EC-IAEA Cooperation - IRRS in the EU

On 31 March 2011 the European Commission and the International Atomic Energy Agency concluded a European Atomic Energy Community Contribution Agreement with the IAEA, for the implementation of the project entitled "EC-IAEA Cooperation in the Field of Nuclear Safety - Integrated Regulatory Review Services in the EU". The overall objective is to provide additional resources to the IAEA to accelerate peer review activities in EU Member States, hence facilitating their compliance with their obligations under Article 9.3 of the Nuclear Safety Directive.

The coordination and cooperation activities on nuclear safety between the EC and the IAEA started in the beginning of 2005 with two programmes within the IAEA’s Technical Cooperation Europe Programmes. These were followed by a project on emergency preparedness and response (Incident and Emergency Centre). Finally, the most recent joint efforts were concluded under an EC-IAEA Joint Project for Ukraine, in the field of Safety Evaluations of NPPs, successfully completed in February 2010.

One reason for increased cooperation between the EC and the IAEA rests within the fact that the IAEA is carrying out projects that are addressing the resolution of generic safety issues, based on developing and disseminating well recognized international safety standards and guidelines. Such activities fall under the development of the Agency’s initiatives, programmes and applications, whereas the IAEA has the mandate and competence to assist countries in the development of their nuclear safety infrastructure. And, for this particular case, it is of utmost importance that regulatory aspects are developed and brought to a commonly accepted level.

The objective of the EC-IAEA Agreement is to strengthen the nuclear regulatory capabilities of all countries within the EU with or without nuclear power programmes so that their regulatory responsibilities and functions can be carried out in a more effective manner.

The specific objectives of the project are to:

Support the start of a coordinated 10-year programme of IRRS peer review missions in the EU Member States.
Develop and monitor SMART action plans for each member state as a result of IRRS missions.
Analyze and share emerging issues, trends and challenges from IRRS missions.
Have in place an effective, user friendly, web platform, to be accessible through a link on the ENSREG website, for IRRS information at all stages.

The specific objectives support the EU member States in regularly inviting IRRS peer reviews and take advantage of their results, whereas they oblige IAEA to analyze the results of the reviews, draw conclusions, develop further the IRRS process and make available all these results to the Member States.

Beneficiaries of this project will be all EU member states and indirectly, the international nuclear community at large.

The project will be carried out by the IAEA as the implementation body. The IAEA will coordinate the activities needed to fulfill the project’s objectives with the EC, in specific with ENSREG and the EU Member States’ nuclear regulatory authorities.The project is coordinated by the IAEA’s Regulatory Activities Section of the Division of Nuclear Installation Safety, Department of Nuclear Safety and Security.

The project will comprise the following Component in order to fully comply with the objective described above: Implementing the Council Directive 2009/71/Euratom of 25 June 2009, specifically obligations under its Article 9.3, with respect to self-assessments and peer review through a programme of IRRS missions and related activities within the EU.

Task 1. Planning, assessment and sharing of outcomes

Review the orientations given by EC on behalf of ENSREG and assess their implications on the current IRRS programme.

Elaborate, as appropriate, additional IRRS modules for European IRRS.

Preparation of a 10-year programme of IRRS missions, including the five steps:

Information work and meetings.
Self-assessment support.
Preparatory work and meetings.
IRRS missions.
IRRS follow-up missions.

Analysis of European IRRS missions’ findings, results and actions, producing annual reports.

Dissemination of lessons learned with both European and other areas, and identification and communication of emerging issues, trends and challenges.

Organizing seminars on lessons learned.Development of a web space within the International regulatory Network Portal for web-based international cooperation among nuclear safety and security regulators (RegNet) for IRRS preparations, including the Advance Reference Material (ARM), missions and follow-ups.

Task 2. Managing mission activities

Establishment of a detailed work plan for 10 years considering all EU member states. Overall programme implementation, including review and management. Monitoring and providing support for self-assessment reviews. Providing secretariat to carry out IRRS missions and follow-ups. Review and monitoring the outcomes in terms of action plans for each European regulator, as consequence of the IRRS programme.

The implementation of this project will contribute to improve the regulatory framework for long term safety. The expected generic results are greater openness and transparency of the regulatory regimes in the EU Member States, enhanced compliance with safety standards by the regulatory body, effective use of information and knowledge management networks for sharing lessons learned, regulatory competence enhancement and to promote the Global Nuclear Safety Regime.

The performance monitoring of the project will be based on evaluating the following key performance indicators:

10-year programme of IRRS missions.
Detailed work plan for 10 years considering each EU Member State.
Annual reports of European IRRS mission findings, results and actions.
Identification and communication of emerging issues, trends and challenges.
Number of seminars on lessons learned.
Development of a web page within RegNet for IRRS preparations, including the advance reference material, missions and follow-up.
Action plans for each European regulator, as a consequence of the IRRS programme.
Additional IRRS modules for EU IRRS missions as appropriate.

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