INSC exploratory mission to Morocco - April 2009 Expert 4

An initiative to extend cooperation under INSC beyond TACIS countries was started by the EC in 2007. To identify the needs of countries which expressed an interest in cooperation in the field of nuclear and radiation safety, a Task Force was formed comprising experts from EU nuclear regulatory authorities.

In order to decide its future strategy for nuclear safety cooperation/assistance to third countries, the EC needs:

- To identify and describe the key actors in the nuclear safety sector in the countries concerned. These actors are usually the National Regulatory Authorities (NRA), their Technical Support Organisations (TSO), the body in charge of radiation protection and the various ministries (Foreign Affairs, the Ministry on which the NRA is depending, etc)

- To have an overview of nuclear safety situation in the new potential beneficiary countries and outline an action programme. This should cover what would be needed to bring the existing infrastructure to the level required to adequately regulate the initiation and implementation of a nuclear power programme as decided by the concerned country or, for the countries with existing nuclear power programmes, what would be needed to improve the existing regulatory infrastructure to current IAEA standards. For countries which are planning the start-up or construction of nuclear reactors for the first time, the Commission's assistance would be limited to regulatory assistance (including legislation) and the promotion of an effective safety culture. Assistance concerning emergency preparedness and the establishment of an effective safeguards regime may also be provided in all cases. A further area of assistance that may be considered is the remediation of former nuclear sites not covered by commercial obligations (e.g., disaffected mines).

As a first approach two regions were selected on the basis of geographical proximity and political criteria: Maghreb (Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia) and Machrek (Jordan, Egypt, Emirates).

This summary provides a general explanation of the results of the mission to Morocco applicable to senior expert 1 and the other senior experts (contract numbers 203231, 203233, 203234).

Project Aims

The purpose of the exploratory mission for the experts was in particular:
- To familiarize themselves with the status of regulation of nuclear and radiation safety in the country and evaluate the future needs for assistance and technical support.
- To elaborate in cooperation with the beneficiary a proposal for technical assistance in the form of a preliminary Action Fiche (AF) , which is a technical description and justification of a proposed project for the purpose of its endorsement for inclusion in an INSC annual programme.
The work to be performed consisted of:
- Preparation of the mission in close collaboration with the EC Project Manager.
- Performance of the mission following instructions of the EC Project Manager.
- Reporting (Mission Report plus draft Action Fiche) to the EC Project Manager on the achievements of the mission.
The expert's knowledge of nuclear regulatory authority problems around the world was of crucial importance for the success of the mission.
Duties of the Exploratory Mission of the Task Force were:
- To conduct a “Desktop” Review of the national situations concerning the Regulatory aspects,
- To contact the selected NRA if such organization exists or the organization currently in charge of regulatory matters and collect information on their national objectives and needs,
- To prepare and propose concrete actions in the form of projects for the creation or reinforcement of the selected RAs.

Project Results

On 20th and 21st April 2009 a meeting took place between the representatives of the Ministry of Energy, Mines, Water and Environment, the Ministry of Health/CNRP (National Centre for radiation Protection), the Ministry of Interior/General Direction for Civil Protection, CNESTEN (National Center for Nuclear Energy, Science and Technology), National Defence Administration/Health Services, National Phosphates Company and National Electricity Utility, the European Commission as well as four European Regulatory Authorities. The discussions were held at the Headquarter of the CNESTEN, at Maamora Nuclear Centre.

This meeting had been mutually agreed as a follow up of the Seminar on "Cooperation Energetique entre la Commission Europeenne et le Maroc" held on 21st July 2008 at the Ministry of Energy, Mines, Water and Environment in Rabat.

The aim was to identify the possibilities for a cooperation project on nuclear safety issues under the 'Instrument for Nuclear Safety Cooperation, (INSC). To do so the detailed discussions concentrated on the following areas:
- An explanatory review of the present and future nuclear energy programme of Morocco with an emphasis on its objectives, legal and organizational elements in terms of nuclear and radiation safety and regulatory matters.
- A presentation of the short and medium term needs of the Moroccan Nuclear Regulatory Authority and its technical support organization when officially set up in the framework of the projected Nuclear and Radiological Safety and Security Law.
- An analysis and review of what could be accepted as activities under cooperation projects according to the rules defining the INSC.

The meeting ended with the preparation of the detailed description of the main objectives and contents of a first cooperation project defined under the EC document "Action Fiche" for the Action Programme 2009.

The following Tasks were considered:

1. Establishment/development of an Action plan for cooperation in the field of capacity building for the enhancement of NRA including an overview of contemporary situation.
2. Preparation of the Action Programmes.
3. Support in the establishment of independent regulatory body (RB) based on existing infrastructure.
4. Assistance in the field of regulatory framework.
5. Strengthening and enhancing professional capacity of RB and its TSO.
6. Public information.

The Moroccan Authorities expressed the need to initiate a future cooperation in the field of off-site emergency preparedness and response.