Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management, Third Review Meeting of the Contracting Parties, 11 to 20 May 2009, Vienna, Austria, 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 deliver 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; and (iii) Present and discuss its National Report during a Review Meeting comprising Country Group sessions and Plenary Sessions. 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 Third 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 11 to 20 May 2009. The President of the Review Meeting is Mr Kunihisa Soda, Commissioner of the Nuclear Safety Commission of Japan. The Vice-Presidents are Mr László Koblinger, Hungarian Atomic Energy Authority, and Mr Frank Marcinowski, United States Department of Energy. The General Committee of the Meeting comprises the President, the two Vice-Presidents, and the six Country Group Chairpersons, namely Mr Andy Hall, United Kingdom; Mr Peter Brennecke, Germany; Mr Doug Metcalfe, Canada; Mr Kaare Ulbak, Denmark; Ms Merle Lust, Estonia; and Mr Jean-Rémi Gouze, France. 5. Forty-five Contracting Parties participated in the Review Meeting, namely: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Euratom, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea (Republic of), Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Morocco, Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway, Poland, Romania, Russian Federation, Senegal, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Ukraine, United Kingdom and United States of America. Among these five Contracting Parties participated for the first time: China, Nigeria, Tajikistan, Senegal and South Africa. Three Contracting Parties did not participate in the Review Meeting: Kyrgyzstan, Uruguay and Uzbekistan. 6. Senegal, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan had not submitted a National Report. Although Uruguay did not participate in the Meeting, it had submitted a National Report, which, with its consent, was reviewed by the members of the Country Group. The prepared Rapporteur’s Report was sent to the National Contact Point of Uruguay, and agreed to by them. 7. There were no late ratitifers as defined in Rule 2 of the Rules of Procedure and Financial Rules (INFCIRC/602/Rev.2). 8. The Nuclear Energy Agency of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) were present as observers, as agreed at the Organizational Meeting.