A coordination meeting for the IAEA technical cooperation project INT9/1/76, 'Strengthening Cradle-to-Grave Control of Radioactive Sources in the Mediterranean Region' has taken place at IAEA headquarters, Vienna, from 21 to 24 October 2013. Sixteen participants from 14 countries attended the meeting, which allowed project participants to discuss, share and evaluate the project results achieved so far, as well as the implementation and programming strategies for 2014-2015. Other needs identified by Member States during the course of the project were also discussed. Participants examined opportunities for enhancing regional and interregional collaboration in the management of disused sealed radioactive sources (DSRSs), as well as transport issues associated with DSRSs. Other EU funded projects and future technical cooperation projects were also discussed, with the objective of delivering a more efficient technical cooperation.
Each country counterpart presented the current status and plans of their national infrastructure for cradle-to-grave control and management of radioactive sources, enabling participants to gain an overall view of project achievements so far. The work plan for the next 2 years was agreed upon, and future collaboration and coordination beyond the project timeline was also agreed, with many countries keen to offer expertise to other countries in this field.