Nuclear safety conference
June 20, 2011
The United Nations' nuclear watchdog holds a conference in Vienna on Monday to discuss how to improve international nuclear safety standards.
The conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was called in response to the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in Japan in March.
In a statement on its website, the IAEA said the conference aimed to "draw on the lessons from the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi NPP in order to strengthen nuclear safety throughout the world."
No binding international standards
Attending the five-day conference are representatives from the 151 IAEA member states, including ministers from some 30 countries. Germany is being represented by Ursula Heinen-Esser, the parliamentary state secretary at the Environment Ministry.
A final statement containing 25 proposals for increased safety, better exchange of information and liability in the case of accidents has been prepared ahead of the conference.
At present, nuclear safety issues are dealt with at a national level; international conventions and agreements are non-binding.
Shaken confidence
The disaster at the Fukushima nuclear plant, the world's worst for 25 years, has shaken confidence in the safety of atomic energy worldwide. Three reactors went into meltdown after a severe earthquake and tsunami damaged power and cooling systems.
An IAEA report prepared for the conference found that Japanese nuclear regulators failed to take adequate steps to secure the plant against tsunamis following an evaluation in 2002.
But the report praised the way workers on the ground dealt with the emergency.
Prompted in part by the accident, Germany has decided to shut down all its nuclear plants by 2022.
Author: Timothy Jones (dpa, AFP, Reuters)
Editor: Andrew Bowen