IAEA mission begins in Lithuania
From May 18 to 29, a team of experts from a mission organized by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will assess whether Lithuania’s regulatory and supervisory system for nuclear and radiation safety complies with modern nuclear and radiation safety standards recognized by the international community.
Representatives from the Office of the President of the Republic of Lithuania, Office of the Government, the Ministries of Energy and Health, the State Nuclear Power Safety Inspectorate (VATESI), and the Radiation Protection Centre will participate in meetings with the experts. During the mission, IAEA experts will also visit the Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant and the companies UAB InMedica and UAB Polimaster Europe, which use sources of ionizing radiation in their activities.
“An international assessment of the activities of regulatory authorities responsible for nuclear and radiation safety, along with the perspective of experts in this field from other countries, is valuable in improving our activities and ensuring that they are in line with modern safety standards,” says Michail Demčenko, Head of VATESI.
Once the Integrated Regulatory Review Service (IRRS) mission in Lithuania has concluded, a report will be prepared and submitted to the Government of the Republic of Lithuania, the European Commission, and the Member States of the European Union. The results of the IRRS mission will be important in shaping the international community’s opinion on the assurance of nuclear and radiation safety in the Republic of Lithuania.
Experts from Austria, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, Singapore, Sweden, and the United States are participating in the IAEA IRRS mission.
Lithuania has been a member of the IAEA since 1993 and regularly invites IAEA missions to assess various areas of safety and implements the recommendations set forth in the reports of these missions.
Lithuanian nuclear and radiation safety regulatory and oversight system was previously assessed by IAEA experts in 2016 during a full-scope IRRS mission.