EU Statement – UN General Assembly: Report of the IAEA
Mr. President,
I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union.
The Candidate Countries, Montenegro*, Albania*, Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova, the country of the Stabilisation and Association Process and potential candidate Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the EFTA country Norway, member of the European Economic Area, as well as Georgia, Monaco and San Marino align themselves with this statement.
We are pleased to support the draft Resolution on the Report of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which again reaffirms the indispensable role of the Agency with regard to nuclear non-proliferation, peaceful uses of nuclear technology, technology transfer to developing countries, as well as nuclear safety, security and safeguards.
The EU and its Member States strongly support the activities of the Agency – politically and financially. We note with satisfaction the strong cross-regional support that has been expressed for the work of the IAEA Director General and his staff. We underline the importance of respecting the authority and integrity of the IAEA which continues to fulfil its duties in the service of the international community in a professional, objective and impartial manner. We expect all Member States to refrain from actions that would undermine the IAEA’s mandate, or the IAEA Statute which is based on the UN Charter.
Mr. President,
The EU condemns, in the strongest possible terms, the Russian Federation’s war of aggression against Ukraine which is a gross violation of international law, including the UN Charter, and severely undermines European and global security and stability. Russia’s actions continue to pose serious and direct threats to Ukrainian nuclear facilities and impede the IAEA from fully and safely conducting safeguards verification activities in Ukraine in a timely manner. We are deeply concerned that each of the seven indispensable pillars for nuclear safety and security, outlined by the IAEA Director General, has been compromised as a consequence of the Russian Federation’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022.
The EU remains gravely concerned about the attacks of the Russian armed forces in and around Ukrainian nuclear sites and the Russian Federation’s illegal seizure of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP). We do not and will never recognise Russia’s attempted illegal annexation of Ukraine’s regions and seizure of Europe’s largest nuclear power plant from its rightful owner, Ukraine, nor the illegal sham 'referenda' that Russia orchestrated. We call on Russia to immediately implement the IAEA Board of Governors resolutions in order for the competent Ukrainian authorities to regain full control over all nuclear facilities within Ukraine’s internationally recognized borders, including the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, to ensure their safe and secure operation, and in order for the Agency to fully and safely conduct its safeguards verification activities.
The EU fully supports the work of the IAEA and its Director General to assist Ukraine in ensuring nuclear safety and security, and to maintain the implementation of safeguards pursuant to Ukraine’s safeguards obligations. We look forward to continued IAEA presence on-site and further rapid progress with the establishment of a nuclear safety and security protection zone around the ZNPP, as proposed by the IAEA Director General.
We emphasize there is only one sustainable solution: the Russian Federation must stop its illegal war of aggression against Ukraine, unconditionally withdraw all its armed forces and military equipment from the entire territory of Ukraine, and fully respect Ukraine’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders. The EU will do its utmost to support Ukraine and protect the rules-based international order, which is key to our collective security.
Mr. President,
It is deeply regrettable that the long-awaited 10th Review Conference of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) could not achieve consensus on an outcome document because the Russian Federation blocked consensus. The EU will spare no efforts to promote the full and effective implementation of the NPT as well as its universalisation, and prepare actively for the next review cycle, building on the discussions held during the 10th Review Conference.
The NPT remains the cornerstone of the global nuclear non-proliferation regime, the essential foundation for the pursuit of nuclear disarmament in accordance with Article VI of the NPT and an important element in the development of nuclear energy applications for peaceful purposes in accordance with Article IV of the NPT. The legally binding obligations enshrined in the NPT as well as commitments from the previous review conferences remain valid. The EU reaffirms its full support for 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. The EU also affirms its full support for the decision to establish a working group to strengthen the NPT review cycle.
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. Proliferation crises represent a threat to international and regional peace and security. Continued vigilance and further efforts are required from the international community to find peaceful and diplomatic solutions.
The EU reaffirms its resolute commitment to and continued support for the full and effective implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). The EU is seriously concerned at Iran's escalation of its nuclear programme without any plausible civilian justification. Iran’s continued actions inconsistent with the JCPOA have severe and, in the case of R&D activities in particular, irreversible proliferation implications.
