The Eurobarometer survey was commissioned by the Energy and Transportation Department under the European Commission’s "Energy Policy for Europe" action plan launched in early 2007, which puts "new emphasis on nuclear safety and security." The opinion survey was conducted in the 27 EU member countries in February and March 2008, and involved interviewing a representative sample of 26,746 European citizens age 15 and up. In addition to the waste management issue, which was introduced for the first time in this latest survey, an important point is that in 1998 and 2001, the change in European attitudes was measured based on a 15-member EU, whereas in 2005 it was based on a 25-member one and in 2008 there were 27 members.