A delegation of the Spanish Nuclear Safety Council (CSN), headed by its president, Juan Carlos Lentijo, participates in the 67th General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which began yesterday in Vienna and ends next Friday. The meeting brings together representatives from member states, international organizations, and non-governmental organizations to discuss the current state of the sector and its most immediate challenges.

During the opening, the IAEA Director General, Rafael Grossi, reviewed the work and achievements of the Agency in the last year. The Agency's top official, who has been re-elected for a second four year term, emphasized the programs to help research into cancer, as well as the medical applications of ionizing radiation in countries with fewer resources. Similarly, he enumerated those projects that the IAEA has underway, such as the ZODIAC disease prevention project, or the scholarships for students in the Marie Curie program.

In the CSN delegation, in addition to the president Juan Carlos Lentijo, the commissioners Javier Dies, Pilar Lucio, and Elvira Romera participate. In the framework of the event, the representatives of the CSN held a meeting with Rafael Grossi to discuss issues of interest to both institutions. "The collaboration between the Spanish regulator and the IAEA remains strategic and both institutions maintain fluid communication," Lentijo commented at the end of the meeting.

The IAEA General Conference, which is held annually, has as its milestones on its agenda, the presentation of its status and the improvements that reinforce the programs of nuclear safety, radiation protection, and transportation. It also addresses issues such as waste management, technological applications, technical cooperation, reinforcement of nuclear security programs, and improvements in the efficiency of safeguards systems.

Spanish statement

The Spanish Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Ángeles Moreno Bau, presented the Spanish statement. This year it was also made on behalf of the Council of the European Union, as Spain holds the rotating Presidency. In her intervention, Moreno Bau highlighted the Union's support for the IAEA's nuclear safety and security conventions to achieve a "robust" global architecture in these areas and the peaceful uses of nuclear energy to achieve the objectives of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. She also stressed that the EU is the largest donor of funds to promote Marie Curie scholarships.

Parallel events

Making the most of the framework of the IAEA General Conference, a busy parallel agenda takes place. The Spanish delegation is participating in several meetings and events of interest to the regulator, such as the 52nd meeting of the International Nuclear Regulators Association (INRA), which was inaugurated by Gerrit Niehaus, Director General of Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection at the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection.

The President of the CSN, Juan Carlos Lentijo, highlighted the support of INRA to the IAEA in the activities carried out in Ukraine to ensure that the Ukrainian regulator has the necessary conditions to be able to carry out its work. On the other hand, Lentijo also underlined the work of the French regulator, which has carried out consultation work with stakeholders for decision making on waste management.

Similarly, the Spanish representatives were present at the inauguration of the exhibitor of the Ibero-American Forum of Radiological and Nuclear Regulatory Agencies (FORO) and the CSN will also participate in the plenary meeting of the global GNSSN (Global Nuclear Safety and Security Network) together with Alfredo de los Reyes, responsible for the international relations area of the CSN and president of this global network.

These events are added to a busy agenda with events and sessions such as the workshop on decision-making processes in deep geological repository projects or the presentation of the IFMIF – DONES project, whose consortium is promoting the candidacy of Granada to host the international facility.

Bilaterals and Memorandum of Understanding

The Spanish delegation held a bilateral meeting with the Swiss nuclear regulatory authority (ENSI), in which they discussed issues related to the regulatory practices carried out by the CSN in operational radiation protection and the upcoming IPPAS follow-up mission (International Physical Protection Advisory Service), which will be chaired by Pedro Lardiez, head of the CSN's Security area and chairman of the IAEA Nuclear Security Guidance Committee. The Spanish representatives also held bilateral meetings with the delegations of Netherlands and the United Arab Emirates.

As a result of the work carried out in recent months, the CSN has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Nuclear and Radiological Regulatory Commission of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (NRRC). The document, signed by the highest representatives of both institutions, has a duration of five years and focuses on operational experience and lessons learned from nuclear accidents, emergency management, human capacity development, as well as research and development.

For more information on the progress of the General Conference, the IAEA website offers an informative special and a live streaming service of the plenary sessions, which can be accessed through the following link.