Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management, Fourth Review Meeting of the Contracting Parties, 14 to 23 May 2012, Vienna, Austria, Final Summary Report

1. Recognizing the importance of the safe management of spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste, the international community agreed upon the necessity of adopting a convention with the objective of achieving and maintaining a high level of safety worldwide in spent fuel and radioactive waste management: this was the origin of the Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management (the “Joint Convention”), which was adopted on 5 September 1997 and entered into force on 18 June 2001. 2. The objectives of the Joint Convention are: (i) To achieve and maintain a high level of safety worldwide in spent fuel and radioactive waste management, through the enhancement of national measures and international cooperation, including, where appropriate, safety-related cooperation; (ii) To ensure that during all stages of spent fuel and radioactive waste management there are effective defences against potential hazards so that individuals, society, and the environment are protected from the harmful effects of ionizing radiation now and in the future, in such a way that the needs and aspirations of the present generation are met without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs and aspirations; and (iii) To prevent accidents with radiological consequences and to mitigate their consequences should they occur during any stage of spent fuel or radioactive waste management. 3. To achieve these objectives, the Joint Convention adopted a review process. The Joint Convention requires each Contracting Party to: (i) Submit in advance to all other Contracting Parties a National Report describing how it implements the obligations of the Joint Convention; (ii) Seek clarification on the National Reports of other Contracting Parties through a system of written questions and answers; (iii) Present and discuss its National Report during a Review Meeting comprising Country Group sessions and Plenary Sessions; and (iv) Be prepared to challenge and comment on the presentations made as part of a robust peer review process. The Joint Convention specifies that the interval between Review Meetings should not exceed three years. Documents annexed to the Joint Convention provide guidance on the form and structure of the National Reports and on the way to conduct Review Meetings. 4. The Fourth Review Meeting of the Contracting Parties pursuant to Article 30 of the Joint Convention was held at the Headquarters of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which is the depositary and Secretariat for the Joint Convention, from 14 to 23 May 2012. The President of the Review Meeting was Mr Chang Sun Kang, Chairman and Chief Regulatory Officer of the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission, Republic of Korea. The Vice-President was Ms Olena Mykolaichuk, Chairperson of the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine. Mr Andy Hall, Deputy Chief Inspector of Nuclear Installations, United Kingdom, who had been elected second Vice-President of the review process at the Organizational Meeting held in May 2011, was unable to carry out this role during the Review Meeting. The Contracting Parties agreed that Mr Mark Bassett, Deputy Chief Inspector of Nuclear Installations, United Kingdom, would act as Vice-President for the duration of the Meeting. 5. The General Committee of the Review Meeting comprised the President, the Vice- President and Acting Vice-President, and the six Country Group Chairpersons, namely Mr Dejan Trifunovic, Croatia; Mr Larry Camper, United States of America; Mr Jean-Jacques Dumont, France; Mr Kazumasa Hioki, Japan; Mr Peter Lietava, Czech Republic; and Mr Werner Mester, Germany. 6. Fifty-four Contracting Parties participated in the Review Meeting, namely: Albania, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Euratom, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Korea (Republic of), Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Montenegro, Morocco, Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Russian Federation, Senegal, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates and United States of America. Among these, eight Contracting Parties participated for the first time: Cyprus, Georgia, Ghana, Indonesia, Montenegro, Portugal, Republic of Moldova and United Arab Emirates. Georgia, Kazakhstan, the Republic of Moldova and Senegal did not provide a technical presentation of their respective National Reports. 7. Nine Contracting Parties did not participate in the Review Meeting, namely Chile, Gabon, Kyrgyzstan, Mauritania, Saudi Arabia, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Tajikistan, Uruguay and Uzbekistan. Furthermore, Chile, Gabon, Kyrgyzstan, Mauritania, Saudi Arabia and Uzbekistan had not submitted a National Report. 8. There were no late ratifiers as defined in Rule 2 of the Rules of Procedure and Financial Rules (INFCIRC/602/Rev.3). 9. The Nuclear Energy Agency of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) was present as observer, as agreed at the Organizational Meeting.