EU Statement at IAEA Board of Governors on the Agency safeguards in the context of naval nuclear propulsion under AUKUS (6-10 March 2023)

Chair,

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union. The following countries align themselves with this statement: North Macedonia^*, Montenegro^*, Albania^*, Ukraine^*, the Republic of Moldova^*, Bosnia and Herzegovina^*, Georgia, Iceland⁺ and Norway⁺.

The EU position on this matter is well known and in the interest of time, I will limit my intervention to the following points:

• The EU attaches a great importance to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and the integrity of the nuclear non-proliferation regime. The EU is of the view that the IAEA is the competent body to ensure full, impartial, independent and objective implementation of safeguards. It is important that full consideration be given to any proliferation implications and risks.
• We stress the importance of respecting the Secretariat’s role and responsibilities on procedural matters without undue pressure.
• We do not consider it necessary to have a standing item on AUKUS on the Board agenda, or to establish parallel intergovernmental structures or processes, given the ongoing technical work by the Secretariat.
• We look forward to further reporting by the IAEA Director General, as appropriate, once the Secretariat has concluded its technical work with the AUKUS parties.

Thank you, Chair.

* Candidate Countries North Macedonia, Montenegro, Albania, as well as potential Candidate Country Bosnia and Herzegovina continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.

+ Iceland and Norway are members of the EFTA and of the European Economic Area.