

Nagu on ette nähtud direktiivi artikliga 20, on komisjon koostanud Euroopa

Parlamendile, nõukogule ning Euroopa Majandus- ja Sotsiaalkomiteele käesoleva

kokkuvõtva aruande,3 tuginedes liikmesriikide aruannetele ja nõuandekomitee

arvamusele,4 milles pööratakse erilist tähelepanu loata vedude ja deklareerimata

radioaktiivsete jäätmete tagasisaatmisele5. Käesolev viies komisjoni aruanne, mis on

jätkuks neljandale6 ja kolmandale aruandele,7 hõlmab radioaktiivsete jäätmete ja

kasutatud tuumkütuse veo lubasid ja seonduvaid probleeme aastatel 2021–2023.

Andmed, millele tuginevad käesoleva aruande järeldused, on esitatud üksikasjalikumalt

aruandele lisatud komisjoni talituste töödokumendis.

1.1. Taustteave

Radioaktiivseid jäätmeid tekitavad kõik liikmesriigid, kas rajatistes, nagu

tuumaelektrijaamad ja uurimisreaktorid, või tegevusega, nagu radioisotoopide

kasutamine meditsiinis, tööstuses, põllumajanduses, teaduses või hariduses.

Tuumareaktorite käitamisel tekib ka kasutatud tuumkütus, st tuumkütus, mis on

reaktori südamikus kiiritatud ja mis on sealt alaliselt eemaldatud. Kasutatud

(1) Nõukogu 20. novembri 2006. aasta direktiiv 2006/117/Euratom radioaktiivsete jäätmete ja

kasutatud tuumkütuse vedude järelevalve ja kontrolli kohta (ELT L 337, 5.12.2006, lk 21).

(2) Täpsemalt ajavahemikku 26. detsembrist 2020 kuni 25. detsembrini 2023 (load). See oli viies

aruandlustsükkel kõigi liikmesriikide jaoks peale Horvaatia, kelle jaoks oli tegemist neljanda

aruandlustsükliga, kuna Horvaatia ühines ELiga 1. juulil 2013.

(3) Direktiivi artikli 20 lõike 2 kohaselt peab komisjon koostama direktiivi artiklis 21 sätestatud

korra alusel kokkuvõtva aruande.

(4) Direktiivi artikliga 21 ette nähtud nõuandekomitee moodustati 2007. aastal.

(5) Direktiivi artikkel 4.

(6) Komisjoni 16. veebruari 2023. aasta aruanne Euroopa Parlamendile, nõukogule ning Euroopa

Majandus- ja Sotsiaalkomiteele, milles käsitletakse nõukogu direktiivi 2006/117/Euratom

(radioaktiivsete jäätmete ja kasutatud tuumkütuse järelevalve ja kontrolli kohta) rakendamist

liikmesriikides – neljas aruanne, COM(2023) 77 final, ja SWD(2023) 43 final.

(7) Komisjoni 22. mai 2024. aasta aruanne nõukogule ja Euroopa Parlamendile nõukogu

direktiivi 2011/70/Euratom rakendamise kohta ning ülevaade ühenduse territooriumil olevate

kasutatud tuumkütuse ja radioaktiivsete jäätmete kohta ja osutatud materjalide tekkimise

tulevikuprognoos, COM(2024) 197 final.

3

tuumkütust saab säilitada kui ressurssi ümbertöötamiseks või lõppladustada

radioaktiivse jäätmena, ilma kavatsuseta seda tulevikus kasutada.

2023. aastal, mis oli vaatlusaluse aruandeperioodi viimane aasta, moodustas

tuumaenergia 22,8 % ELi elektritoodangust,8 kusjuures 12 liikmesriigis9 oli töös

101 tuumareaktorit. ELi tuumaelektrijaamade elektrienergia kogutoodang oli

2023. aastal 619,6 TWh, mida on 1,7 % rohkem kui 2022. aastal.

