REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL Evaluation of the implementation of the Instrument for Nuclear Safety Cooperation (INSC) during its first three years (2007-2009)
Date: 2011-10-18
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: EU programme, developing countries, environmental risk prevention, former socialist countries, nuclear accident, radiation protection, radioactive waste, radioactivity, technical cooperation

EUROPEAN COMMISSION 

Brussels, 18.10.2011 
COM(2011) 648 final 

REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND 
THE COUNCIL 

Evaluation of the implementation of the Instrument for Nuclear Safety Cooperation 
(INSC) during its first three years (2007-2009) 

{SEC(2011) 1199 final} 

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FOREWORD 

The  Council  Regulation  establishing  an  Instrument  for  Nuclear  Safety  Cooperation,  referred 
here  below  as  the  INSC  Regulation,1  requires,  under  Article  21,  that  (besides  a  report  on 
progress as per Article 18) the Commission submit a report to the European Parliament and the 
Council evaluating the implementation of the INSC regulation during the first three years of the 
programme2.  

As part of the evaluation process, the Commission contracted a group of independent experts to 
conduct an evaluation of the implementation of the programme from 2007 to 2009. The experts 
were  selected  on  the  basis  of  their  experience  in  the  field  of  nuclear  energy,  nuclear  safety, 
radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel management.  

The full expert report on the actions carried out by the Commission under the Annual Action 
Programmes (AAPs) 2007 to 2009 is available as an accompanying Commission Staff Working 
Document3. This document only engages its authors. 

The present Report is the evaluation by the Commission, taking into account the Commission's 
INSC Progress Report for 2007-20094 and the above-mentioned expert report.5 

1 
2 

3 

4 

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Council Regulation (Euratom) No 300/2007 of 19 February 2007 (OJ L 81, 22.3.2007, p. 1).  
Art.  21  –  Review  -  of  the  INSC  Regulation  requires  that  "Not  later  than  31  December  2010,  the 
Commission  shall  submit  to  the  European  Parliament  and  the  Council  a  report  evaluating  the 
implementation  of  this  Regulation  in  the  first  three  years  together,  if  appropriate,  with  a  legislative 
proposal introducing the necessary modifications to the instrument." 
Commission  Staff  Working  Paper  –  External  evaluation  report  on  the  implementation  of  Council 
Regulation (EURATOM) N.300/20047 (Instrument for Nuclear Safety Cooperation) in the period 2007-
2009  Accompanying  the  document  "Report  from  the  Commission  to  the  European  Parliament  and  the 
Council on the evaluation of the implementation of the Instrument for Nuclear Safety Cooperation (INSC) 
during its first three years (2007-2009)" - SEC(2011)xxx  
Report from the Commission to the European parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social 
Committee and the Committee of the Regions on the implementation of the Instrument for Nuclear Safety 
Cooperation. First Report - Annual Action Programmes for 2007, 2008 and 2009, in accordance with 
Article 18 of the INSC Regulation. 
Ref COM(2011) 111 final of Brussels, of 10.3.2011,  
http://register.consilium.europa.eu/pdf/en/11/st07/st07637.en11.pdf 

The impacts of the Fukushima-Daiichi accident which occurred on 11 March 2011 falls outside the scope 
of this report; the lessons learned as a result of the accident will be incorporated into the Multi-annual 
Indicate Programme 2012-2013 and in subsequent Annual Action Programmes as appropriate. Nothing 
that has happened in connection with the Fukushima-Daiichi accident changes the conclusions presented 
in this report. 

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1. 

INTRODUCTION 

In 1991, the Commission launched the Nuclear Safety component of the TACIS programme6 to 
address  the  safety  concerns  raised  by  the  Chernobyl  accident.  Between  1991  and  2006,  more 
than €1.3 billion were committed to nuclear safety  projects. Since 2007, the EU's nuclear safety 
assistance  and  cooperation  activities  have  continued  under  the  Instrument  for  Nuclear  Safety 
Cooperation (INSC), with a financial reference amount of €524 million for the implementation 
of  the  Regulation  over  the  period  2007  to  2013.  The  INSC  introduced  a  number  of  changes 
compared to the TACIS nuclear safety programme which are worth noting.  

