Home
  • SITEMAP
  • LEGAL NOTICE
  • USEFUL LINKS
  • ENSREG at a glance
    • The role of ENSREG
    • ENSREG work programmes
    • ENSREG activity reports
    • Photo galleries
      • ENSREG conferences
        • Nuclear Safety in Europe - Third Regulatory Conference, Brussels, 29-30 June 2015
        • Nuclear Safety in Europe - Second Regulatory Conference, Brussels, 11-12 June 2013
        • Nuclear Safety in Europe – First Regulatory Conference, Brussels, 28-29 June 2011
      • Nuclear Safety in Europe - Third Regulatory Conference, Brussels, 29-30 June 2015
      • Nuclear Safety in Europe - Second Regulatory Conference, Brussels, 11-12 June 2013
      • Nuclear Safety in Europe – First Regulatory Conference, Brussels, 28-29 June 2011
    • National regulators
    • Nuclear energy in the EU
      • Austria
      • Bulgaria
      • Czechia
      • Belgium
      • Cyprus
      • Denmark
      • Estonia
      • Finland
      • France
      • Germany
      • Greece
      • Hungary
      • Ireland
      • Italy
      • Latvia
      • Lithuania
      • Luxembourg
      • Malta
      • The Netherlands
      • Poland
      • Portugal
      • Romania
      • Slovakia
      • Slovenia
      • Spain
      • Sweden
      • Croatia
  • Nuclear safety
    • Regulating for safety
    • Prevention of accidents
    • Environmental monitoring
    • Emergency arrangements
      • National responsibility
      • At EU level
      • At international level
      • Events
    • Nuclear fuel cycle
    • International cooperation
  • Management of spent fuel
    • Categorisation of radioactive waste
    • Management of spent fuel
    • Existing waste management routes
    • Waste management routes under research
  • Nuclear safety and waste regulation
    • EU instruments
      • Basic safety standards directive
      • Nuclear safety directive
      • Spent fuel and radioactive waste directive
      • Other instruments
    • International conventions
    • International standards and guidance
      • NEA
      • IAEA
  • Transparency and public involvement
    • Public information
    • Public participation
  • ENSREG conferences
    • Venue
    • Programme
    • Presentations
    • Gallery
    • Summary
    • 2019 conference
      • Programme
      • Presentations
      • Gallery
      • Summary
    • 2017 conference archive
    • 2017 Conference
      • Programme
      • Presentations
      • Media
      • Gallery Day 1
    • 2015 conference archive
    • 2013 conference archive
    • 2011 conference archive
  • EU stress tests
    • Background and specifications
    • Country specific reports
      • EU Member States
        • Slovenia
        • Belgium
        • Bulgaria
        • Czechia
        • Finland
        • France
        • Germany
        • Hungary
        • Lithuania
        • The Netherlands
        • Romania
        • Slovakia
        • Spain
        • Sweden
      • Other countries
        • Switzerland
        • Ukraine
        • United Kingdom
        • Armenia
        • Belarus
        • Turkey
    • EU-level reports
    • Public engagement
      • Public meeting 17 January 2012
      • Public meeting 8 May 2012
    • Follow-up
    • International outreach
  • EU topical peer reviews
    • TPR background
      • TPR 1 2017-2018
      • TPR 2
    • TPR public engagement
      • TPR 1 2017-2018
      • TPR 2
    • TPR EU-level reports
      • TPR 1 2017-2018
      • TPR 2
    • TPR country specific reports
      • TPR 1 2017-2018
        • EU Member States
          • Belgium
          • Bulgaria
          • Czechia
          • Finland
          • France
          • Germany
          • Hungary
          • Italy
          • Lithuania
          • Poland
          • Romania
          • Slovakia
          • Slovenia
          • Spain
          • Sweden
          • The Netherlands
        • Other countries
          • United Kingdom
          • Norway
          • Switzerland
          • Ukraine
      • TPR 2
        • EU Member States
          • Belgium
        • Other countries
    • TPR National Action Plans
      • TPR 1 2017-2018
        • EU Member States
          • Belgium
          • Bulgaria
          • Czechia
          • Finland
          • France
          • Germany
          • Hungary
          • The Netherlands
          • Romania
          • Slovakia
          • Slovenia
          • Spain
          • Sweden
          • Italy
          • Poland
        • Other countries
          • United Kingdom
          • Switzerland
          • Ukraine
      • TPR 2
  • EU instruments
  • International conventions
  • International standards and guidance
Documents News

Related documents

The International Conventions
International organisations involved in nuclear safety guidance
Nuclear Safety and Waste Regulation
Emergency arrangements at international level
  1. Home
  2. Nuclear safety and waste regulation
  3. The international conventions

The international conventions

Most EU Member States are contracting parties to a number of international safety conventions. These are:

Safety conventions

  • Convention on Nuclear Safety (CNS) which addresses the safety of nuclear power plants.
  • Joint Convention on the safety of spent fuel management and on the safety of radioactive waste management.

Emergency conventions

  • Convention on Early Notification of a Nuclear Accident requires countries to provide prompt notification of any nuclear accident that may affect other countries.
  • Convention on Assistance in the case of a Nuclear Accident or Radiological Emergency addresses the provision of prompt assistance in the event of a nuclear accident or radiological emergency.

Security convention

  • Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material and Nuclear Facilities (CPPNM) which addresses the security of nuclear material and facilities and is the only international legally binding undertaking in the area of physical protection of nuclear material and facilities.

The aim of the international conventions is to legally commit participating countries to maintain a high level of safety. It does this by setting international safety requirements on governments, regulatory bodies and the nuclear community.  These requirements are based on the IAEA Safety Fundamentals.

How do the conventions support nuclear safety in the EU?

The international conventions on nuclear safety give the EU public assurance that safety is given due priority within the EU. Because they are global in nature, they also give some assurance that safety is given due priority in those other countries which adhere to them. Indeed, for the Convention on Nuclear Safety and the Joint Convention most countries publish their national reports and some provide details of the written question-and-answer sessions during the peer review process. This information can often be found on the national websites of ENSREG’s members.

What are the requirements of the international safety conventions?

For the Convention on Nuclear Safety and the Joint Convention on the safety of spent fuel and the safety of radioactive waste, contracting parties must demonstrate compliance with the conventions and undergo a peer review by the other contracting parties. Every three years this entails:

  • Preparing a national report on the status of compliance with the Articles of the Conventions;
  • Reviewing national reports of other countries and submitting written questions and comments on these;
  • Responding in writing to questions asked by other countries;
  • Attending the review meetings at the IAEA to present their case for compliance with the convention and respond to verbal peer review from other countries; and
  • Implementing any actions identified during the peer review, both generic and country specific (these actions are reviewed at the following convention meeting).
Move to top button
Ensreg website footer logo
  • SITEMAP
  • LEGAL NOTICE
  • USEFUL LINKS