Kasutatud tuumkütust ja radioaktiivseid jäätmeid tuleb kuni nende ümbertöötamise

(töötlemise) või lõppladustamiseni ohutult ladustada. See võib tähendada nende

saatmist (st vedu) kohast, kus need tekkisid või kus neid käideldi. Selliseid vedusid

tehakse enamikus liikmesriikides, olenemata riigi tuumaprogrammi ulatusest. Vedu

toimub peamiselt maanteed, raudteed või merd mööda või (vähemal määral) õhuteed

pidi.

ELis on tavapärane ka radioaktiivsete jäätmete ja kasutatud tuumkütuse import ja

eksport ning nende transiit läbi ühe või mitme liikmesriigi.

2. ÕIGUSRAAMISTIK JA SELLE RAKENDAMINE

Radioaktiivsete jäätmete ja kasutatud tuumkütuse ohutu ja vastutustundlik käitlemine,

sealhulgas nende ohutu vedu liikmesriikides ja väljaspool liikmesriike, on õiguslik

nõue, mis on sätestatud nii rahvusvahelises kui ka Euratomi õiguses.

Rahvusvahelisel tasandil reguleerib kõnealust valdkonda eeskätt kasutatud tuumkütuse

käitlemise ohutust ja radioaktiivsete jäätmete käitlemise ohutust käsitlev

ühiskonventsioon10 (edaspidi „ühiskonventsioon“). Ühiskonventsiooni üks eesmärke on

tagada kasutatud tuumkütuse ja radioaktiivsete jäätmete piiriülese veo (import, eksport ja

transiit) ohutus. Seepärast peavad kõik piiriülestes vedudes osalevad

konventsiooniosalised võtma meetmeid, et tagada kooskõla ühiskonventsiooni ja

muude siduvate rahvusvaheliste õigusaktidega11. Lisaks Euratomi ühendusele on

ühiskonventsiooni osalised12 kõik selle ühenduse 27 liikmesriiki, näidates sellega oma

tahet tagada kasutatud tuumkütuse ja radioaktiivsete jäätmete kõrgetasemeline ohutus

alates nende tekkest kuni lõppladustamiseni.

(8) Eurostat, „Slight increase in nuclear power production in 2023“ (Tuumaenergia tootmise väike

kasv 2023. aastal). (9) Belgia, Bulgaaria, Tšehhi, Hispaania, Prantsusmaa, Ungari, Madalmaad, Rumeenia, Sloveenia

(Horvaatia), Slovakkia, Soome ja Rootsi. (10) Ühiskonventsioon jõustus 18. juunil 2001. Seda kohaldatakse tsiviilotstarbelistest

tuumareaktoritest ja rakendustest pärineva kasutatud tuumkütuse ja radioaktiivsete jäätmete

ning sõjalise või kaitseotstarbega projektidest pärineva kasutatud tuumkütuse ja radioaktiivsete

jäätmete suhtes, kui need antakse alaliselt üle ja neid käideldakse tsiviilotstarbelise programmi

raames või kui konventsiooniosaline tunnistab need kasutatud tuumkütuseks või

radioaktiivseteks jäätmeteks konventsiooni tähenduses. Ühiskonventsiooni kohaldatakse ka

järelevalve alla kuuluvatest tuumarajatistest pärinevate vedelate või gaasiliste radioaktiivsete

materjalide kavakohaselt ja kontrollitult keskkonda paiskamise suhtes.

(11) Ühiskonventsiooni artikkel 27.

(12) Ühiskonventsioonil on praegu 93 osalist (5. märts 2026)

(https://www.iaea.org/sites/default/files/22/06/jointconv_status.pdf).

4

ELi tasandil tagab terviklik õigusraamistik, et töötajad ja üldsus on kaitstud kasutatud

tuumkütusest ja radioaktiivsetest jäätmetest vabanevast ioniseerivast kiirgusest

tulenevate tervist kahjustavate ohtude eest, sealhulgas veo ajal. Praegu hõlmab see

raamistik lisaks vaatlusalusele direktiivile nõukogu direktiivi 2013/59/Euratom

(põhiliste ohutusnormide direktiiv)13 ja nõukogu direktiivi 2011/70/Euratom

(radioaktiivsete jäätmete direktiiv),14 mis mõlemad mõjutavad vaatlusaluse direktiivi

kohaldamisala.

