EU Statement – UN General Assembly: Report of the IAEA

Check against delivery

President,

1. I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union. 

2. We are pleased to join consensus on the resolution 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. We reaffirm our strong support for the Agency’s technical, independent and impartial work in a challenging geopolitical context.

3. From the outset, we would like to express our regret that not all negotiated resolutions at this year's 69^th IAEA General Conference were adopted. As a result, the respective resolutions continue to be in effect as adopted in 2024. We also stress that all resolutions adopted by the IAEA General Conference are equally valid.

President, 

4. It is now more than three 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-related infrastructure pose a great risk to the safe and secure operation of all of Ukraine’s nuclear power plants. These attacks are flagrant violations of the UN Charter and international law, and the very principles of the IAEA Statute. Once again, the EU calls on Russia to adhere to 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 work and continued presence at all of Ukraine’s all nuclear power plants. We stress the importance of the IAEA’s seven indispensable pillars and the Director-General’s five concrete principles which must be respected. The EU stands with Ukraine and will continue to provide significant support to Ukraine bilaterally and through the IAEA.

President,

5. The EU remains strongly committed to peace, security and stability in the Middle East, including the Gulf region. We have always been clear that Iran must never be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons and that it must comply with its legally binding obligations under the NPT. We take note of the re-instatement of six previously lifted UNSC Resolutions, after completion of the snapback process as provided for in UNSC Resolution 2231. These resolutions create obligations for all UN Member States, and decide that Iran shall suspend several proliferation sensitive nuclear activities. Consequently, the European Union has implemented the re-imposition of all previously lifted UN and EU nuclear-related sanctions. We urge all UN member states to fully implement and comply with these sanctions and other restrictions. However, the snap-back of sanctions and nuclear restrictions is not the end of diplomacy with Iran on the nuclear issue, which remains a key challenge to regional and international security. The European Union will continue to contribute to all diplomatic efforts to reduce tensions and to bring about a lasting solution to the Iranian nuclear issue, which can only be achieved through negotiations. We call on Iran to urgently return to the negotiating table and to refrain from any initiative that may hinder or delay a negotiated solution.

6. The EU commends the IAEA and its Director General for their efforts to resume cooperation with Iran and pursue clarity on Iran’s nuclear programme. We urge Iran to immediately allow the Agency to restart all its safeguards activities in accordance with the NPT Safeguards Agreement and provide the legally required reports on its nuclear programme. As the Director General has clearly stated, Iran’s implementation of its Safeguards Agreement cannot be suspended under any circumstances. Without the full implementation of safeguards, the Agency will not be in a position to provide any conclusion or assurance regarding Iran’s nuclear programme. We call on Iran to remedy its non-compliance by taking all steps deemed necessary by the Agency. 

7. The EU remains gravely concerned about the DPRK’s continued development of its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes in violation of UN Security Council resolutions. We urge the DPRK to cease all its unlawful activities and destabilising actions and calls on it to 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 denuclearisation 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 (CTBT). 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 with an overwhelming majority.

8. We support the DG Grossi’s engagement with Syria and welcome the process of clarification of the outstanding safeguards issues. The recent contacts between Syria and the IAEA are further steps in the right direction. We agree with the DG on the importance of continued and reinforced cooperation between Syria and the Agency, with the aim of achieving clarity regarding the Assad regime’s nuclear activities as soon as possible.

9. Ahead of the 2026 NPT Review Conference, the EU and its Member States reiterate its firm support for the full, complete, and effective implementation of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) across its three pillars and calls for its universalisation. 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.

10. The EU strongly supports the strengthening of the IAEA safeguards system. For decades, Euratom has guaranteed nuclear materials controls in Europe and has served as a reliable partner to the IAEA in nuclear safeguards, remaining a key contributor to global non-proliferation efforts. Comprehensive Safeguards Agreements, together with Additional Protocols, represent the current verification standard under Article III of the NPT. We call for their universalisation without delay.

11. 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 diplomatic efforts to find peaceful solutions to proliferation crises which represent a grave threat to international and regional peace and security.

President,

12. The EU and its Member States attach utmost importance to nuclear safety and its continuous improvement and calls on all States to make use of the IAEA review services. Euratom has built up an advanced, legally binding and enforceable nuclear safety legal framework which is applicable in all Euratom Member States. Other countries also benefit from our assistance with a budget of 300 million euros. We encourage all UN Member States to promote a strong nuclear safety culture. We look forward to the next Review Meeting of the Convention on Nuclear Safety in April 2026. 

13. 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. Also for new technology concepts, such as Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), it is particularly important to ensure the highest level of nuclear safety and security, in accordance with IAEA Safety Standards and Security Guidance. We also note the fast development of Artificial Intelligence and its applications worldwide. We look forward to the IAEA’s TECDOC on Safety and Security Implications of the Use of Artificial Intelligence in Nuclear Installations and the upcoming international Symposium on Artificial Intelligence and Nuclear Energy.

14. The EU and its Member States support the IAEA’s activities in the peaceful uses of nuclear science and technology to implement the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development and the Paris Climate Agreements. We welcome the IAEA’s contribution to improving, human health and nutrition, agriculture, food safety and security as well as water management; to combat climate change and its effects; and to preserving natural and cultural heritage through the peaceful use of nuclear science and technology. We welcome the Director General’s continued work on important flagship initiatives and look forward to their further implementation, in cooperation with other UN organisations. 

15. Finally, we also welcome the IAEA’s strong commitment to gender equality. We were delighted to hear from the Director General that the Agency has reached gender parity in professional categories and higher levels early this year. A gender perspective should be continuously mainstreamed in all IAEA programmes and projects. The IAEA’s Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellowship Programme, to which the EU is the largest donor, helps to increase the number of women in the nuclear field.

Thank you, President.