News

This week, September 13-17, 2021, the Board of Gevernors of the International Atomic Energy Agency is meeting in Vienna. During this meeting, H.E. Vaidotas Verba, Permanent Representative of Lithuania to the International Organizations in Vienna, delivered a Statement on behalf of Lithuania on nuclear and radiation safety. 

In his statement, Ambassador V. Verba expressed Lithuania's great concern to witness the unprecedented rush in commissioning the new Nuclear Power Plant at the border to Lithuania.

By highlighting the IAEA’s significant role in upgrading nuclear safety standards and thanking the IAEA for other tools offered to member states to maintain the highest level of nuclear and radiation safety, such as peer review missions, Ambassador underlined vital importance of unconditional adherence to those standards and timely implementation of the recommendations also demonstrating the highest degree of transparency.

“We witness an unprecedented rush to commission the new Nuclear Power Plant at our border and a demonstration of the selective approach to the IAEA and other modern international standards and recommendations. In addition, the declared openness and transparency is being continuously  ignored or bypassed.  This should not become a bad precedent and we must stand together to avoid the spread of such attitude worldwide”, said the Ambassador.

In addition, Ambassador expressed Lithuania’s assurance of unconditional implementation of the highest nuclear and radiation safety standards in Ignalina NPP recently under decommissioning. He also brought this specific case as an example showing the importance of careful  consideration of the management of all types of radioactive waste and spent fuel prior to the start of the new nuclear energy programmes in order not to impose environmental problems and undue financial burden on future generations. He called upon the IAEA and the Member states for close cooperation on the solutions for safe decommissioning and radioactive waste management.