Direktiiv on osa Euratomi tuuma- ja kiirgusohutuse eeskirjadest, keskendudes eelkõige

tsiviilrajatistest ja -tegevusest pärinevate radioaktiivsete jäätmete ja kasutatud

tuumkütuse piiriülese veo lubadele ja muudele menetluslikele aspektidele. Selle

üldeesmärk on tugevdada kasutatud tuumkütuse ja radioaktiivsete jäätmete vedude

järelevalvet ja kontrolli, et tagada kaitse ohu eest puutuda kokku ioniseeriva kiirgusega.

Direktiivi kohaldatakse, kui

• kasutatud tuumkütuse või radioaktiivsete jäätmete päritoluriik või sihtriik või mis

tahes transiidiriik on ühenduse liikmesriik ning

• veoks ettenähtud kasutatud tuumkütuse või radioaktiivsete jäätmete (direktiivis

kasutatakse mõistet „saadetis“) kogused ja kontsentratsioon ületavad põhilistes

ohutusnormides sätestatud piirmäärasid.

Kui vedu ei saa lõpule viia või kui direktiivis sätestatud veotingimused ei ole täidetud,

peavad päritoluliikmesriigi pädevad asutused tagama, et veetava materjali valdaja15

võtab selle tagasi, kui olukorda ei saa lahendada mõne alternatiivse ohutu kokkuleppe

abil. Samuti peavad pädevad asutused tagama, et veo eest vastutav isik võtab vajaduse

korral parandavaid ohutusmeetmeid. Kui vedu ei saa või ei tohi lõpule viia, kannab

sellest tulenevad kulud valdaja16.

Iga keeldumine kasutatud tuumkütuse või radioaktiivsete jäätmete veo loa andmisest

peab olema põhjendatud direktiivis sätestatud kriteeriumide alusel. Lisaks ei tohi

keeldumine olla meelevaldne ja see peab põhinema asjakohasel riigisisesel, ühenduse

või rahvusvahelisel õigusel. Liikmesriikide otsused veo jaoks nõusoleku andmise või

selle andmisest keeldumise kohta peavad olema kooskõlas ühiskonventsiooni ja

direktiivi sätetega,17 millega on keelatud radioaktiivsete jäätmete ja kasutatud

tuumkütuse eksport sihtkohta, mis asub 60. laiuskraadist lõuna pool, samuti Aafrika,

Kariibi mere või Vaikse ookeani piirkonna riiki ning kolmandasse riiki, kus puuduvad

ressursid radioaktiivsete jäätmete ja kasutatud tuumkütuse ohutuks käitlemiseks.

(13) Nõukogu 5. detsembri 2013. aasta direktiiv 2013/59/Euratom, millega kehtestatakse põhilised

ohutusnormid kaitseks ioniseeriva kiirgusega kiiritamisest tulenevate ohtude eest ning

tunnistatakse kehtetuks direktiivid 89/618/Euratom, 90/641/Euratom, 96/29/Euratom,

97/43/Euratom ning 2003/122/Euratom (ELT L 13, 17.1.2014, lk 1).

(14) Nõukogu 19. juuli 2011. aasta direktiiv 2011/70/Euratom, millega luuakse ühenduse raamistik

kasutatud tuumkütuse ja radioaktiivsete jäätmete vastutustundlikuks ja ohutuks käitlemiseks

(ELT L 199, 2.8.2011, lk 48).

(15) „Valdaja“ – füüsiline või juriidiline isik, kes enne radioaktiivsete jäätmete või kasutatud

tuumkütuse vedu on nimetatud materjalide eest vastutav kohaldatava riigisisese õiguse alusel ja

plaanib veose saajale kätte toimetada (direktiivi artikli 5 lõige 9).

(16) Direktiivi artikkel 12.

(17) Direktiivi artikkel 16.

5

Lisaks komisjonile aru andmisele iga kolme aasta tagant peavad liikmesriigid igal aastal

teavitama komisjoni ja nõuandekomiteed loata vedudest kolmandatesse riikidesse18.

Samuti peavad nad esitama komisjonile oma pädeva(te) asutus(t)e kontaktandmed ja

kogu teabe, mis on vajalik selleks, et nende asutustega kiiresti ühendust võtta19.

