Contenido principal
2023
The CSN maintains intense international agenda during 67th IAEA General Conference
Representatives from 177 States participate in meeting where around 50 parallel events are organized
The CSN attended parallel meetings with FORO, INRA, the GNSSN, the high-level group on gender equality and Senior Regulators
A delegation from the Spanish Nuclear Safety Council (CSN) led by its president, Juan Carlos Lentijo, has participated in the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) 67th General Conference taking place this week in Vienna. In it, representatives of 177 IAEA member states attend their annual meeting, which is the most important meeting of the year on the Agency's agenda. Lentijo, along with the commissioners Javier Dies, Pilar Lucio, and Elvira Romera, has participated in different meetings such as the Plenary of the Ibero-American Forum of Radiological and Nuclear Regulatory Agencies (FORO) and the meeting of the International Nuclear Regulators Association (INRA), composed by the highest officials of the most experienced countries in the nuclear activities regulation.
This international conference is designed as a meeting to discuss priority issues in nuclear safety and radiation protection, as well as to address energy issues or the use of radiation in other areas. It is an unavoidable date in the sector, given the multitude of parallel events organized which promote cooperation between countries and the establishment of collaboration ties with national and regional organisations.
During this week, the delegates approved different documents, such as the 2022 Annual Report and the 2024 budget, and debated the strengthening of activities related to science, technology, and nuclear applications. Among other topics, they addressed different aspects of the work of the IAEA, from the Low Enriched Uranium Bank, which creates a safe supply of nuclear fuel to a panel with the aim of promoting cooperation between international experts. The delegates also held technical meetings to address issues related to the IAEA's nuclear safety and security and the strengthening of the effectiveness and improvement of the efficiency of the agency's safeguards.
Senior Regulators
The CSN also participated in the meeting of Senior Regulators of the IAEA, where commissioner Lucio presented the work carried out by the CSN in the field of nuclear safety and recalled the importance of this type of forums for the exchange of knowledge and learning based on experience. Through this activity, the Spanish regulator seeks to reinforce the interaction with its counterparts and several regional networks, improve its coordination with the IAEA Global Nuclear Safety Network and promote greater participation of member states. Likewise, it is intended to prioritise large-scale advisory missions to raise awareness among the senior management of the receiving countries and advise them on required matters.
In the framework of this conference, the Plenary Meeting of the IAEA Global Nuclear Safety and Security Network (GNSSN) was held to assess all its recent activities and progress made in the last year. Its president, the Spaniard Alfredo de los Reyes, currently responsible for International Relations at the CSN, inaugurated the meeting with Rafael Grossi, Director General of the IAEA. He commented on the achievements of this network, the results of the International Conference on Effective Nuclear and Radiation Regulatory Systems (RegCon2023) and presented the Nuclear Ferris Wheel Application project and its future development.
IAEA member states discussed also developing and strengthening technical and scientific capabilities for regulatory functions, improving safety in decommissioning, managing radioactive waste from NORM activities, and a new interregional uranium legacy project initiative in the GNSSN framework.
In this context, the FORO took the opportunity to meet with the IAEA authorities to continue the cooperation of both institutions with the shared goal of improving radiological, nuclear and security in the region. In addition, the IAEA has committed to promoting the participation of experts from Ibero-American regulators in its missions.
Morocco bilateral
During the General Conference, the Spanish regulatory body held a bilateral meeting with the Moroccan Agency for Nuclear and Radiological Safety (AMSSNuR), with which it maintains close collaboration on several projects.
During the meeting, both delegations reviewed the joint activities carried out since a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the CSN and the Moroccan regulator in 2018, including the success of the assistance project to Morocco, completed in 2022 under the auspices of the European Commission's INSC (Instrument for Nuclear Safety Cooperation) and led by the CSN. AMSSNuR expressed interest in strengthening its collaboration with the Spanish regulator, specifically in the areas of periodic safety reviews for its research reactor and the licensing of protontherapy facilities.
The two regulators agreed to hold a new bilateral meeting to also discuss topics such as the safe management of low and medium-level radioactive waste, emergency planning and response, or the licensing of medical radiation facilities.
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.
Click here to check the technical terms glossary