EU Statement at IAEA Board of Governors on agenda item 13 (AOB) on the 10th Review Conference of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)
Chair,
I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union.
I would like to take this opportunity to comment on the outcome of the 10th Review Conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) which took place in New York from 1 to 26 August 2022, because the IAEA has a crucial role in the implementation of two out of three pillars of this important Treaty.
First of all let me commend the Secretariat for its hard work and support for the Conference. The European Union contributed actively to the Review Conference and its preparations across the three pillars of the Treaty, clearly reaffirming our support to uphold and fully implement the Treaty in all its aspects, and promote its universalisation.
We deeply regret that an important opportunity to make tangible progress in all three pillars of the Treaty was missed despite intense negotiations and the commendable efforts by the President of the Conference, H.E. Ambassador Gustavo Zlauvinen from Argentina, as well as the Chairs of Main Committees and Subsidiary Bodies. Consensus on a final outcome document was not possible to achieve, because the Russian Federation challenged language that expressed concern at the situation in the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, as well as a paragraph reminding of the need to honour negative security assurances, including the Budapest Memorandum. We deplore this situation.
Although the final compromise text did not meet all our expectations, the EU Member States were prepared to join consensus on it.Notwithstanding the unsuccessful outcome, the legally binding obligations enshrined in the NPT and commitments from the past Review Conferences remain valid.
The safeguards system of the IAEA remains a fundamental component of the nuclear non-proliferation regime. Efforts will continue to further strengthen its effectiveness and efficiency in particular through universalisation of the Comprehensive Safeguards Agreements and the Additional Protocol which together constitute the current verification standard under Article III of the NPT.
For the European Union, nuclear safety and nuclear security remain essential for the safe and responsible use of nuclear energy. We were encouraged by the broad support for the IAEA’s central role in facilitating international cooperation and in making nuclear science and technology beneficial and accessible to all States Parties. We were equally encouraged that the Conference recognised that peaceful applications of nuclear technology can make a real contribution to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.
Chair,
The EU and its Member States will spare no efforts to continue to promote the full and effective implementation of the NPT as well as its universalisation and we call upon all countries to do the same.
We are looking forward to the next review cycle. It will offer yet another urgent opportunity to achieve the progress that is very much needed to further strengthen the NPT, which 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 future development of nuclear energy applications for peaceful purposes.
Thank you, Chair.