2.1. Direktiivi rakendamine

Direktiivis nõutakse tüüpvormi kasutamist kõigi selle kohaldamisalasse kuuluvate

vedude puhul20. Need veod hõlmavad importi, eksporti ja transiiti liikmesriikide vahel

ning vedusid kolmandatest riikidest ja kolmandatesse riikidesse. Tüüpvorm kehtestati

komisjoni otsusega21 ja hiljem seda muudeti22. Tüüpvorm on ette nähtud kasutamiseks

järgmistel eesmärkidel:

• kasutatud tuumkütuse või radioaktiivsete jäätmete veoloa taotlus (jagu B-1 või A-

1);

• taotluse vastuvõtuteatis – kasutatud tuumkütuse või radioaktiivsete jäätmete kohta

puuduva teabe esitamise nõue (jagu B-2 või A-2);

• asjaomase pädeva asutuse nõusolek või keeldumine seoses kasutatud tuumkütuse

või radioaktiivsete jäätmete veoga (jagu B-3 või A-3);

• kasutatud tuumkütuse või radioaktiivsete jäätmete veoloa andmine (jagu B-4a või

A-4a);

• kasutatud tuumkütuse või radioaktiivsete jäätmete veoloa andmisest keeldumine

(jagu B-4b või A-4b);

• kasutatud tuumkütuse või radioaktiivsete jäätmete saadetise kirjeldus ja

pakkeüksuste loetelu (jagu B-5 või A-5);

• kasutatud tuumkütuse ja/või radioaktiivsete jäätmete vastuvõtuteatis (jagu B-6 või

A-6).

Kui kõnealuseid materjale kavatsetakse vedada lõppladustamise eesmärgil

kolmandatesse riikidesse, peavad liikmesriigid vastavalt radioaktiivsete jäätmete

direktiivi artikli 4 lõikele 4 kohaldama ka veokriteeriume, mille komisjon on

kehtestanud oma soovituses23 kooskõlas direktiivi artikli 16 lõikega 2.

Aruandeperioodil keeldus sellele nõudele tuginedes loa andmisest üks liikmesriik (vt

punkt 3).

Ühestki olulisest probleemist tüüpvormi kasutamisel ei teatatud. Üks liikmesriik tegi

siiski ettepaneku, et see võiks sisaldada eelmis(t)e saadetis(t)e numbrit (numbreid), et

(18) Direktiivi artikli 16 lõike 1 punkt c.

(19) Direktiivi artikkel 18.

(20) Direktiivi artikkel 17.

(21) Komisjoni 5. märtsi 2008. aasta otsus 2008/312/Euratom, millega kehtestatakse nõukogu

direktiivis 2006/117/Euratom nimetatud radioaktiivsete jäätmete ja kasutatud tuumkütuse

vedude järelevalve ja kontrolli tüüpvorm (teatavaks tehtud numbri C(2008) 793 all)

(ELT L 107, 17.4.2008, lk 32).

(22) Komisjoni 5. märtsi 2008. aasta otsuse 2008/312/Euratom (millega kehtestatakse nõukogu

direktiivis 2006/117/Euratom nimetatud radioaktiivsete jäätmete ja kasutatud tuumkütuse

vedude järelevalve ja kontrolli tüüpvorm) parandus (ELT L 343, 23.12.2011, lk 149).

(23) Komisjoni 4. detsembri 2008. aasta soovitus 2008/956/Euratom, mis käsitleb radioaktiivsete

jäätmete ja kasutatud tuumkütuse kolmandatesse riikidesse eksportimise kriteeriume (teatavaks

tehtud numbri K(2008) 7570 all).

6

teha tagasi saadetavate saadetiste puhul ristviiteid varasematele lubadele/nõusolekutele.

See lihtsustaks üldist järelevalvet.

Komisjon märkis, et tüüpvormide haldamist saaks veelgi parandada ja ühtlustada, mille

oli juhtinud tähelepanu ka üks liikmesriik. Üks viis parandada teabevahetust üldiselt ja

eeskätt tüüpvormide kasutamist võiks olla spetsiaalse elektroonilise vahendi

väljatöötamine.

