EU Statement – UN General Assembly: Report of the IAEA

Full statement

President,

1. I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union and its Member States.

The Candidate Countries North Macedonia^*, Montenegro^*, Albania^*, Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova, Bosnia and Herzegovina^*, Georgia and the EFTA country Norway, member of the European Economic Area, as well as Monaco and San Marino align themselves with this statement.

1. We are pleased to join consensus on the Report of the IAEA highlighting the Agency's indispensable role as outlined in its mandate "Atoms for Peace and Development". We commend IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi for his leadership and thank him [for his presence here today and] for his statement. At the outset, we would like to stress that all resolutions adopted by the IAEA General Conference are equally valid. We reaffirm our strong support for the Agency's technical, independent and impartial work in a challenging geopolitical context.

President,

1. It is now more than two and a half years since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine and its illegal seizure of Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP). During that period, the nuclear safety and security situation at the ZNPP has steadily deteriorated and Russia's massive attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure are increasing risks to the safe and secure operation of all of Ukraine's nuclear power plants. These are flagrant violations of international law, including the UN Charter, and the very principles of the IAEA Statute. Once again, the EU calls on Russia to heed the IAEA Board of Governors and General Conference resolutions, urgently withdraw from the ZNPP, and fully respect Ukraine's sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders. The EU is grateful to the IAEA for its crucial support and assistance at Ukraine's nuclear power plants and for providing independent information. We stress the importance of the IAEA Director General's seven indispensable pillars for ensuring nuclear safety and security during an armed conflict and five concrete principles established to protect the ZNPP, which must be respected. The EU stands with Ukraine and will continue to provide significant support to Ukraine bilaterally and through the IAEA.

President,

1. The EU reiterates its firm support for the full, complete, and effective implementation of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and its three pillars and continues to call for its universalisation. The legally-binding obligations enshrined in the NPT as well as commitments agreed at the previous review conferences remain valid as we continue preparations for the next Review Conference in 2026. We continue to fully support the establishment of a zone free of nuclear and all other weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems in the Middle East, as agreed at the 1995 NPT Review Conference.

1. The EU supports the strengthening of the IAEA safeguards system and remains of the view that Comprehensive Safeguards Agreements, together with the Additional Protocol, constitute the current verification standard under the NPT. We call for their universalisation without delay. The EU also urges all States, which have to do so, to amend their original Small Quantities Protocols to the current standard, or to rescind them and thereby apply their Comprehensive Safeguards Agreements in full, especially those States that are building nuclear facilities.

1. The IAEA safeguards system is a fundamental component of the nuclear non-proliferation regime and plays an indispensable role in the implementation of the NPT. We underline the primary responsibility of the UN Security Council in cases of non-compliance, and encourage further diplomatic efforts to find peaceful solutions to proliferation crises which represent a grave threat to international and regional peace and security.

1. It is a key security priority for the EU to ensure that Iran does not acquire a nuclear weapon. The EU remains committed to a diplomatic solution to the Iranian nuclear issue. In this context, we call on all countries to support the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2231. We regret that Iran has not taken the necessary steps to return to its nuclear-related commitments under the JCPOA, to which the EU remains committed. Iran's unabated nuclear advances have made a return to the JCPOA increasingly challenging. The risk of a nuclear proliferation crisis in the region is increasing as a result of Iran's escalating nuclear trajectory. The EU commends the IAEA for its regular updates on its verification and monitoring activities of Iran's nuclear commitments under the JCPOA and on the implementation of the NPT Safeguards Agreement in Iran.

1. We urge Iran to reverse all proliferation-sensitive activities, to reapply the Additional Protocol and to resume implementation of all JCPOA-related monitoring and verification measures. The EU supports the Agency's efforts to obtain progress from Iran on resolving safeguards issues and improving cooperation. It remains essential and urgent that Iran clarifies all outstanding safeguards issues. The June 2024 resolution of the IAEA Board clearly sets out the steps to be taken urgently by Iran. We call upon the new Iranian government to work with the Agency swiftly and substantially, towards full compliance with its obligations under the Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement.

1. The EU remains gravely concerned about the DPRK's continued development of its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes in clear violation of relevant UN Security Council resolutions. The EU urges the DPRK to cease all unlawful activities and destabilising actions, engage in meaningful discussions with all relevant parties to build a basis for sustainable peace and security, and to take steps aimed at pursuing complete, verifiable, irreversible denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. This includes the Agency's return to the DPRK. The DPRK must return to compliance with the NPT and the IAEA Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement, as well as bring into force the Additional Protocol. We urge the DPRK to sign and ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty. The DPRK cannot and will never have the status of a nuclear weapon State under the NPT. The EU commends the IAEA for its updates on the DPRK. We fully support the recent IAEA General Conference resolution on the DPRK and welcome its adoption without a vote.

1. We attach utmost importance to nuclear safety and its continuous improvement, and call on all States to make use of the IAEA review services. The EU has built up an advanced, legally-binding and enforceable nuclear safety legal framework which is applicable in all EURATOM Member States. Also other countries benefit from our assistance through the Instrument for Nuclear Safety Cooperation that has a budget of €300 million. We encourage all UN Member States to promote a strong nuclear safety culture.

1. While the 2024 International Conference on Nuclear Security (ICONS) in Vienna could not find consensus on a Ministerial Declaration, we welcome the commitments made by IAEA Member States, in particular the Co-Presidents' Joint Statement, to keep nuclear security high on our agenda. We recognise the IAEA's central role in facilitating international cooperation and assisting Member States to build their capacities. The new EU Council Decision in support of the IAEA's nuclear security activities will contribute to this goal.

1. We encourage all UN Member States to join the international nuclear safety and security conventions, as well as the Code of Conduct on radioactive sources. We appreciate the Agency's continued commitment to maintaining fully applicable and up-to-date Safety Standards and Security Guidance. In light of the research and development of new technologies, such as Small Modular Reactors (SMR), it is particularly important to ensure the highest level of nuclear safety and security, in accordance with IAEA Safety Standards and Security Guidance. We look forward to the upcoming IAEA Technical Document that will analyse the issues and challenges to nuclear safety and security during an armed conflict.

1. The EU and its Member States reaffirm their longstanding commitment to the IAEA's Technical Cooperation Programme. We recognise the significant contribution of radiation and nuclear technology applications to peace, health and prosperity throughout the world, in particular in areas such as health and environmental protection, food security and safety, mitigation of the effects of climate change, water management and preservation of cultural heritage. We welcome the important flagship initiatives launched by the IAEA Director General and look forward to their further implementation in cooperation with other UN organisations.

1. The EU also welcomes the IAEA's strong commitment to gender equality and its goal for reaching gender parity at the Secretariat by 2025. A gender perspective should be mainstreamed in all IAEA programmes and projects. The EU is proud to be the largest donor to the IAEA's Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellowship Programme that helps to increase the number of women in the nuclear field.

Thank you, President.

*North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.

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