Slovakia Completes 12 Regulatory Recommendations and Passes Follow-up Review

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On November 9, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) concluded an 8-day follow-up review of Slovakia's nuclear safety and radiation protection regulatory system, confirming that the country has implemented 12 of the 23 recommendations made in the 2022 regulatory review and completed 8 of the 10 additional suggestions for improvement. The review was requested by the Slovak Government and hosted by the Slovak Nuclear Regulatory Authority (ÚJD), covering the regulation of nuclear facilities, radiation protection, and the transport of radioactive materials.

The review team confirmed that Slovakia has established an inter-agency coordination committee to strengthen regulatory cooperation among different competent authorities and has amended the Radiation Protection Act to enhance radiation safety oversight. The country has also revised the document "Policy, Principles and Strategy for the Safe Use of Nuclear Energy and Ionizing Radiation in Slovakia" and made policy commitments regarding the implementation of international guidance documents on the import and export of radioactive sources and the management of disused radioactive sources.

The follow-up review was conducted from November 2 to 9, with a team comprising 5 experts from regulatory bodies in Australia, Finland, Pakistan, Portugal and Romania, and 3 IAEA staff members. The review involved the Slovak Nuclear Regulatory Authority, the Public Health Authority, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Transport, the National Labour Inspectorate, the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, and the Ministry of Interior, using methods including meetings with regulatory bodies and interviews with relevant personnel.

During this review, the IAEA also raised further improvement requirements for the Public Health Authority and regional public health institutions to effectively fulfill their independent regulatory responsibilities, and called for resources to be provided to public health institutions and the Ministry of Transport to carry out their regulatory duties. Of the 23 recommendations from the 2022 review, 11 remain open; of the 10 suggestions for improvement, 2 remain open.

According to the arrangements announced by the IAEA, the final report of this follow-up review is expected to be submitted to the Slovak Government in approximately three months. This marks the 164th review mission completed since the IAEA's Integrated Regulatory Review Service (IRRS) began operations.