At a meeting chaired by Germany, the heads of the nuclear regulatory authorities from France, the United Kingdom, Japan, Canada, Spain, Sweden and the United States discussed measures to improve the safety of nuclear power plants after Fukushima. The meeting of the International Nuclear Regulators Association (INRA) took place in Berlin from 28 to 30 April. The agenda also focused on safety issues surrounding the decommissioning of nuclear power plants, the responsible storage of radioactive waste and how to secure funding for decommissioning and disposal tasks. As always, the INRA meeting provided a proven platform for an open exchange based on trust.
Federal Environment Minister Barbara Hendricks commented: "Ambitious nuclear safety standards are in the interest of all countries using nuclear energy, regardless of whether they are expanding their nuclear programmes or, as in the case of Germany, phasing out nuclear power. At international level Germany strongly supports highest safety standards to ensure the highest level of protection for our population. We pay particular attention at nuclear power plants in neighbouring countries located close to the German border but we also champion the best possible safety levels in Europe and worldwide.
INRA was established in 1997 as informal gathering of heads of nuclear regulatory authorities to provide an opportunity for exchange of information and views on pivotal nuclear energy safety issues. INRA aims at establishing a global nuclear safety culture and achieving an internationally harmonised procedure in vital safety issues.