Regulation 2014/237 - Instrument for Nuclear Safety Cooperation - Main contents

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

L 77/109

The Instrument for Nuclear Safety Cooperation, established by Council Regulation (Euratom) No 300/2007 (2), constitutes one of the instruments providing direct support for the external policies of the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community.

The Union is a major provider of economic, financial, technical, humanitarian and macroeconomic assistance to third countries. This Regulation forms part of the framework devised for the planning of cooperation and the provision of assistance aimed at supporting the promotion of a high level of nuclear safety, radiation protection and the application of efficient and effective safeguards of nuclear material in third countries.

The Chernobyl accident in 1986 highlighted the global importance of nuclear safety. The Fukushima Daiichi accident in 2011 confirmed the need for continued efforts to improve nuclear safety and reach the highest standards. To create the conditions of safety necessary in order to eliminate hazards to the life and health of the public, the Community should be able to support nuclear safety in third countries.

By acting within common policies and strategies with its Member States, the Union alone has the critical mass to respond to global challenges and is also best placed to coordinate cooperation with third countries.

By Commission Decision 1999/819/Euratom (3), the Community acceded to the 1994 Convention on Nuclear Safety. By Commission Decision 2005/510/Euratom (4), the Community also acceded to the Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management.

In order to maintain and promote the continuous improvement of nuclear safety and its regulation, the Council adopted Directive 2009/71/Euratom (5) and Directive 2011/70/Euratom (6). These Directives and the high standards of nuclear safety and of radioactive waste and spent fuel management implemented in the Community are examples to be used in order to encourage third countries to adopt similar high standards.

The promotion of regulatory and other forms of cooperation with emerging economies and the promotion of Union approaches, rules, standards and practices are external policy objectives of the Europe 2020 strategy.

The Community Member States are signatory parties of the Non Proliferation Treaty and the Additional Protocol.

The Community already pursues close cooperation, in accordance with Chapter 10 of the Treaty establishing the European Atomic Energy Community (‘Euratom Treaty’), with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), both in relation to nuclear safeguards, in furtherance of the objectives of Chapter 7 of Title Two of the Euratom Treaty, and in relation to nuclear safety.

There are a number of international organisations and programmes pursuing objectives similar to those of this Regulation, such as the IAEA, Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development/Nuclear Energy Agency (OECD/NEA), European Bank of Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the Northern Dimension Environmental Partnership (NDEP).

There is a particular need for the Community to continue its efforts in support of the application of...