The INSC extended the geographical coverage to third countries7 worldwide. This has allowed 
the Commission's experience gained with ex-Soviet countries to be used elsewhere to address 
the  needs  of  emerging  countries,  as  well  as  countries  with  established  nuclear  power 
programmes in need of nuclear safety improvement, in particular those with rapidly expanding 
nuclear programmes. In 2008, the Commission proposed a strategy8 to address the international 
challenge of nuclear safety and security. Subsequently the Council formulated a set of criteria 
to be observed when considering and prioritising projects with new partner countries9 which the 
Commission took into account in its revised INSC Strategy for 2010-2013, which also includes 
geographical priorities. 

The strategic framework for the implementation of the INSC programme during the first three 
years  is  constituted  by  the  Nuclear  Safety  Strategy  2007-2013  for  Community  Cooperation 
Programmes  and  Indicative  Programme  2007-2009  of  1  August  2007  (C(2007)3758).  The 
Annual Action Programmes (AAPs) for 2007, 2008 and 2009 provided details on the actions to 
be  undertaken  by  the  Commission.  The  Strategy,  the  Indicative  Programme  and  the  Action 
Programmes received favourable opinions from the INSC Committee. 

The objectives of the INSC Regulation are defined in its Article 1: 

– 

– 

– 

the promotion of a high level of nuclear safety;  

radiation protection, and  

the  application  of  efficient  and  effective  safeguards  of  nuclear  material  in  third 
countries. 

These  objectives  were  to  be  achieved  through  the  implementation  of  measures  stipulated  in 
article 2 of the INSC Regulation: 

– 

Support for regulatory authorities; 

6 

7 
8 

9 

TACIS (Technical Assistance to the Commonwealth of Independent States) is the European Commission 
programme  to  assist  12  countries  of  Eastern  Europe  and  Central  Asia  (Armenia,  Azerbaijan,  Belarus, 
Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan) 
and Mongolia in their transition to democratic market-oriented economies.  
'Third countries' are countries outside the EU, excluding those covered by the Pre-Accession Instrument. 
Commission  Communication  "Addressing  the  international  challenge  of  nuclear  safety  and  security", 
COM (2008) 312 final, 22 May 2008. 

Council Conclusions on assistance to third countries in the field of nuclear safety and security, 9 
December 2008. http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_Data/docs/pressdata/en/trans/104601.pdf 

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– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

Improvements  in  the  design,  operation  and  maintenance  of  existing  nuclear 
installations; 

Safe transport and disposal of spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste; 

Development  and  implementation  of  strategies  for  decommissioning  and  site 
remediation; 

Promotion of effective regulatory frameworks for radiation protection; 

Establishment of regulatory framework and methodologies for nuclear safeguards; 

Prevention of accidents and mitigation of their consequences, should they occur, and 

Measures to promote international cooperation in the above fields. 

The Indicative Programme for 2007 - 2009 elaborated further on the specific intervention areas 
and the proposed budget for the implementation of the above measures.  

2. 

IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PROGRAMME  

The  activities  of  INSC  are  implemented  by  the  European  Commission  by  centralised 
management. Under the AAPs for 2007, 2008 and 2009, some 50 projects were approved. The 
projects  are  at  various  stages  of  implementation.  Details  on  the  sums  originally  allocated  and 
contracted by mid-2010 are provided in Table 1. 

