European sustainability criteria for the import of uranium

By adopting clear sustainability criteria for the import of uranium the EU can to live up to its recognition that a high level of nuclear safety worldwide must be promoted worldwide and to ensure that the use of nuclear energy is well regulated and environmentally sound.

The EU must be selective and careful with its import of uranium, because

• of increasing European imports of uranium from Africa,
• expanding activities in Africa of important European uranium mining and milling companies such as Areva,
• lacking and/or inadequate uranium mining and milling regulation in most African countries, and
• severe negative environmental, health and social impacts of uranium mining and milling

Sustainability criteria
Sustainable criteria are highly needed to guarantee that the European demand for natural uranium does not contribute to environmental degradation, the abuse of the rights of workers and the general public, and conflict in Africa.

Lack of European sustainability criteria for uranium imports
Even though the EU acknowledges that health and safety of workers and the general public need to be protected against and that the environment should not be contaminated by dangerous ionizing radiations, the EU has not formulated any criteria for the import of uranium to prevent this from happening outside the EU.