- Status
- Closed
Summary
This Project description is a general description of the whole TACIS Nuclear Programme. It has not been established in the way as any other TACIS project listed in this data base.
The objective is to give a general overview about the most important aspects of the TACIS Nuclear Programme, which lasted more than 15 years. It is in fact a brochure issued by the EC-RELEX with a foreword by the Commissioner Mrs. Ferrero-Waldner.
The full document (in English) can be found at the following address:
https://international-partnerships.ec.europa.eu/policies/climate-enviro…
The European Union set up TACIS (Technical Assistance to the Commonwealth of Independent States) after the break-up of the Soviet Union in 1991, and the following year created the TACIS nuclear Safety Programme. Since its inception, the programme has been contributing to an improvement of nuclear safety in the CIS by transferring technology and know-how and establishing fail-safe mechanisms that have collectively contributed to the improvement of nuclear power plants and the avoidance of accidents in the years since Chernobyl.
Nuclear safety considerations also extend to the mining of uranium, the production and safe transport of nuclear fuel, handling of fresh and spent fuel and the storage, treatment and safe disposal of nuclear waste products and emergency preparedness and management. These have also been covered by the Programme together with a number of security related aspects such as assistance to safeguarding nuclear material (in order to prevent theft or diversion) and redirecting thousands of former weapons scientists, technicians and support staff to peaceful activities.
TACIS is one of the largest partnering programmes in the world, and is of course much more than nuclear safety. However, the importance attached to nuclear safety by the European Commission is demonstrated by the fact that since its inception in 1991, some €1,200 million of the overall TACIS funding has been directed towards nuclear safety projects. In parallel with the nuclear Safety Programme, TACIS has contributed some €250 million to the International Science and Technology Centre (ISTC) in Russia and the Science and Technology Centre of the Ukraine (STCU). These centres provide former Weapons of mass Destruction scientists and engineers the opportunity to redirect their skills to peaceful activities.
This brochure aims to provide an insight into the 15 year history of the TACIS nuclear Safety Programme. It will present the nuclear safety issues that led to the programme beginnings and portray the various aspects of its implementation, funding, challenges and achievements. Finally, the brochure will outline the future direction of the programme