European Union governments should consider the possibility of "stress tests" on European nuclear power stations to check they meet safety requirements, the EU's Executive Commission said on Tuesday.

"This is an idea that needs to be considered and it should be debated," Commission energy spokeswoman Marlene Holzner told a regular news briefing.

"It will also be one of the topics this afternoon that they will talk about - stress tests for nuclear power plants in Europe," she said ahead of a meeting of nuclear experts and energy ministers in Brussels.