The Spanish Nuclear Safety Council (CSN, by its acronym in Spanish) has received the visit of the Deputy General Director of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Juan Carlos Lentijo. The visit has begun with an institutional meeting between Lentijo and the members of the Board; the chaiman of the CSN, José Mª Serena i Sender and the commissioners Javier Dies, Elvira Romera, Pilar Lucio and Francisco Castejón, accompanied by the General Secretary, Manuel Rodríguez.

The agenda discussed between the IAEA and the CSN has been very broad dealing with matters related to the drafting and publication of regulations where the IAEA has a Safety Standards Committee with international experts, including the commissioner Javier Dies.

They have also commented other issues such as the review of the safety of the Member States through different missions and, in particular, on the combined mission IRRS and ARTEMIS that Spain received in 2018. They have also spoken about the assistance to the technical cooperation program, the different research activities in process and everything related to the training and qualification of the staff, in which the working group on Knowledge Management to which the Spanish regulator belongs has stood out. Other aspects dealt with in this meeting have been international networks, conventions, the coordination of extra-budgetary projects or the organization of international conferences.

Finally, the main challenges and improvements faced by both organizations have been highlighted: the hiring of national experts by the IAEA, participation at a higher level in the working groups, international conferences and meetings to review the conventions, exchanges for work in Vienna for a limited time or promote the development of projects or working groups of interest to the regulatory body.

 

Juan Carlos Lentijo has held numerous responsibilities for 28 years in the Spanish regulatory body and, from 2003 until his incorporation in 2012 to the IAEA, he held the position of technical director of Radiological Protection.

The IAEA was established in 1957 as an independent international governmental organization associated with the United Nations system. Its activities have

as a mission to promote a high level of technological and physical security in the peaceful applications of nuclear energy in its member countries. The mission of the IAEA is based on three pillars or work areas: Nuclear and Radiological Safety, Science and Technology and Safeguards.