International safety experts meet in Bonn
The international exchange of knowledge and experiences on issues of nuclear power plant safety will be further strengthened - in particular through the use of Internet-based information networks. This is the result of a conference organised by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Bonn. More than 40 experts from Germany and abroad participated in the two-day meeting held at the Federal Environment Ministry.
In particular since the Chernobyl disaster, awareness of the importance of transboundary cooperation in safety matters has increased. The exchange of knowledge and experiences in safety issues is also inscribed in international law. International cooperation is more and more based on information networks that can now be established on the Internet. The key question of the meeting in Bonn was how collaboration can be strengthened with the help of such networks.
New important insights result for example from experiences gathered during the normal operation of nuclear power plants or from the analysis of accidents. Furthermore, the state of the art in science and technology and the results of the systematic review of nuclear power plants, which also has to be performed regularly in Germany, play an important role. Information from these sources should be made available to all parties responsible for safety issues as quickly as possible in order to ensure that the necessary consequences are drawn to improve safety. It is the task of the nuclear safety authorities to monitor the implementation of the requisite measures.
The Federal Environment Ministry actively supported the international expert meeting. It thereby lives up to its responsibility to contribute to the highest possible safety level of nuclear power plants - both domestically and internationally.