The EU welcomes the IAEA’s regular updates on its verification and monitoring activities of Iran’s nuclear commitments under the JCPOA in light of UN Security Council resolution 2231 (2015). We strongly urge Iran to reverse all activities inconsistent with the JCPOA and return, without delay, to its full implementation, including of all transparency measures. The EU supports the unwavering diplomatic efforts of the EU High Representative as JCPOA Coordinator with all relevant partners to achieve a return to the JCPOA by the United States and the resumption of full implementation of all JCPOA commitments by the United States and Iran. The EU calls on Iran to seize the diplomatic opportunity without further delay so that the JCPOA would be fully restored. We wish to underscore that the JCPOA negotiation is separate from Iran’s legally binding obligations under the NPT, which are essential to the global non-proliferation regime. The EU welcomes IAEA’s regular updates on the implementation of the NPT Safeguards Agreement and the Additional Protocol in Iran. The EU recalls that in its resolution adopted in June, the Board of Governors called upon Iran to act on an urgent basis to fulfil its legal obligations, and strongly urges Iran to cooperate in full with the IAEA without any further delay or any conditionality to resolve all pending safeguards issues, in accordance with its legally binding obligations under its NPT Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement.
The EU condemns the DPRK’s nuclear and ballistic missile activities which are a matter of grave concern. It is highly regrettable that the DPRK has not taken concrete, verified action towards denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. We urge the DPRK to comply with its obligations under multiple UN Security Council Resolutions, to refrain from nuclear tests and ballistic missile launches, and to engage in a meaningful dialogue with all relevant parties to build a basis for sustainable peace and security. We urge the DPRK to return to negotiations and take immediate and concrete steps towards abandoning all nuclear weapons, ballistic missiles and related programmes in a complete, verifiable and irreversible manner. We also strongly call on the DPRK to reengage in talks with the aim of reaching a political agreement that will serve as a basis for further steps towards the Agency's return to the DPRK.
The EU urges the Syrian Arab Republic to cooperate promptly and fully with the Agency to resolve all outstanding issues including through concluding and implementing an Additional Protocol as soon as possible.
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 not yet done so, to amend their Small Quantities Protocols and those States that are already building a nuclear power plant or a research reactor, to apply the Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement in full.
Mr. President,
The EU and its Member States attach utmost importance to nuclear safety, and its continuous improvement. Over the past decades, we have established and further developed an advanced, legally-binding nuclear safety framework applicable in all EU Member States. We also provide financial and human resources to help improve nuclear safety in countries outside the EU, including through the European Instrument for International Nuclear Safety Cooperation (INSC), with a budget of €300 million.
Furthermore, the EU stresses the need to continue strengthening nuclear security worldwide in order to prevent nuclear terrorism and facilitate the development of peaceful uses of nuclear technology. We encourage all Member States to promote a strong nuclear safety and security culture and continuously implement the highest possible nuclear safety and radiation protection standards. We recognise the IAEA’s central role in facilitating international cooperation and providing technical assistance to Member States.
We reaffirm our strong political commitment to international nuclear safety and security conventions, support their implementation and call upon all States to join them. We stress the need to consider new legally-binding international rules specifically prohibiting armed attacks against any nuclear installation devoted to peaceful purposes.
Finally, Mr. President,
The EU and its Member States reaffirm their longstanding commitment to and strong support for the IAEA's Technical Cooperation Programme and support the Agency’s work in the peaceful uses of nuclear technology in order to reach the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement commitments including in the context of COP27. We acknowledge that Member States pursue different approaches to ensure energy security at affordable cost. All countries have the sovereign right to decide whether or not to include nuclear power as part of their own energy mix to collectively achieve the 2030 climate target and the Paris Agreement commitments. The EU acknowledges the role played by nuclear technologies in relation to the global efforts to limit climate change and mitigate its negative effects. The EU also welcomes the IAEA’s new initiative such as Rays of Hope, NUTEC Plastics or ZODIAC.
Promoting gender equality is an important cross-cutting priority for the EU. We welcome the IAEA Director General’s commitments in this regard and encourage the IAEA to continue to mainstream gender in its 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, Mr. President.