The Nuclear Safety Council (CSN) held this morning, via videoconference, a bilateral meeting with the Portuguese Environmental Agency (APA), in which the commissioners Pilar Lucio and Francisco Castejón participated on behalf of the Spanish delegation, in addition to the technical director for Radiological Protection, Mª Fernanda Sánchez Ojanguren, along with other members of the CSN. On the side of the APA the meeting was attended by Ana Teresa Pérez, member of the Management Board, accompanied by the Head of Radiation Protection and Emergencies, João Martins, and the Head of International Affairs, Luis Morbey.

At this meeting, the text for a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the CSN and the APA has been agreed, which will also include another Portuguese institution, specifically, the General Inspection of Agriculture, Sea, Environment and Spatial Planning. It is expected that at the end of 2020 or in the first months of the next year, this MoU can be signed.

Likewise, within the framework of this meeting, it has been agreed to shortly review the cooperation protocol in matters of radiological and nuclear emergencies that both organizations signed in 2015 at the proposal of the APA.

This working meeting complies with the new Strategic Plan of the CSN 2020-2025, which includes the objective of continuing to collaborate with foreign regulatory authorities and international organisations to contribute to the continuous improvement and harmonization of processes of common interest, within the respective regulatory frameworks. In addition, in the field of bilateral relations, the CSN's international strategy is to strengthen technical and institutional collaboration with neighboring countries with common interests, such as Portugal.

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