The raison d'être of ONDRAF/NIRAS is to manage radioactive waste in
such a way as to effectively protect the general public and the environment
at all times against the potential hazards arising from this type of waste.
Radioactivity decays naturally, but until the radioactivity in waste has
decreased to a level that is acceptable for public health, scrupulous measures
must be taken to ensure that the radiation cannot cause any harm.
On the
6th of June 2003 ONDRAF/NIRAS addressed a memorandum to the future
Federal government. In this document, ONDRAF/NIRAS explains the priorities
of the radioactive waste management in Belgium which should lead to a governmental
decision during the next administration.
Read the document in French
or Dutch.
Legal
clauses
See French
or Dutch.
International
conventions
First meeting of the Contracting Parties to the "Joint Convention"
on the Safety Fuel Management and the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management
(November 2003 - text can be downloaded on the website of FANC/AFCN).
This meeting was dedicated, among others, to the discussion of the
Belgian national report which meets the obligations of the convention.
The report was submitted by Belgium in May 2003. The "Joint Convention"
was ratified by Belgium on 5 September 2002 and is applicable since 4
December 2002.
Government supervision of ONDRAF/NIRAS
Since ONDRAF/NIRAS is a public agency, it has to report regularly to the
Minister in charge
— the
Minister of Energy —
and also submits an annual report of its activities to Parliament.
Various government agencies supervise the parties responsible for managing
radioactive waste, among them ONDRAF/NIRAS:
| • |
the
Ministry of Economic Affairs, Energy Directorate |
| • |
the
Federal Agency for Nuclear Control (FANC/AFCN). |
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