EU Statement at the IAEA Board of Governors on Nuclear technology, 9 September 2025

EU Statement at the IAEA Board of Governors on Nuclear technology, 9 September 2025

Chair,

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union. Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Republic of Moldova, San Marino, Serbia, Türkiye and Ukraine align themselves with this statement.

The European Union would like to thank the Director General for his report on "Strengthening the Agency's Activities Related to Nuclear Science, Technology and Applications". These activities underpin the inalienable right of all States Parties to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes without discrimination, and in accordance with its Article IV.

The Agency's work assists Member States and fosters international cooperation in further developing the application of radiation and nuclear technologies. This significantly contributes to peace, health and prosperity around the world. The EU commends the Agency's important role in assisting Member States to meet the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through nuclear science, technology and applications under the highest possible safety, security, and non-proliferation conditions.

Chair,

We welcome the IAEA activities that help improve human health and nutrition, agriculture, food safety and security and water resources management; combat environmental and water pollution; and preserve cultural and natural heritage.

We appreciate the Director General (DG)'s flagship initiatives, including Rays of Hope, ZODIAC, NUTEC Plastics and Atoms4Food, and encourage continued efforts to ensure coordination with other relevant initiatives. Underlying the common commitment to food security, we recognise the Agency's key engagement in this field and welcome the role of the Group of Friends of Food Security in Vienna, chaired by Italy and Sudan. We equally appreciate the Agency's work related to the applications of accelerators and research reactors in environmental studies, and cultural and natural heritage preservation.

We applaud the completion of the resource mobilization and construction for the Renovation of the Nuclear Application Laboratories (ReNuAL) 2 and look forward to the full operation of all new facilities by the end of the year.

Chair,

The EU acknowledges the need to ensure energy security and respects the right of Member States to decide on their energy mix and choose the most appropriate technologies to collectively achieve our climate target.

We recognize that nuclear technologies can be of great help to mitigate the consequences of global warming and monitor its impact. We strongly support the Agency's commitment to contribute to tackling climate change, and support its participation in the Conference of Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP).

The EU appreciates the support provided by the Agency for the safe and secure operation of nuclear power plants and research reactors, including for long-term operation, fuel cycle, spent fuel and radioactive waste management. We also appreciate the attention given to nuclear knowledge management and the collaboration with European and international stakeholders in this area. We note the Agency-wide platform on Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) and their Applications and to its coordination with the Nuclear Harmonisation and Standardisation Initiative (NHSI). We finally commend the IAEA's support to Member States embarking on or expanding existing nuclear science, technology and applications' programmes.

Chair,

As its largest donor and strong supporter of gender equality and gender mainstreaming, the EU commends the success of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellowship Programme.

Recalling the inaugural meeting of the World Fusion Energy Group (WFEG) in Rome in November 2024 and looking at the future, we welcome the IAEA's activities related to nuclear fusion. The upcoming European Fusion Strategy, currently scheduled for adoption at the end of 2025, will tackle several areas vital to accelerate the commercialisation of fusion energy and will include ITER, R&D needs and the creation of a European industrial ecosystem. The strategy will also cover regulatory frameworks, technical standards, strengthening international collaborations and a streamlined European governance for fusion.

With these comments, Chair, we support the recommended Board action set forth in GOV/2025/30-GC(69)/2.

Thank you, Chair.