Among other issues, the outcome report on stress tests at nuclear power plants outside the European Union was reviewed

The meeting addressed nuclear safety challenges arising from armed conflicts, with special attention to the situation in Ukraine

The President of the CSN presides the 56th Ensreg Plenary Session

The European Nuclear Safety Regulators Group (ENSREG) met in Brussels under the chairmanship of the President of the Spanish Nuclear Safety Council (CSN), Juan Carlos Lentijo, and with the participation of the CSN’s Technical Director for Nuclear Safety, Teresa Vázquez. The event, attended by the heads of the regulatory authorities from the twenty-seven European Union Member States and the European Commission, is a key forum for harmonising nuclear safety standards.

The meeting addressed topics such as the outcome report on the stress tests conducted at nuclear power plants outside the EU, specifically in Turkey. In addition, an initial analysis was presented on the relevance of the stress test regulatory framework for EU nuclear power plants, following up on previous discussions. This analysis aims to ensure that European safety standards remain up to date and applicable to new technologies and emerging challenges.

ENSREG also reviewed the outcomes of the 8th Review Meeting of the Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management, recently held in Vienna. This is the only legally binding international instrument addressing safety in the management of spent fuel and radioactive waste. It is a key event not only for countries with nuclear energy programmes but also for those using radiation sources in medicine, industry, agriculture and research.

The President of the Ukrainian regulatory body (SNRIU), Oleh Korikov, provided an update on the situation in his country. He detailed actions carried out by the Russian Federation that have impacted Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, affecting transmission lines and electrical substations.

During this first meeting in 2025, ENSREG also initiated the organisational preparations for the next regulatory conference to be held next year, including the constitution of the organising committee, a tentative date for the event, and a proposal of topics to be included on the agenda, based on conclusions from previous editions.

The current status of the second Topical Peer Review exercise (TPR-II) was also reviewed, with preparations underway for a new stakeholder seminar on fire protection in nuclear installations—the subject matter of TPR-II. Moreover, information was shared on the conclusions of the international seminar held in Madrid last May on the transposition of the European Directive on the protection against ionising radiation. This seminar was organised by the Heads of the European Radiological Protection Competent Authorities (HERCA).

Working Groups

The Chair of Working Group 1 on nuclear safety and international cooperation, Iga Pocztarek-Tofi from the Polish regulatory body, reviewed recent developments related to nuclear safety matters, including reactor safety, nuclear installations, and safety culture.

The Working Group on radioactive waste management and decommissioning (WG2), led by the director general of the Belgium Agency for radioactive waste management, Marc Demarche, presented a comparative analysis of radioactive waste across the European Union and proposed a future seminar to present these findings. 

Representing Working Group 3 on communication and transparency with the public and stakeholders, João Oliveira Martins from the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA), provided an update on the draft Terms of Reference (ToR) to be applied to the TPR-II stakeholder discussion group, and reported on the roundtable held at the end of January focused on the Aarhus Convention.

Progress was also reported regarding the establishment of collaboration mechanisms with the Western European Nuclear Regulators Association (WENRA), which submitted to the ENSREG Chair a proposal to participate in the upcoming Fusion Energy Congress.

ENSREG

ENSREG is a high-level advisory group created in 2007 at the request of the European Commission to raise recommendations to the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament on Nuclear Safety and Nuclear Waste Management. The CSN participates in its meetings as well as in ENSREG working groups dedicated to the areas of Nuclear Safety, Radioactive Waste and Spent Fuel Management, International Cooperation and Communication and Transparency of the regulatory body. Juan Carlos Lentijo was elected president of ENSREG.

This forum is composed of senior representatives from national regulatory authorities for nuclear safety, radioactive waste safety and radiation protection, as well as members from all EU Member States and the European Commission. Its mission is to promote the continuous improvement of nuclear safety and to foster a common understanding in these areas.

ENSREG operates as an independent body, facilitating the implementation of the EU Nuclear Safety Directive and the EU Waste Management Directive, enhancing cooperation and transparency among Member States, and advising the European Commission on proposals to improve nuclear safety.