News release: “From 1 June 2011 onwards, all 143 nuclear power plants in the EU will be re-assessed using EU wide criteria. These are comprehensive tests as the Commission has called for which embrace both natural and man made hazards (i.e. effects of airplane crashes and terrorist attacks). The European Commission and the European Nuclear Safety Regulators’ Group (ENSREG) agreed today on the criteria covered and the way controls will be done. The European Commission and the European Nuclear Safety Regulators’ Group (ENSREG), which represents the 27 independent national authorities responsible for nuclear safety, have today agreed on the scope and the modalities for a comprehensive risk and safety assessment of EU nuclear power plants. The stress tests are re-assessments of the safety margins of the EU nuclear power plants. To guarantee the highest safety standards in the world, the EU draws the lessons from Fukushima and focuses in the tests on all sorts of natural disasters and includes also the effects of man-made accidents such as airplane crashes as well as terrorist or other malevolent attacks. All security-related aspects such as measures preventing terroristic attacks will be dealt separately, following discussions with Member States recognising among others the need for confidentiality.”