Answer given by Ms Simson on behalf of the European Commission

Third countries have a sovereign right to decide whether and where to construct nuclear power plants (NPP) on their territory. As a candidate country, Turkey is expected to align its legislation with the EU acquis on nuclear safety. It requires nuclear installations to be designed, sited, constructed, commissioned and operated in a way to prevent accidents and mitigate consequences of accidents.

Turkey committed in 2011 to undertake a nuclear stress test on a voluntary basis in accordance with the specifications agreed by the Commission and the European Nuclear Safety Regulators Group (ENSREG). Seismic risks are among the aspects reviewed in a stress test.

Turkey has submitted its Stress Tests National Report for peer review by ENSREG experts in 2019. The ENSREG peer review will be launched soon with a view to being completed in 2022.

The EU stress test is a complementary peer review additional to those that should be carried out on all aspects of the siting, design and operation of an NPP at international level. The ultimate responsibility for the safety of the Akkuyu plant remains however fully that of the operator under the supervision of the national nuclear regulator.

The safety of the construction of the Akkuyu NPP is also regularly raised in the relevant meetings in the framework of the EU-Turkey Association Agreement.

During the last technical discussions[1], technical experts from Turkey and the Commission exchanged views on the organisation of the peer review of Turkey’s Stress Tests National Report by ENSREG, and Turkey was reminded of the importance of aligning their legislation to the Euratom acquis.

Dedicated technical meetings on the subject have not yet been held, but will take place in the context of the ENSREG peer review.

• [1] In the framework of the EU — Turkey Subcommittee No 6 on Transport, Environment, Energy and Trans-European Networks (Brussels, 16 and 17 October 2019).