Delegation of the European Union to Syria

09/09/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 09/09/2024 10:10

EU Statement at IAEA Board of Governors on Nuclear Security, as delivered on 9 September 2024

Chair,

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union. The candidate countries North Macedonia, Montenegro, Albania, Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova and Bosnia and Herzegovina[1]and Georgia, the EFTA countries Iceland and Norway, members of the European Economic Area, as well as Armenia and San Marino, align themselves with this statement.

We commend the Secretariat for compiling the annual Nuclear Security Report, which once again showcases the important work conducted in this area.

The EU and its Member States reaffirm the central role of the IAEA in promoting, sustaining, and strengthening the global nuclear security architecture. While the 2024 International Conference on Nuclear Security (ICONS) could not find consensus on a Ministerial Declaration, we welcome the commitments of IAEA Member States, in particular the Co-Presidents' Joint Statement to keep nuclear security high on our agenda. The previous ICONS commitments also remain valid and must be implemented, in addition to addressing new challenges.

In the context of developing new nuclear reactors and technologies, we emphasise the importance of considering nuclear security at the earlies stage of their design, licensing and deployment. We call on Member States to further develop their capacity to take effective measures in this regard. We look forward to discussions on security approaches specific to Small Modular Reactors during the upcoming International Conference to be held in October 2024.

Maintaining nuclear security during transport of nuclear and other radioactive material is another issue requiring further attention, given that the shipments are becoming more frequent and larger in volume, as reported by the IAEA.

We acknowledge the assistance provided by the Agency for strengthening the physical protection at facilities with high activity radioactive sources in use and storage, as well as in the implementation of borehole disposal systems.

We invite the Agency to continue providing support to Member States for enhancing their legislative and regulatory frameworks. The IAEA advisory services and missions and the Integrated Nuclear Security Support Plans (INSSPs) constitute cornerstones of this effort.

We welcome the activities of the Agency to promote the universalisation and effective implementation of the Amended Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material (A/CPPNM), as well as the Code of Conduct on the Safety and Security of Radioactive Sources, and its supplementary guidances.

We invite the Secretariat to take into consideration the Outcome Document of the 2022 Conference of the Parties to the Amendment to the CPPNM and to launch meetings of legal and technical experts, and organisational preparations with the Parties for the follow-on Conference.

We welcome the activities undertaken by the Secretariat and Member States to mitigate insider threats including through enhancing nuclear security culture and international cooperation, such as the multilateral action plan outlined in the IAEA Information Circular (INFCIRC) 908/Rev 1.

We note with satisfaction that the Secretariat has taken into consideration the recommendations from the Agency's 2023 International Conference on Computer Security in the Nuclear World in the programme of work of the Agency.

We welcome the first year of operation of the Nuclear Security Training and Demonstration Centre (NSTDC) and look forward to further collaboration with the European Nuclear Security Training Centre (EUSECTRA) of the European Commission. We recall that the activities of the NSTDC must be sustainable and well-coordinated with other assistance activities.

The EU and its Member States remain major donors to the IAEA Nuclear Security Fund. In February 2024, the EU allocated further 7.2 million Euros to IAEA nuclear security activities on capacity building, assistance to Ukraine, and the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Fellowship Programme. We welcome the continued strengthening of the results-based management approach and support the use of regular budget resources of the Agency to implement its nuclear security activities.

With these comments, Chair, the EU takes note of the Nuclear Security Report 2024, as contained in GOV/2024/35.

Thank you, Chair.

[1]North Macedonia, Montenegro, Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.