Municipalities from all four sites where the state is considering building a deep repository for radioactive waste filed a complaint with the European Commission for breach of the directive on the assessment of the effects of plans and programmes on the environment (SEA). The Czech News Agency reported this on 15 October 2026. The complaint was prepared and filed by the law firm Doucha Šikola.[1][2]
Subject of the complaint
The municipalities argue that the update of the Concept for the Management of Radioactive Waste and Spent Nuclear Fuel in the Czech Republic will not undergo a detailed SEA assessment. According to them, the Ministry of the Environment ended the screening procedure in June without an assessment, although the government is to approve the concept. The municipalities say the ministry did not properly justify its conclusion that the updated concept to 2035, prepared by the Ministry of Industry and Trade, would not be assessed. The concept determines the list of repository sites, the schedule of its construction and other plans for waste management. The government approved the last update in November 2017, and it was assessed.[1][2]
Michael Forman, spokesman of the Platform against the Deep Repository and mayor of Horažďovice, said the municipalities consider a new SEA process necessary because, in their view, the repository's capacity is being increased many times over. The Ministry of the Environment's spokeswoman Veronika Krejčí said in June that the impacts will be dealt with by the EIA process once the final choice of site and the technical parameters are known, and that the concept contains only general and formal changes.[1][2]
Filers
The submission was filed jointly by the municipalities of Cejle for the Hrádek site, Chanovice for the Březový potok site, Rudíkov for the Horka site and Temelín for the Janoch site. Each site is represented by one municipality with the support of 25 others, said Edvard Sequens of the Calla association (Sdružení pro záchranu prostředí Calla).[1][2]
Chronology
- — Municipalities from sites where a nuclear waste repository could be built lodged a complaint with the European Commission. ČTK / České noviny Ekolist.cz
Sources
- ČTK / České noviny — 15 October 2026
- Ekolist.cz — 15 October 2026