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No. 97-087 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Tel. 301/415-8200 (Friday, May 30, 1997)
The International Nuclear Regulators Association (INRA), a new body designed to enhance nuclear safety worldwide, was created by eight founding members in a meeting in Paris over the past two days.
During the meeting, Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson, Chairman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), was elected first Chairman of the INRA, to serve for a term of two years.
Founding members of the Association are: Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States. The German representative was unable to attend the Paris meeting.
The senior regulators from the attending countries signed a terms of reference document describing how the INRA will be organized, its initial membership, and how it plans to develop working relationships with other national and international nuclear safety and regulatory bodies. The outlines of this document were first discussed at a precursor meeting in Washington, D.C., last January.
In the Paris meeting, two broad topics were discussed at length: national trends in electric generation and their effect on nuclear safety; and an assessment of effectiveness of nuclear regulatory and safety assistance. The group indicated an intention to revisit these topics in future meetings.
The Association expects to meet again next January, the time and place to be announced, and thereafter to meet initially twice a year.
Members of the INRA attending the Paris meeting were:
Dr. Agnes Bishop, President, Atomic Energy Control Board of Canada;
Mr. Andre-Claude Lacoste, Director, Nuclear Installations Safety Directorate, France;
Mr. Yasumasa Togo, Chairman, Nuclear Safety Commission, and Mr. Tomihiro Taniguchi, Deputy Director General, Agency of Natural Resources and Energy, MITI, Japan;
Dr. Juan M. Kindelan, President, Consejo de Seguridad Nuclear, Spain;
Mr. Lars Hogberg, Director General, Swedish Nuclear Power Inspectorate;
Mr. Sam A. Harbison, HM Chief Inspector of Nuclear Installations, Nuclear Safety Installations (NII), United Kingdom; and
Dr. Jackson, Chairman of the NRC, United States.
Gerald Hennenhofer, Director General for Nuclear Safety, Federal Ministry for Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, Germany, is the prospective eighth member, to be confirmed.
The terms of reference for the INRA are attached.
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May 29, 1997
PREAMBLE:
The International Nuclear Regulators Association ("Association") is established to influence and enhance nuclear safety, from the regulatory perspective, among its members as well as worldwide.
The Association shall comprise the most senior officials of well-established independent national nuclear regulatory organizations who wish to exchange perspectives on important issues of nuclear safety.
OBJECTIVES:
To establish a forum for the most senior nuclear regulatory officials to exchange views on broad regulatory policy issues (technical, legal, economic, administrative).
To build a global nuclear safety culture.
To encourage the most efficient use of resources in areas of common interest.
To work to enhance the stature of nuclear regulatory organizations worldwide.
To seek consensus on how nuclear regulatory issues can be approached and implemented; to facilitate international cooperation in regulation.
To work to advance nuclear safety through cooperation among its members, cooperation with relevant existing intergovernmental organizations (e.g., IAEA, OECD/NEA), with other national nuclear regulatory organizations, and other groups and organizations, as appropriate.
To identify emerging nuclear regulatory challenges.
ADMINISTRATIVE ARRANGEMENTS:
The organization established pursuant to these Terms of Reference shall be called the International Nuclear Regulators Association (INRA).
The Association shall influence and enhance nuclear safety, from the regulatory perspective, among its members as well as worldwide.
The tasks assigned to the Association shall be carried out, both individually and collectively, in conformity with the provisions set forth in these Terms of Reference, to support the common interest of the members. In particular, the Association shall act by consensus to:
1. Promote the exchange of information and experience among members.
2. Review and assess on a continuing basis the effectiveness of the Association's activities.
3. Make recommendations to other responsible bodies, both national and international, concerning issues of nuclear regulatory significance; support international cooperative activities and other nuclear safety initiatives, participate in relevant activities of other bodies concerned with nuclear safety, as appropriate; and review the nuclear safety programs of existing international bodies.
4. Consider, at an early date, the value of convening meetings comprising the most senior officials of a broad range of national nuclear regulatory organizations, relevant existing intergovernmental organizations, and other groups and organizations, as a useful means of advancing the Association's stated objectives.
Members of the International Nuclear Regulators Association shall be the most senior officials of national nuclear regulatory bodies.
The initial membership takes into account, for each respective country, the size and scope of the nuclear program; the existence of a well-established, independent nuclear regulatory authority, and a firm commitment to the provision of the Convention on Nuclear Safety.
The Association intends to consider, during an initial period of two years, the most effective way to achieve its objectives and, based on that experience, how to involve other national nuclear regulatory organizations.
The working language shall be English
The Association shall establish the following organizational elements.
A Chairman shall be chosen by consensus and shall coordinate the work of the Association during his/her period of incumbency.
The first Chairman shall serve for two years. Thereafter, the designated Chairman shall serve for a period of one year.
The Chairman shall provide the Secretariat functions during his/her period of incumbency.
The members shall cover their own expenses for participation in meetings.
Association meetings shall be held at least annually.
Association meetings shall be organized on the most efficient possible basis.
The agreed consensus of the group will be made publicly available. The confidentiality of the working papers and discussions of the Association shall be protected, as appropriate, to the extent authorized by the respective national laws and policies of its members.
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