Table 1 -Summary of Programme implementation by sector and by year (€ million) 

Cooperation / 
Assistance 
area 

On site 
assistance and 
support to 
operators 

Regulatory 
Authorities 

Waste 
Management 

Safeguards 

Multi-country/ 
Regional 
projects  

Chernobyl  
NSA and CSF 

IAEA 
Cooperation 

TOTAL 

AP 2007 

AP 2008 

AP 2009 

Total 

Allocated 

Contracted  Allocated 

Contracted Allocated 

Contracted  Allocated 

Contracted

28.900 

19.185 

18.355 

1.300 

21.300 

2.000 

68.555 

22.485 

4.600 

1.500 

6.700 

2.000 

10.700 

22.000 

3.500 

1.500 

1.490 

11.000 

2.000 

7.000 

19.500 

3.490 

0.500 

0.500 

0 

1.500 

1.344 

9.000 

5.461 

3.500 

3.333 

14.000 

10.138 

10.000 

10.000 

25.700 

25.700 

24.700 

24.700 

60.400 

60.400 

2.000 

2.000 

6.500 

6.500 

8.500 

8.500 

48.500 
(Note 1) 

35.519 

71.255 

36.461 

73.700 

36.533 

193.455
(note 2) 

108.513 

Note  (1)  €76.772  million  with  the  €28.272  million  included  that  wa
Financing Agreement. 
Note (2) €221.727 with the €28.272 million included that was de-c ommitted after the Russian Federation did not conclude the 2007 Financing 
Agreement. 

s  de-committed  after  the  Russian  Federation  did  not  conclude  the  2007 

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Each  of  the  specific  INSC  measures  referred  to  in  the  Introduction  were  addressed  by  one  or 
more projects. The expenditure by area of cooperation is indicated in table 2 and compared with 
the amounts which had been foreseen in the Indicative Programme for 2007-2009. The largest 
proportion of funds was allocated to the "Promotion of an effective nuclear safety culture" and 
"Participation  in  International  Funds".  Expenditures  on  "Safeguards"  fell  particularly  short  of 
the indicative target.  

The divergence between the Indicative Programme and the approved projects and expenditures 
results partly from the requests from the beneficiaries, the possibility to implement projects and 
the  re-allocation  of  funds  initially  intended  for  the  Russian  Federation.  As  far  as  safeguards 
projects are concerned, coordination with projects funded under Priority 1of the Instrument for 
Stability  (IFS)10  in  the  domain  of  illicit  trafficking  of  Chemical,  Biological,  Radiological  and 
Nuclear  (CBRN)  Materials  and  agents  led  to  the  conclusion  by  some  Member  States  that 
nuclear safeguards projects should also be dealt with in the framework of the IFS. As a result, 
the  Commission  limited  the  definition  and  implementation  of  safeguards  projects  under  the 
INSC.  

Table 2 – Allocation of funds by area of cooperation / assistance 

Measure / cooperation area(1) 

Promotion of an effective nuclear safety culture 
- Support to regulators 
- Support to operators 

Safety of nuclear installations 
- Safety assessment and engineering support to operation 
- Safety-related improvements and modernisation 

Safety of radioactive wastes and spent nuclear fuel 
management, including environmental remediation of 
former nuclear sites 
-  Waste  management  &  Decommissioning,  Decontamination 
and Remediation 

Safety and accountability of nuclear materials 
- Safeguards, illicit trafficking,  
-  Radioisotope  Thermoelectric  Generators  (RTG's),  orphan 
sources & research reactors 

Off-site emergency preparedness  

Participation 
Northern Dimension Environmental Partnership (NDEP)) 

International  Funds 

(Chernobyl  and

in 

Technical support 

TOTAL 

Indicative 
Percentage(2) 
(%)  

Actual 
Percentage(3)
(%) 

25 
(10) 
(15) 

11 
(5) 
(6) 

(47) 
(12) 
(35) 

5 
(5) 
(0) 

20 

10 

14 
(8) 
(6) 

4 

20 

6 

0.25 

1 

31 

6  

100 

100 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

Note 

(1 ) According to the Indicative Programme for 2007-2009  
(2) The total allocation for the 2007 – 2009 was €217 million  
(3) Ref the Commission report on the implementation of the INSC for the period 2007 – 20094 

10 

Regulation  (EC)  No  1717/2006  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  of  15  November  2006 
establishing an Instrument for Stability [Official Journal L 327, 24/11/2006]. 

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The allocation of funds by region / country and the progress in the geographic expansion of the 
INSC programme beyond the former Soviet Union is illustrated in Table 3.  

