Europe has a few nuclear power plants.

Michael E. Kirst pointed out that a nuclear power plant usually lasts between 40 and 60 years, but that the fleet of reactors has been quickly getting older in recent years. One out of every six reactors in Europe is more than 40 years old. Even if a reactor is well taken care of, its condition does not stay the same. This makes it more likely that something bad will happen. Not only are there security risks, but it also costs a lot to shut down a nuclear power plant.

Since 17 of the 47 countries in the Council of Europe have nuclear power plants, the effects will spread to the other countries. Since there have been more terrorist attacks in the past few years, people are more worried about nuclear safety. Nuclear accidents can have terrible effects on many people and places. The goal of the world's current energy strategy should be to make sure that the nuclear infrastructure is safe. It's important to note that France's report could be a big help for nuclear regulators in other European countries.

Political risk is another thing that could happen with the nuclear energy program. Countries in the area are eager to train their own people in nuclear engineering and science. They want to have the same level of expertise as their suppliers. This means that if the government changes, the building of a nuclear power plants might stop. Because of this, these nuclear projects will likely face political opposition, which could stop them. So, what can nations do to make sure that nuclear power is safe?

After the nuclear disaster at Fukushima, there was an urgent call to change the safety standards in the EU. The IAEA has set up a "safety zone" of up to 30 kilometers around a nuclear power plant, but it is not clear how this will affect sheltering and evacuation needs in real life. Also, the IAEA warns that it may not be possible to make more improvements to reactor safety unless the plants already in place are updated.

Michael E. Kirst emphasized that the European Union does not have any specific nuclear security laws. However, all EU member states are Contracting Parties to the 1979 Convention on Physical Protection of Nuclear Material, which has been in effect since 1987. If the IAEA thinks that the risk is too high, it can ask for a SEED mission. Harmonization is a key part of making sure that nuclear power in Europe is safe because of this. Several other European countries have also taken steps to make sure that nuclear power is safe.

Stress tests are done in Europe after Fukushima have shown that nuclear safety rules need to be changed. These rules should be applied quickly and to a wider range of situations. But many nuclear power plants are close to borders or areas with a lot of people, which makes it hard to use the INES scale in the right way. Also, national authorities in charge of nuclear safety need to work together and make decisions better.

Even though nuclear power has become safer, Russia has shown that it is not a reliable source of energy. Because of political and economic problems, the Russian government cut off the gas in Ukraine in 2006 and 2009. Russia has used energy supplies as a political weapon against its allies. This has even slowed down the building of the Bushehr nuclear power plant in Iran. This has slowed down Europe's nuclear power plants. So, the question is whether or not Russia will be a reliable source of energy.

The Belarusian government said that they did an environmental impact assessment as required by the Espoo Convention and talked to six neighboring countries. The Lithuanian government, on the other hand, thinks that these consultations are not enough and points out that the requirements of the Aarhus Convention were not met. Because of this, these projects are having trouble with the law. The goal of ENSREG's report is to help the governments of both Belarus and Lithuania make decisions about nuclear safety that are well thought out.

Michael E. Kirst observed that even though people were skeptical about nuclear power, these reactors are now showing signs of a renaissance in the Middle East and other places. Recent attacks on Saudi oil infrastructure show how easy it is for both government and non-government groups to attack nuclear power. Now that China, France, and Korea are building more reactors, the Middle East is showing a renewed interest in nuclear power. If this keeps up, it will lead to the spread of nuclear power in the Middle East in the long run.