• English
  • العربية
  • 中文
  • Français
  • Русский
  • Español

You are here

EU Contributes to IAEA´s Security Initiatives

Tomihiro Taniguchi, Head of the IAEA Nuclear Safety and Security Department and Deputy Director General, signing the agreement. In the background, Ambassador Lars-Erik Lundin, from the delegation of the European Commission (EC) to the IAEA. (Photo: D. Calma/IAEA)

A European Community contribution of € 7.7 million to support the IAEA´s efforts against the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and the illegal trafficking of nuclear material was agreed today in Vienna.

The EU Joint Action IV agreement, which is aimed at supporting nuclear security activities in Southeast Asia, is the fourth of its kind and follows similar agreements signed in the past for South-Eastern Europe, Central Asia, the Caucasus, the Mediterranean region, and the Middle East and Africa.

The terms of the agreement focus on the following areas: legislative and regulatory assistance; strengthening of the security and control of nuclear and other radioactive materials; and the strengthening of states´ capabilities for the detection and response to illicit trafficking. "This agreement will provide significant support to the IAEA in its efforts of assisting Member States to become more effective in nuclear security and implement the new international instruments to this goal," said the IAEA´s Tomihiro Taniguchi, Head of the Nuclear Safety and Security Department and Deputy Director General.

The agreement is part of the EU´s strategy against the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, of which cooperation with the IAEA is a significant part. "This is a very good illustration of what the cooperation between the EU and the IAEA can be like," commented Francois-Xavier Deniau, France´s Ambassador to the IAEA.

Ambassador Lars-Erik Lundin, from the delegation of the European Commission (EC) to the IAEA, stressed the importance of deal signed. "This agreement is a political manifestation of the EU´s implementation of its strategy against the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction... It is a signal of recognition of the importance of the work of the IAEA from the EU," he said.

Last update: 27 Jul 2017

Stay in touch

Newsletter