Table 3 -Summary of Programme implementation by Region / Country11 (€) 

Region/ Country 

2007 

2008 

2009 

Russian Federation 

31.272.000 (1)

3.500.000 (2) 

2.000.000

European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) 
East 

Armenia 

Belarus 

Georgia  

Ukraine  

Egypt 

Jordan 

Morocco 

ENP SOUTH 

SOUTH EAST ASIA 

Philippines 

Vietnam 

Brazil 

LATIN AMERICA 

7,200,000  

6,000,000 

11,000,000 

2,200,000 

2,200,000 

1,800,000 

500,000 

35,800,000 

53,755,000 

38,500,000 

1,000,000 

1,000,000 

1,000,000 

1,500,000 

2,000,000 

5,000,000 

Multi-country / Regional 

Accompanying measures  

2,500,000 

1,000,000 

6,500,000 

1,000,000 

3,500,000 

TOTAL AAP 2007 / 2008 / 2009 

76,772,000 

71,255,000 

73,700,000 

Note 
refusal to conclude a Financing Agreement. This sum could no longer be used under the INSC. 

(1)  The  figure  includes  €28.3  million  for  project s  which  were  cancelled  due  to  the  Russian  Federation 

(2) The figure excludes €13.5 million which were re-allocated. 

Kazakhstan  benefited  from  considerable  assistance  under  the  TACIS  Nuclear  Safety 
Programme,  but  this  cooperation  was  discontinued  due  to  lack  of  interest  on  the  side  of 
Kazakhstan apart from participation in a regional project concerning uranium mining legacy. 

3. 

EVALUATION 

The first three years of implementation of the INSC (2007 – 2009) saw the gradual transition 
from  the  actions  of  the  TACIS  Nuclear  Safety  programme,  which  had  been  centred  on  the 
former  Soviet  Union,  in  particular  the  Russian  Federation  and  Ukraine,  towards  a  global 
programme.  

11 

For details see Commission Staff working Document SEC(2011) 284 final of 10.03.2010 

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While  the  TACIS  programme  focused  on  nuclear  safety  assistance  including,  in  many  cases, 
supply  of  equipment  ('hard  assistance'),  the  INSC  objective  is  enhanced  cooperation  with  a 
view  to  improving  nuclear  safety  with  a  much  reduced  emphasis  on  the  supply  of  equipment 
('soft  assistance').  Partners  have  also  been  encouraged  to  take  a  more  prominent  role  in  the 
definition, management and implementation of cooperation projects. 

Cooperation  with  new  partner  countries  initially  concentrated  on  strengthening  regulatory 
authorities, but progressively cooperation is being extended to the development of management 
of spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste, decommissioning, site remediation and, to a lesser 
extent, to the improvement of operational safety. 

The  cooperation  with  the  International  Atomic  Energy  Agency  (IAEA)  was  stepped  up  for  a 
number of reasons, including the need to improve coordination, to avoid duplication of efforts, 
to  jointly  establish  priorities  and  to  support  the  IAEA's  implementation  ofprojects  in  areas 
where  this  improves  the  effectiveness  of  implementation  due  to  the  IAEA's  international 
standing and particular expertise. 

The suspension of cooperation with the Russian Federation on new nuclear safety projects, due 
to  the  fact  that  Russia  was  not  prepared  to  conclude  Financing  Agreements  with  the 
Commission,  gives  cause  for  concern.  Limited  cooperation  has  continued  under  ongoing 
TACIS  projects  and  the  Commission  has  continued  to  explore  possible  ways  to  solve  the 
current impasse with Russian authorities.  

The cooperation with Armenia has continued, despite the EU's firm position that the Armenian 
nuclear power plant, which operates a ‘first generation’ reactor, should be shut down as soon as 
possible.  All  specific  safety  cooperation  actions  need  to  continue  to  be  reviewed  against  the 
agreed strategic framework for the implementation of the INSC programme. 

