The nuclear stress tests announced after the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011 were supposed to be a transparent exercise to reduce the risk of nuclear energy in Europe. As a result of the EU stress tests, the countries with nuclear power stations worked out national action plans to address weaknesses that emerged during the two years of analysis.
Greenpeace activists at Ringhals Nuclear Power Station after breaching its perimeter fences. The activists were 'stress testing' the facility to alert the public, the nuclear industry and Swedish Ministry of Environment on the serious safety deficiencies of the nuclear facility.
In May 2012, Greenpeace commissioned a study independently analysing the outcomes of the stress tests. A year later, one of the lead-authors of this study took a closer look to what extent the national action plans are indeed sufficiently addressing the identified concerns.