Tusk, Mogherini attend the 4th Nuclear Security Summit in Washington

Nuclear Security Summit 2010. Credits:TWH

On behalf of President Juncker and accompanying the President of the European Council, Donald Tusk, the HRVP Federica Mogherini attends the 4th Nuclear Security Summit which takes place in Washington, on 31 March – 1 April 2016.

The main purpose of the Summit is to engage leaders to work together and reinforce their commitments to securing nuclear materials.

Continuing a process launched by President Obama in Prague 2009, the Summit provides an international framework for discussion of nuclear threats and actions to enhance nuclear security.

The summit also provides an opportunity for the European Union to emphasize, at the highest level, its commitment to and achievements in the domain of nuclear security with special emphasis on regional and international cooperation.

In the margins of the summit, Mogherini will also participate in a E3/EU+3 Heads of States’ meeting to review the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) with Iran.

Nuclear safety and security are absolute priorities for the European Union (EU). The nuclear security summit in 2010 in Washington confirmed and further strengthened the EU efforts to effectively contribute to increased nuclear security, both inside Europe and worldwide. The nuclear accident at Fukushima in 2011 triggered additional activities, also in the EU, in the area of nuclear safety, nuclear security and emergency preparedness.

Currently, there is no overarching authority for nuclear security. While the IAEA issues nuclear security guidelines and best practices, as well as offering legal and other types of assistance to member states, it neither enforces the adoption of those guidelines nor has the ability to penalize states that do not conform to its standards.

In the absence of an international nuclear security authority, the European Union has stepped in as one of the leading organizations in the field. The EU sets standards for all member states to follow and also invests in various nuclear security projects in its region. EU investment in nuclear security increased in the 2014–20 funding period via the Instrument for Stability and the Instrument for Nuclear Safety Cooperation.

However, while the EU does set some regulatory and nuclear security standards for its member states, these EU-wide efforts are limited by the huge variation in nuclear facilities and technologies, making comprehensive EU-wide legislation difficult to achieve.

The European Commission's Nuclear Security Unit provides enabling research, technology, instruments, technical services and training for nuclear safeguards, non proliferation and nuclear security, including the verification of treaties and agreements, to inspection agencies, states and operators. Activities range from nuclear non-destructive analysis and process monitoring to containment & surveillance, verification and detection technologies, including the proliferation assessment of new reactor systems, border monitoring and the specialist analysis of open-source information and satellite imagery.