Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management

Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of

Radioactive Waste Management (Joint Convention)

Seventh Review Meeting

Vienna, 27 June – 8 July 2022

Written Statement on behalf of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and EURATOM. The following countries align themselves with this statement: North Macedonia^*, Montenegro^*, Albania^*, Ukraine^*, the Republic of Moldova^*, Bosnia and Herzegovina^*, Iceland⁺, Norway⁺,  Georgia.

As Contracting Parties meet to review the implementation of the Joint Convention, we cannot ignore the fact that this Review Meeting is taking place in very unusual circumstances.

We continue to condemn Russia’s unprovoked, unjustified and illegal military aggression against Ukraine, and specifically the indiscriminate attacks of the Russian armed forces at and around Ukraine’s nuclear sites, including the occupation of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, which are violating the fundamental safety principles established by the Joint Convention, and are in direct contradiction with the objectives contained in its Article 1. As a result, the safe management of spent fuel and radioactive waste is jeopardised. This can have  potentially severe adverse consequences for human health and the environment.

We urge the Russian Federation to cease its illegal war against Ukraine and to immediately withdraw its military and other personnel from the whole territory of Ukraine, including the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.

We fully support the work of the IAEA and its Director-General to assist Ukraine during the ongoing Russia’s invasion.

We highly appreciate the work of the Ukrainian regulator and its staff, and the staff in Ukrainian nuclear facilities who continue to operate under extremely difficult circumstances.

We stand firmly with Ukraine.

* Candidate Countries North Macedonia, Montenegro, Albania, Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova 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.