IAEA

COOPERATION BETWEEN THE FUND AND THE IAEA - TC PROJECTS

IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) has approved co-financing for the Fund for a three-year project (2018-2020) - CRO9012, entitled “Developing a Safety Case for the Establishment of Centre for Management of Radioactive Waste”, which is aimed at providing expert assistance in the establishment of the RW Management Centre in the Republic of Croatia in accordance with the IAEA’s basic safety standards, requirements and criteria. In cooperation with the IAEA and its members, the Fund’s employees and stakeholders in the project for the establishment of a RW Management Centre have the opportunity to participate in training programmes and to use the experience of other countries and organisations that have experience in this field. This project provided the Fund with an independent expert review of individual documents (studies, projects, plans and reports) by the IAEA experts over a three-year period. The IAEA cooperation project was conceived and coordinated within the Sector for Coordination of the Preparation and Development of the Programme for Decommissioning and Disposal of RW and SNF from the Krško NPP, with the main partner being the Ministry of the Interior - Directorate of Civil Protection (which took over the role of the regulator of radiological and nuclear safety from the State Institute for Radiological and Nuclear Safety).

The technical cooperation of the IAEA programme is the main mechanism through which the IAEA provides services to its member states. Through this programme, the IAEA helps member states build, strengthen and maintain capacities for the safe and peaceful use of nuclear technology in support of sustainable socio-economic development. All member states are eligible for support, although in practice technical cooperation activities focus on the needs and priorities of less developed countries.

The TC programme is unique in the United Nations system because it combines specialised technical and development competencies. The programme focuses on the application of nuclear technology to improve human health, support agriculture and rural development, improve water resources management, address environmental challenges and sustainable energy development, including the use of nuclear energy for electricity generation and the development of nuclear and radiological safety.

The TC programme operates in four geographical regions: Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Europe and Latin America and the Caribbean. Within each region, it helps member states address their specific needs taking into account existing capacities and different operating conditions. The aim of the programme is to make use of the differences between the member states in the same region by facilitating cooperation between them. For instance, the capacities of technically advanced countries can be used to address the needs of less advanced countries.

With its wide range of activities and expertise in nuclear science and technology, the IAEA helps the member states use nuclear knowledge and technologies, and offers an advantage over conventional methods, in order to address all important development challenges.