The long delay observed between the definition of new cooperation projects and their eventual 
implementation  is  a  serious  problem,  particularly  when  engaging  in  cooperation  with  new 
partner  countries.  These  delays  result  from  the  steps  required  from  identification  of  a  project 
until  its  contracting.  Typically,  the  process  starts  with  an  exploratory  mission  by  the 
Commission services, followed by an expert mission to develop 'action fiches' which provide a 
broad  definition  of  potential  projects.  The  subsequent  approval  process  includes  an  Inter-
Service  Consultation,  an  opinion  by  the  INSC  Committee  followed  by  the  adoption  of  the 
Commission Decision. Tendering and contracting can then only really start after the conclusion 
of a Financing Agreement with the partner country, which can cause additional delay. 
In some cases, the initial phase of the cooperation was somewhat shortened, as in the case of 
Brazil,  where  a  high  degree  of  inter-institutional  preparedness  allowed  rapid  progress  on 
establishing the 'action fiches'. However the process remains lengthy. 

A close relationship has been maintained with the services in charge of the implementation of 
the  IFS,  the  relevant  Commission  desks  and  the  EU  Delegations,  which  helped  to  maintain  a 
coherent approach vis–à-vis third countries. However, further synergies between the INSC and 
the IFS might be explored in the future, notably in the framework of the 'Centres of Excellence' 
(an IFS initiative). 

Activities  in  nuclear  safeguards  during  2007-2009  have  been  significantly  less  than  projected 
under  the  Indicative  Programme  for  the  period  (0.25%  Vs  14%  of  the  Programme).  The 
Commission will take this into account in the formulation of the Indicative Programme for 2012-
2013 and future Action Programmes.  

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4. 

CONCLUSIONS 

The evaluation of the implementation of the INSC programme by the Commission leads to the 
following main conclusions: 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

The  projects  were  established  in  line  with  the  strategic  documents  of  the 
Instrument of Nuclear Safety Cooperation (INSC).  

The  INSC  continued  the  nuclear  safety  cooperation  initiated  under  TACIS  and 
gradually  expanded  it  to  new  partner  countries.  However,  further  cooperation 
with  the  Russian  Federation  was  suspended  while  searching  a  solution  to  its 
objections concerning the conclusion of a Financing Agreement. 

The  enhancement  of  the  nuclear  safety  culture  through  INSC  incorporated 
lessons  learned  from  the  TACIS  Nuclear  Safety  programme,  while  addressing 
emerging needs within a mandate no longer restricted to the region of the former 
Soviet Union.  

The time to start implementing projects following their identification is currently 
two  to  three  years  due  to  lengthy  decisional  and  contracting  processes  and 
generally heavy administrative procedures. The Commission will need to review 
if  and  how  it  may  be  possible  to  reduce  projects'  implementation  cycle  by 
adjusting operational and implementation practices. 

The Commission concurs with the independent evaluation finding that the INSC 
implementation  was  well  targeted  and  the  projects  well  conceived.  When 
successfully implemented the projects are expected to contribute significantly to 
enhance nuclear safety and nuclear safety culture. The INSC projects with focus 
on  exchange  of  know-how  and  practices  were  found  to  be  particularly 
appreciated by partners in target countries. 

For countries that do not have nor plan to have a nuclear power programme, the 
INSC is also helping to build the required nuclear safety regulatory infrastructure 
particularly related to the management of nuclear waste. 

For  countries  planning  to  implement  nuclear  power  programmes,  the  INSC  is 
helping  to  build  the  required  nuclear  safety  regulatory  infrastructure  while  for 
countries  with  established  nuclear  power  programmes,  which  lacked  nuclear 
safety resources due to underfunding or isolation, it focuses on capacity building 
and improving nuclear safety culture. 

Overall, the INSC programme has become a well established vehicle for nuclear 
safety cooperation worldwide.  

Article 21 of the INSC Regulation provides that the Commission may submit a 
legislative proposal introducing modifications to the INSC, alongside the present 
evaluation  report,  if  appropriate.  The  Commission  considers  that  the  concerns 
which were raised in respect of the implementation of the INSC Regulation, and 
how they might be mitigated, can be addressed within the existing provisions of 
the Regulation and that there is no need for a new legislative proposal.  

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