Michel HERZEELE - EESC European Economic and Social Committee

EU Crisis Communication during the 2011
Tohoku Pacific Earthquake and
the Accident at Fukushima NPP
Michel Herzeele
Head of Sector
DG Energy
Radiation Protection
Commission role in a radiological emergency
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Protection of the general public in emergency situations is a
national responsibility (Directive 96/29/EURATOM)
Informing the general public is a national responsibility
(Directive 89/618/EURATOM)
In legal terms the Commission has a limited role in a
radiological emergency situation:
» Early exchange of information between the EU States (ECURIE
»
and EURDEP) (Council Decision 87/600/EURATOM
Community emergency foodstuffs and feedingstuffs regulations
In practice the Commission will also face the following tasks:
» Information to the public through the media (EU level actions)
» Respond to information and assistance requests
» Preparation for political action
Information flow during an emergency
European Commission
DG ENER
Commissioner
Director General
Director ENER D
Porte Parole
E
C
U
R
I
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ENER D.4 Radiation Protection
Emergency
Team
DG EEAS
DG ECHO
EC Security
Office 24h
ECURIE
Duty
Officer 24h
Other MS
DG JRC
DG SANCO
IAEA
Media / General Public
Other int. org.
Member
States
Accident
State
I
A
C
R
N
A
N
e
t
w
o
r
k
Switzerland
Croatia
IAEA ERC
Other
Candidate
Countries
ECURIE and EURDEP
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ECURIE -European Community Urgent Radiological
Information Exchange
»
ECURIE is an emergency communication network
between Member State authorities
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EURDEP - EUropean Radiological Data Exchange
Platform
»
EURDEP is an automatic system to exchange
environmental radioactivity monitoring data
EURDEP website (http://eurdep.jrc.ec.europa.eu)
Dose rate data from Japan on EURDEP
Relationship ECURIE - EURDEP
• ECURIE is used to “push” information
• First alert message
• Countermeasures
• Information released to the public
• Accident development etc.
• Two message types (Alert and Information)
• Not for sending questions, discussion etc.
• EURDEP is used to “make available” environmental
measurement data
• Gamma dose rates from automatic measurement stations
• Radioactivity concentration in air
• Meteorological data
• Results of mobile/airborne measurements etc.
What happened in Fukushima?
Fukushima Dai-ichi
DG Energy communication activity during the
Fukushima emergency
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Unit ENER D4 maintained 24h emergency activation for
three weeks in Luxembourg
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Tried to understand what is happening…
ECURIE message handling
Media monitoring
Situation updates to EC internal services (in practice very
quickly forwarded also outside the EC)
Communication of binding food and feed regulations and
non-binding guidelines concerning incoming ships and
containers through ECURIE
Summary sheets of EU Member States protective
recommendations
Press release support to EC Spokesman service
Support to EC delegation in Tokyo
Questions & Answers service
ECURIE during the Fukushima emergency
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No radiological threat on the EU territory
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No ECURIE Alert messages
Dozens of ECURIE Information messages
forwarded to the EU States
Partial duplication of IAEA messages due to
overlapping mandates
EURDEP during the Fukushima emergency
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EURDEP provides up to date information on the
radiation situation at >4000 national monitoring
points in 32 countries.
No enhanced levels of radiation dose rate were
detected in Europe as a result of the Fukushima
accident
Very low levels of airborne concentration were
measured in high volume air samplers
»
Only a few countries were prepared to exchange
this type of data through EURDEP
Discussion post-Fukushima
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..
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European nuclear emergency discussion forum
» How to facilitate discussion among authorities?
• Urgent Audio/Videoconferencing between ECURIE Competent
Authorities (third communication layer in addition to ECURIE and
EURDEP?)
• Example already available at the EU Health Security Committee
(communicable diseases, etc.)
• HERCA initiative proposed
Communication to the public
» How to position yourself in the communication overflow?
Quality of information
» How to maintain accuracy and avoid circulating wrong or
duplicate information?
Global environmental radiation data exchange system is needed
» EURDEP technology has been made available to the IAEA for this
purpose
Need to rewrite the IAEA Early Notification Convention?
More info
» http://ec.europa.eu/energy/nuclear/radiat
ion_protection/emergency_en.htm
THANK YOU