2.2. Nõuandekomitee arvamus

Nõuandekomitee arutas käesoleva aruande kavandit ja komisjoni talituste

töödokumenti 29. septembril 2025 Luxembourgis oma 13. koosolekul. Koosolek

lõppes positiivse arvamusega.

2.3. Pädevad asutused

2025. aasta jaanuari seisuga olid kõik liikmesriigid esitanud kooskõlas artikliga 18

ajakohase teabe direktiivi artikli 5 punktis 13 määratletud pädevate asutuste kohta24.

Pädevate asutuste loetelu on lisatud komisjoni talituste töödokumendile.

3. TÄHELEPANEKUD

Komisjon täheldas, et liikmesriigid ei teatanud selles aruandetsüklis ühestki

radioaktiivsete jäätmete või kasutatud tuumkütuse piiriülesest veost.

Kuna ühestki probleemist, mis võiks kuuluda artikli 4 („Loata vedudega ja

deklareerimata radioaktiivsete jäätmetega seotud ümbersuunamine“), artikli 12 („Veo

luhtumine“) või artikli 16 („Ekspordikeelud“) lõike 1 punkti c kohaldamisalasse, ei

teatatud, järeldas komisjon, et ELi territooriumil ei toimunud aruandeperioodil loata

vedusid.

Kahel juhul keelduti nõusoleku andmisest:

• üks liikmesriik teatas, et ta oli keeldunud rahuldamast taotlust saada luba

radioaktiivsete jäätmete (saastunud pinnase) lõppladustamiseks

Ühendkuningriigis. Taotlus lükati tagasi pärast Ühendkuningriigi ametiasutuse

keeldumist;

• teine liikmesriik teatas, et ta oli keeldunud rahuldamast taotlust saaja nõudmisel.

Saaja oli saanud ükskord varem materjalid, mille radioaktiivsuse tase oli valdaja

deklareeritust kõrgem, ning ta soovis uurida selle ebakõla põhjust, enne kui

importida samalt valdajalt rohkem radioaktiivseid jäätmeid.

(24) Direktiivi artikli 5 punktis 13 on pädevad asutused määratletud kui „asutused, mis on

päritoluriigi, transiidiriigi või sihtriigi õigusnormide alusel volitatud rakendama radioaktiivsete

jäätmete või kasutatud tuumkütuse vedude järelevalve- ja kontrollisüsteemi“. Direktiivi

artikli 18 lõike 2 kohaselt peavad liikmesriigid edastama komisjonile korrapäraselt kõik

muudatused pädeva(te) asutus(t)e nime(de)s ja aadressi(de)s.

7

Kümme liikmesriiki – Horvaatia, Küpros, Eesti, Kreeka, Iirimaa, Läti, Leedu, Malta,

Poola ja Portugal – ei teatanud ühestki aruandeperioodil antud loast radioaktiivsete

jäätmete veoks oma territooriumil. Kolm neist – Horvaatia, Küpros ja Malta – ei ole

teatanud ühestki veoloast alates 2009. aastast, st alates direktiivis sätestatud

aruandekohustuste jõustumisest.

Üksikasjalikumat teavet radioaktiivsete jäätmete ja kasutatud tuumkütuse piiriüleste

vedude kohta ELis vaatlusalusel aruandeperioodil leiab käesolevale aruandele lisatud

komisjoni talituste töödokumendist.

3.1. Statistika

Selles punktis antakse lubadest ja vedudest statistiline ülevaade.

Joonis 1. Lubade koguarv

17 liikmesriiki teatasid, et aastatel 2021–2023 anti 148 luba 1 220 veo jaoks. Tavaliselt

anti luba mitme veo tarvis ja selle kehtivusaeg võis olla pikem kui vaatlusalune

aruandeperiood.

Teatatud lubade arv oli väiksem kui eelmisel perioodil ja üks väiksemaid alates

direktiivikohase aruandluse algusest 2009. aastal (joonis 1). Eelmise aruandlustsükliga

võrreldes vähenes ka vedude arv (joonis 2). Osaliselt selgitab seda suundumust

Ühendkuningriigi väljaastumine EList.

