EU debates nuclear safety

BRUSSELS, April 7 (UPI) -- In light of Japan's nuclear disaster, European lawmakers expressed concern over the status of the regional nuclear power sector during debates in Parliament

Residents within 12 miles of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear facility have been ordered to leave the area and those within a 12-to-18-mile radius must stay indoors. The magnitude-9 earthquake and tsunami that struck March 11 in Japan crippled the country's nuclear energy sector.

Lawmakers in the European Parliament debated the lessons of the Japanese nuclear disaster. Most agreed that more inspections were needed for Europe's nuclear reactors, though some members criticized the voluntary mechanism proposed by the European Commission.

Members of Parliament said there was a need for independent experts to supervise stress tests at European reactors. Apart from nuclear energy, many members expressed a need for more renewable energy resources in the European energy mix, the European Parliament said in a statement.

Several members during a debate on nuclear safety said individual states should decide on the makeup of their energy mix.