ONDRAF/NIRAS, the Belgian National Agency for Radioactive Waste and Enriched Fissile Materials, has submitted the licence application for the surface disposal facility for Belgian Category A waste to the Federal Agency for Nuclear Control (FANC) 31 January 2013. This brings ONDRAF/NIRAS one step closer to constructing and operating the disposal facility in Dessel. It is the first milestone of a phased licensing programme, with the objective of a safe repository in the short and long term.

Further investigations into building an underground nuclear waste store in Cumbria have been rejected. Cumbria County Council vetoed a move to "Stage 4" of the search for a site for the radioactive waste facility. The stage included detailed geological investigations and discussions over the social and economic implications. The county council ruled out Allerdale Borough, although that council was due to vote on the issue. Copeland Borough Council voted in favour the plans.

The deployment, on a large scale, of European and international collaborative research, development, and demonstration for deep geological disposal follows from the IGD-TP initiative, a dedicated technology platform launched in 2009.

The proposed maximum contribution from the Nuclear Account to local communities was enhanced to CZK 4 million per year.

Working Group for Transparency of the Site Selection Process of a Deep Geological Repository was established in the Czech Republic