For nearly 10 years, the European Union (EU) has been providing important financial support to nuclear safety activities carried out by the IAEA's technical cooperation (TC) programme. The EU is an important strategic partner for the IAEA, not only as regards financing, but in promoting nuclear and radiation safety as well.
IAEA cooperation with the EU in the field of nuclear safety was formally inaugurated in 2005 through an EU Contribution Agreement. Since then, several bilateral instruments have been signed with the intention of supporting national and regional projects to address the nuclear safety needs of Member States.
Safety projects supported by the EU are not restricted to the Europe region, and are having a positive effect in other regions of the world, including Asia and the Pacific. For example, the IAEA, in cooperation with the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (PNRI), has provided an EU-funded regional training course in Manila, Philippines, in January 2014.
The course, which brought together 23 participants from 14 Member States in the Asia and the Pacific region, provided critical guidance on IAEA safety requirements, and included lectures on Agency standards, competence management and training strategies.
Interactive courses such as these are vital to the effective regulation of radiation sources, and help to strengthen and harmonize regulatory standards around the world.
As part of a larger EU initiative to enhance nuclear safety around the world, the EU supports several IAEA TC activities through the Nuclear Safety Co-operation Instrument (NSCI) including five TC projects in Asia and the Pacific related to safety issues.
To stay abreast of TC projects which receive EU financial contributions, click here.
| [[{"attributes":{},"fields":{}}]] | Project RAS/9/062 is conducted by the IAEA and co-funded by the European Union. |