INTERNATIONAL NUCLEAR REGULATORS ASSOCIATION ENCOURAGES 

NUCLEAR SAFETY ENHANCEMENTS WORLDWIDE 

The International Nuclear Regulators Association (INRA) has issued a statement strongly 

encouraging countries that are expanding their programs for peaceful uses of nuclear energy and 

those developing new nuclear programs to adopt programs of continuous improvement in nuclear 

safety. Further, enhancement of international cooperation and commitment of all nuclear nations, 

both existing and future, is key to achieving high levels of nuclear safety worldwide. 

 Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chairman Dale E. Klein, as INRA’s 2008 Chair, sent 

INRA’s statement to the International Atomic Energy Agency asking for assistance in conveying 

the message to all of IAEA’s members. The INRA offered its assistance to countries in 

developing legislation and independent regulatory entities with a sound safety culture. In its 

statement, INRA identified the following four commitments countries should consider to 

achieve and maintain high levels of nuclear safety: 

• to have a legislative and regulatory framework to govern the safety of nuclear materials 

and installations that meets the requirements of the international Convention on Nuclear 

Safety that meets relevant fundamental safety principles, and appropriate standards; 

• to establish an independent nuclear safety regulatory body with authority, competence, 

and financial and human resources to fulfill its responsibilities to secure a high level of 

safety; 

• to ensure that such an independent regulatory body is able to come to its regulatory 

judgments or decisions on nuclear safety issues based on expert nuclear safety technical 

understanding unfettered by outside interest or pressure, and that this is underpinned by 

an appropriate legal framework, custom and practice and through other measures 

established by governments and parliaments; and 

• to anchor an effective system of nuclear safety regulation and control on a strong national 

commitment to develop cultures in all relevant organizations, bodies, that emphasize 

nuclear safety as the priority. 

NRC NEWS

U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

Office of Public Affairs Telephone: 301/415-8200 

Washington, D.C. 20555-0001 

E-mail: opa@nrc.gov 

Site: http://www.nrc.gov

No. 08-085 April 28, 2008
 

The letters and statement are available in the agency’s Agencywide Documents Access 

and Management System through NRC’s website http://www.nrc.gov in the Electronic Reading 

Room at these numbers: ML081150667 and ML081150662. 

 The INRA, a group of international nuclear regulators formed 11 years ago to provide 

regulators a forum to discuss nuclear safety, met in mid-March in Washington, D.C., where the 

importance of nuclear safety was discussed with renewed emphasis due to the increased interest 

of many countries across the world in developing or expanding nuclear programs. Countries 

represented at the meeting were: Canada, France, Japan, Spain, South Korea, Sweden, the 

United Kingdom, and the United States. 

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