Commission opinion of 24 September 2001 concerning the plan for the disposal of radioactive waste from the Comurhex plant located in Pierrelatte in France, in accordance with Article 37 of the Euratom Treaty Official Journal C 281 , 05/10/2001 P. 0008 - 0008 Commission opinion of 24 September 2001 concerning the plan for the disposal of radioactive waste from the Comurhex plant located in Pierrelatte in France, in accordance with Article 37 of the Euratom Treaty (2001/C 281/06) (Only the French version is authentic) On 9 March 2001 the European Commission received from the French Government, in accordance with Article 37 of the Euratom Treaty, general data relating to the plan for the disposal of radioactive waste from the Comurhex plant.
On the basis of these data and additional information subsequently provided by the French Government, and following consultation with the group of experts, the Commission had drawn up the following opinion: (a) The distance between the plant and the closest Member States border (with the Republic of Italy) is 170 km, the nearest territories of other Member States being at about 250 km (Spain) and 420 km (Germany). (b) Under normal operating conditions, the discharges of liquid and gaseous effluents will not cause an exposure of the population in other Member States significant from the point view of health.
(c) Solid radioactive waste arising from the production at the Comurhex plant will be stored or disposed of in licensed sites in France. (d) In the event of unplanned discharges of radioactive material, which may follow an accident of the type and magnitude considered in the general data, the doses likely to be received by the population in other Member States would not be significant from the point of view of health. In conclusion, the Commission is of the opinion that the implementation of the plan for the disposal of radioactive waste from the Comurhex plant, both in normal operation and in the event of an accident of the type and magnitude considered in the general data, is not liable to result in the radioactive contamination, significant from the point of view of health, of the water, soil or airspace of another Member State.