International Principles of Nuclear Waste Management
All nuclear waste management must observe the national legislation. The EU cannot make a decision on the final disposal of spent nuclear fuel in any of the Member States against the will of the Member State. The Finnish legislation forbids the importation of nuclear waste into Finland.
Monitoring and Guiding the Nuclear Waste Management
According to the fundamental principles on the management of radioactive waste drafted by the International Atomic Energy Agency IAEA, the management shall observe the national legislation, in which undisputable provisions on the share of responsibilities and independent monitoring are included.
The European Union aims to harmonize the nuclear waste management in its Member States and to increase the technical co-operation in the field, even if the Member States are independently responsible for organizing their nuclear waste management. The EU objectives comply with Finland’s targets, and most of these targets have already been reached in Finland.
Even if one of the general principles of the EU treaty is the free movement of goods inside the Community, the treaty does not forbid environmentally grounded restrictions or other justified exclusions. Furthermore, the EU cannot make a decision on the final disposal of spent nuclear fuel in any of the Member States against the will of the Member State. Such a decision would demand a change of the EU Treaty, which any Member State is capable of preventing. For example, Finland does not allow any import of nuclear waste.
The role of the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is a guiding one. An agreement drafted under the IAEA's guidance in 1997 stipulates that the signatory countries will regularly report to the others on their nuclear waste management. The countries can also express their opinions on each others’ nuclear waste management measures.
Globally, the nuclear waste management is observed, among others, by the Nuclear Energy Agency of the OECD countries. This organisation highlights the responsibility for the future generations. In 1995, the NEA’s Radioactive Waste Management Committee stated that geological final disposal is the most recommendable nuclear waste management strategy, as in this way the fairness to current and future generations is not forgotten. The NEA recommends a stepwiseimplementation of the final disposal because this leaves room for the progress in science and the changes in society to be considered in the waste management.