On Tuesday 18 April, the European Commission signed the first ever project for nuclear safety cooperation between the European Union and Iran, under the framework of the July 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) for supervising the Iranian nuclear programme.
This €2.5 million project aims to enhance the capabilities of the Iranian Nuclear Regulatory Authority (INRA) through a feasibility study for the Nuclear Safety Centre foreseen in the JCPOA.
It will support the INRA in developing a nuclear regulatory framework, working toward the accession by Iran to several international nuclear conventions, including the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) Convention on Nuclear Safety, and reviewing the results of the stress test to take place in the Bushehr nuclear power plant.
This project is the first of a €5 million action approved by the EU in 2016 under its instrument for nuclear safety cooperation.
A second project for the stress test at the Bushehr nuclear power plant will be signed in the coming weeks, the Commission stated on Tuesday. (Original version in French by Emmanuel Hagry)