60th IAEA General Conference (26-30 September 2016)
The 60th IAEA General Conference (GC) took place in Vienna from 26-30 September 2016. The GC was attended by around 2500 delegates from 155 IAEA Member States, international organisations, NGO's and the media.
Member States agreed upon a number of resolutions, of which two were tabled by the EU: The Resolution on Strengthening the Effectiveness and Improving the Efficiency of Agency Safeguards as well as The Resolution on Nuclear Security.
The EU statement was delivered by Slovakia, while the EURATOM statement was delivered by Gerassismos Thomas, Deputy Director General of the Directorate-General Energy (ENER) of the European Commission. In its statement, the EU emphasised its commitment to promote universal adherence to nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament agreements. Moreover, it reiterated its firm support for the full, complete, and effective implementation of the Treaty on the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons as the cornerstone of the international non-proliferation regime and the essential foundation for the pursuit of nuclear disarmament.
In the margins of the GC, the EU presented its activities in the field of nuclear safety at an information booth. Visitors of the booth were able to learn, amongst others, about how the EU provides training and tutoring for Nuclear Regulatory Authorities and their Technical Support Organisations to develop or strengthen their managerial and technical capabilities, thus substantially contributing to nuclear safety.
Photo credits: IAEA