119

157

118

175

133

42

32

21

20

15

3

7

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

200

2009–2011 2012–2014 2015–2017 2018–2020 2021–2023

Lubade koguarv

Radioaktiivsed jäätmed Kasutatud tuumkütus Materjalid

8

Joonis 2. Lubatud vedude arv

Lubatud vedudest 99 % (1 204 vedu) olid radioaktiivsete jäätmete veod ja 1 %

(16 vedu) kasutatud tuumkütuse veod.

Varasematel aruandeperioodidel oli enamik lubadest ja vedudest ühendusesisesed.

Aastatel 2021–2023 see muutus, peamiselt seoses Ühendkuningriigi EList

lahkumisega, mille tulemusel paljud ühendusesisesed veod muutusid

impordiks/ekspordiks. 40 % lubatud vedudest olid ühendusesisesed, 10 % puhul oli

tegemist ekspordiga ja 50 % puhul impordiga.

Statistikast ilmneb, et radioaktiivsete jäätmete ühendusesiseste vedude puhul pärines

80 % jäätmetest tuumatööstusest ja 20 % jäätmetest väljastpoolt tuumaenergia

valdkonda (nt meditsiini- või teadussektor).

Vedude peamine eesmärk oli radioaktiivsete jäätmete töötlemine (nt töötlemine mahu

vähendamiseks või konditsioneerimine) spetsiaalses rajatises ning töödeldud

radioaktiivsete jäätmete või kasutatud tuumkütuse tagasisaatmine päritoluriiki. Kõige

rohkem lube nii päritolu- kui ka sihtriigina andsid Belgia, Rootsi ja Saksamaa.

Kasutatud tuumkütust ja kütuse fragmente veeti peamiselt kas ümbertöötamise,

teadusuuringute või kiiritusjärgsete uuringute eesmärgil.

1791 1732

1204

43 38 16

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2015–2017 2018–2020 2021–2023

Vedude arv perioodi kohta Radioaktiivsed jäätmed Kasutatud tuumkütus

9

Joonis 3. Radioaktiivsete jäätmete lubatud vedude arv (ühendusesisesed (MM), eksport (ME),

import (IM))

Joonis 4. Kasutatud tuumkütuse lubatud vedude arv (ühendusesisesed (MM), eksport (ME),

import (IM))

10

Joonis 5. Ühendusevälised veod aastatel 2021–2023

Kolm liikmesriiki andsid kaheksa luba kuni 607 radioaktiivsete jäätmete veoks

kolmandatest riikidest aastatel 2021–2023. Selle impordi eesmärk oli mujalt kui

tuumaenergiatööstusest pärinevate radioaktiivsete jäätmete töötlemine, töötlemisjärgne

tagastamine või lõppladustamine. Kaks liikmesriiki andsid neli luba kasutatud

tuumkütuse impordiks, peamiselt kiiritusjärgsete uuringute eesmärgil.

Viis liikmesriiki andsid kokku 15 luba 113 radioaktiivsete jäätmete veoks ühendusest

kolmandatesse riikidesse. See eksport oli seotud teadusuuringute, töötlemise ja pärast

töötlemist/ümbertöötamist tagasi saatmisega; ühegi veo eesmärk ei olnud

lõppladustamine kolmandas riigis. Kaks liikmesriiki andsid kokku kolm ekspordiluba

neljaks kasutatud tuumkütuse veoks kolmandasse riiki. Selle ekspordi eesmärk oli

ümbertöötamine, omanikule tagasi saatmine pärast ladustamiskujule viimist ja

kiiritusjärgsed uuringud.

Ühtki luba transiidiks väljastpoolt ühendust kolmandasse riiki kui lõppsihtkohta

aruandeperioodil 2021–2023 ei antud.

