2026
Spanish Nuclear Safety Council concludes IAEA General Conference attendance promoting nuclear safety and gender equity
Vice-President Pilar Lucio chairs 13th Nuclear Regulators for Gender Equity Group (NRGE) meeting
Spanish regulator holds bilateral meetings with counterparts from Germany, Argentina, Brazil, Kazakhstan, the Netherlands and Switzerland
The Spanish Nuclear Safety Council (CSN, for its acronym in Spanish) has concluded an intensive schedule of activities in Vienna at the 70th General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The Spanish delegation took part in the 11th Senior Regulators' Meeting, alongside bilateral meetings and other forums scheduled throughout the week.
During the event, participants exchanged operating experience and discussed topics such as the harmonisation of regulatory criteria and the global challenges involved in managing and overseeing nuclear safety and radiation protection. This high-level international forum enabled the heads of regulatory bodies to address a wide range of issues, from adapting regulatory frameworks to emerging technologies to strengthening regulatory independence.
CSN Vice-President Pilar Lucio co-chaired for the first time the Nuclear Regulators For Gender Equity (NRGE) meeting, alongside Ditebogo Kgomo from South Africa's National Nuclear Regulator. The 13th NRGE meeting brought together representatives from regulatory authorities worldwide. Focused on "Advancing Women in Leadership and Decision-Making Roles: Towards Real Equity", the session reaffirmed the participating institutions' commitment to promoting equity and diversity within nuclear regulatory bodies.
The group's two co-chairs met with IAEA Director-General Rafael Mariano Grossi, who also co-chairs the initiative, to present the NRGE latest updates and new proposals for the upcoming term. The Director-General noted first-hand the positive response this initiative has received from regulators, evidenced by the growing number of members joining the NRGE over the past year.
The Spanish delegation also played a prominent role in activities organised by the Ibero-American Forum of Radiological and Nuclear Regulatory Bodies (FORO), notably a side event focused on radiation safety culture in in the medical sector. This session provided a platform where FORO and other key organisations—including HERCA, IRPA, WHO, the University of Vienna and the IAEA itself—shared their perspectives and experiences on the significance of safety culture in medical applications.
The event also allowed presenting the outputs of FORO's technical program in these fields. As a member of FORO, the CSN delegation attended meetings with senior IAEA officials, including Director-General Grossi, Deputy Director-General and Head of the Department of Nuclear Safety and Security Karine Herviou, and the Director of the Division for Latin America and the Caribbean in the Department of Technical Cooperation, Luis Carlos Longoria Gándara. During these encounters, the authorities were presented with a copy of FORO's Technical Programme, recently published by the CSN.
Bilateral and institutional meetings
During the General Conference, the CSN carried out an extensive schedule of bilateral and institutional meetings to reinforce international cooperation. In this context, CSN President Juan Carlos Lentijo held a working meeting with IAEA Deputy Director-General Karine Herviou to review the main areas of collaboration between both organisations.
Similarly, discussions with the delegation from Germany's regulator (BMUKN) followed up on joint work regarding nuclear power plant decommissioning and radioactive waste management, as well as analysed fusion energy regulatoty framework based on the experience from the IFMIF-DONES project. In the meeting with Argentina's Nuclear Regulatory Authority (ARN), areas of mutual interest and ongoing collaboration within FORO were reviewed.
The bilateral agenda also included working meetings with the authorities from Brazil, the Netherlands and Switzerland. With Brazil's regulatory body (ANSN), the CSN reviewed the activities carried out in 2026 on crisis management and the Integrated Management System, and agreed cooperation priorities for 2027. The meeting with the President of the Netherlands' ANVS ensured continuity in joint work on gender equity initiatives andother regulatory synergies. Finally, the meeting with the Swiss regulator (ENSI) served to assess technical exchanges under the bilateral cooperation programme, coordinate initiatives within the INSPAG network, and schedule a high-level meeting between both organisations in Switzerland in early 2027 to address topics of mutual interest and visit relevant nuclear facilities.
The CSN carries out extensive international activities, which remain one of the institution's core strengths. Participation in these forums enables the CSN to continuously update and expand technical knowledge and operating best practices—both through cooperation with counterpart regulatory bodies and through international institutions such as the IAEA—to uphold the highest standards of nuclear safety and radiation protection.
