The Spanish Nuclear Safety Council (CSN) represented by its commissioner Elvira Romera, participates in the international conference that takes place this week in Vienna, organised by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on the Safety and Security of Radioactive Sources.

Commissioner Romera contributed in the first session of the conference with a speech on the national experiences in safety and security of radioactive sources in which she explained the ways of collaboration and cooperation that reinforce safety and security in this matter within the Spanish regulator.

During her intervention, the CSN commissioner highlighted the importance of international cooperation to improve safety in this area and explained that it is a priority for the Spanish regulator, as stated in its Law of Creation and in its Strategic Plan. Similarly, the commissioner explained the functioning of the regulatory body in relation to the legal framework development applicable to the safety and security of radioactive sources.

Romera pointed out that international cooperation is essential in the radiological field to strengthen safety and security throughout the world and gave examples of alliances that the Council maintains through its four pillars: international conventions, forums of international regulatory bodies and the European Union; bilateral agreements; and assistance and cooperation to other countries. The commissioner concluded with Spain's commitment to the IAEA Code of Conduct on the Safety and Security of Radioactive Sources as promoting the exchange of information between regional and thematic networks.

Conference program

The purpose of the conference is to foster the exchange of experiences and anticipated future developments related to establishing and maintaining a high level of safety and security of radioactive sources throughout their life cycle.

The work program of the meeting includes six sessions on state experiences in safety and security of radioactive sources, international instruments to improve their safety and security at a global level, collaboration and cooperation or incident and emergency management. In addition, the conference features twenty-five technical sessions as well as interactive content presentations, discussions and side events.

The technical sessions address topics such as regulatory oversight, lessons learned during the pandemic, safety culture, or emerging technologies related to radioactive sources. The CSN will participate next Wednesday in two of the technical sessions with the interventions of Alfredo de los Reyes, head of International Relations of the CSN and president of the Global Nuclear Safety and Security Network, in the session in which he will introduce means of collaboration and cooperation to strengthen safety and security of radioactive sources; and Isabel Villanueva, technician from the Spanish regulator who will chair the session on awareness raising and coordination among stakeholders.

* Check here the glossary of technical terms *