Photo: IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi (centre) makes his fourth visit to Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine with his team of experts, 7 February 2024.

On 19 February 2024 a new European Council adopted a Decision on European Union support for the activities of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in the area of nuclear security. They have allocated a total amount of €7.2 million for a 36-month period, targeted at the following three specific objectives:

1. Build capacity in IAEA Member States and assist them to strengthen nuclear security.
2. Provide nuclear security assistance to Ukraine, including by supporting the continued presence of IAEA staff at all nuclear sites in Ukraine.
3. Strengthen the participation of women in careers related to nuclear security, in particular through the IAEA’s Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellowship Programme.

This is the ninth such action to be adopted since 2004, bringing up the total of the EU support for the IAEA’s nuclear security activities from the CFSP Budget to €67 million.

This is a strong testament to the EU’s commitment to the work of the IAEA to promote safe, secure and peaceful nuclear technologies, which are also important in reaching Sustainable Development Goals.

Beyond nuclear security, the EU supports other fields of activity of the IAEA such as nuclear safety, through various financial instruments.

The total EU support for the IAEA since 2004 exceeds €160 million.

European Union (2024)

Photo: IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi (second from right)