4. JÄRELMEETMED JA PIDEV TÄIUSTAMINE

Komisjoni varasemates aruannetes direktiivi rakendamise kohta rõhutati vajadust viia

tüüpvorm ja aruandevorm omavahel paremini vastavusse. Tuginedes liikmesriigi

ettepanekule, pani komisjon ette aruandevorm kooskõlas direktiivi artikli 17 lõikega 2

ja artikliga 21 läbi vaadata, nii et nüüd sisaldab see teavet lubade

registreerimisnumbrite kohta ja viiteid algsetele saadetistele. Seejärel ajakohastati

aruandevormi põhjal tüüpvormi. Selle tulemusena on liikmesriikidel võimalik seostada

11

tagasisaadetavaid saadetisi varasemate saadetistega. Lisaks on komisjon kahe

liikmesriigi soovituse põhjal välja töötanud redigeeritava digitaalse tüüpvormi.

Need muudatused on parandanud omavahel seotud vedude ristviitamist ja lihtsustanud

aruandlust.

Aruandlustsükli jooksul tehti kindlaks vajadus parema teabevahetuse ja tüüpvormide

ühtsema haldamise järele. Ametliku menetluse puudumine teabe vahetamiseks võib

seada ohtu lubade andmise nõuetekohase järelevalve ja tuua kaasa ebakõlad

aruandluses. Näiteks on esinenud juhtumeid, kus transiidiriik on andnud nõusoleku

seoses loaga, mida ei ole veel antud või mis ei ole enam kehtiv, kuna teda ei oldud selle

andmise või tühistamise kuupäevast teavitatud, mille tulemuseks oli vastuoluline

aruandlus. Lahendusena on tehtud ettepanek töötada välja elektrooniline vahend

tüüpvormide vahetamiseks liikmesriikide vahel.

Komisjon tunnistab, et vaja on paremat liikmesriikide vahelist teabevahetust ja

transiidiriikide paremat teavitamist transiidiprotseduuridest.

5. JÄRELDUSED

Direktiivi rakendati nõuetekohaselt. Tüüpvormi kasutamisega tagati, et kõik

radioaktiivsete jäätmete ja kasutatud tuumkütuse piiriülesed veod ühenduses toimusid

asjaomaste liikmesriikide, sealhulgas transiidiriikide pädevate asutuste eelneval

nõusolekul. Komisjon sai kolmeaastasel aruandeperioodil kõigilt liikmesriikidelt

korrapäraselt teavet lubatud vedude kohta. Sellega oli tagatud radioaktiivsete jäätmete

ja kasutatud tuumkütuse vedude järelevalve ja kontroll kogu ühenduses. Aruandevormi

kasutamine, ehkki see ei ole kohustuslik, aitas ühtlustada andmete kogumist ja

minimeerida väärtõlgendamise ohtu. Seepärast on väga soovitatav selle kasutamist

jätkata.

Kokkuvõttes järeldab komisjon, et praegune Euratomi õigusraamistik, mis koosneb

vaatlusalusest direktiivist, põhiliste ohutusnormide direktiivist ja radioaktiivsete

jäätmete direktiivist, tagas ühendusesiseste piiriüleste radioaktiivsete materjalide

vedude võimalikult kõrgel tasemel ohutuse, hoides ioniseerivast kiirgusest tuleneva

ohu minimaalse. Sellegipoolest märgib komisjon, et võimalikud erinevused selles,

kuidas liikmesriigid radioaktiivseid jäätmeid määratlevad, võivad tekitada mõningaid

probleeme teavitamise ja nõusoleku andmise protsessis.

Komisjon on väljendanud ühes oma varasemas aruandes, mis käsitleb radioaktiivsete

jäätmete direktiivi rakendamist,25 kavatsust hinnata radioaktiivsete jäätmete direktiivi.

Pärast 18 aastat kestnud rakendamist kavatseb komisjon hinnata koos radioaktiivsete

jäätmete direktiiviga ka vaatlusalust direktiivi. See võimaldaks lihtsustada ja ühtlustada

nende kahe direktiivi kohaseid lihtsustamismeetmeid.

(25) Komisjoni 22. mai 2024. aasta aruanne nõukogule ja Euroopa Parlamendile nõukogu

direktiivi 2011/70/Euratom rakendamise kohta ning ülevaade ühenduse territooriumil olevate

kasutatud tuumkütuse ja radioaktiivsete jäätmete kohta ja osutatud materjalide tekkimise

tulevikuprognoos, COM(2024) 197 final.