Regional Nuclear Security Working Group meeting with participation of Hungarian experts

The International Atomic Energy Agency, with the participation of experts from the Hungarian Atomic Energy Authority and the Energy Research Institute, held a regional meeting on the Integrated Nuclear Security Sustainability Plan in Montenegro from 3 to 7 June 2024. The objective of the meeting was to provide participants with an overview of the recent revision of the Plan, which provides a complex assessment and evaluation of the nuclear security systems of each Member State, its revised objectives and, in this context, the possibilities for Member States to support the development of the nuclear security regulatory system.

The objective of the Plan, to which Hungary joined in 2018, was defined on the basis of the following 6 modules: national policy and security strategy, legal and regulatory system, prevention, detection, response and sustainability of the nuclear security system.

The regional meeting was attended by 20 participants from 11 countries and 4 experts invited by the IAEA, as well as representatives from partner organisations, the US Department of Energy and the UN Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute. Member States presented their experiences in implementing the Integrated Nuclear Security Sustainability Plan, while the IAEA and its partner organisations informed participants about possible support programmes.

During the event, Mr Zsolt Stefánka, Head of Department of the Hungarian Atomic Energy Authority, delivered presentations of three modules and, as the IAEA's national focal point for the Incident and Trafficking Database, provided a comprehensive overview of the security events related to the radioactive sources in the region. Mr Zsolt Stefánka underlined the high importance of nuclear security and stressed that IAEA support from the Integrated Nuclear Security Sustainability Plan has contributed significantly to maintaining the outstanding level of Hungary’s security system.

The IAEA and the Member States will use the outcome of the meeting as a basis for defining the tasks for the next period and the scope of the international support required.