The Council of the European Union has issued a corrigendum to the Slovak language version of Council Directive 2011/70/Euratom, which establishes the Community framework for the responsible and safe management of spent fuel and radioactive waste. The correction, published on 3 August 2026, amends Article 4, paragraph 4, first subparagraph, on page 53 of the Official Journal, clarifying the conditions under which radioactive waste may be disposed of outside the Member State where it was produced.
The original Slovak phrase "s výnimkou prípadu, ak v čase prepravy vstúpi do platnosti dohoda" (with the exception of the case where an agreement enters into force at the time of transport) is replaced by "pokiaľ v čase jeho prepravy neplatí dohoda" (provided that an agreement is not in force at the time of its transport). This is a technical correction to one language version, classified as an obvious error under Procedure 2(b), and does not alter the substance of the directive. The corrected text confirms that radioactive waste must be disposed of in the Member State where it was produced, unless an agreement with another Member State or a third country is in force at the time of transport, taking into account criteria set by the Commission under Article 16(2) of Directive 2006/117/Euratom.
Member States have eight days from publication to submit observations on the corrigendum, which must be sent to the Council's legal service at dql.rectificatifs@consilium.europa.eu. The directive, originally adopted on 19 July 2011, sets out binding obligations for EU countries to ensure the safe management of spent fuel and radioactive waste, including the principle of disposal in the country of origin. This correction clarifies the legal text for Slovak-speaking stakeholders, ensuring that the condition for cross-border disposal is a valid agreement in force at the time of transport, rather than one that merely enters into force.
The impact of this corrigendum is limited to the Slovak version of the directive and does not change the obligations for other Member States or the overall regulatory framework. For national authorities in Slovakia, the corrected text removes ambiguity about the timing of agreements, potentially affecting future decisions on waste transport. For operators in the nuclear and radioactive waste management sector, the clarification provides legal certainty about the conditions under which waste can be shipped abroad, reducing the risk of misinterpretation. The European Commission, which sets the criteria for such agreements, will continue to apply the same standards across all language versions. The corrigendum is a routine administrative step, with no broader policy implications, but it ensures consistency in the application of EU law across all official languages.