As part of preparations for EU Exit, the UK is establishing a
domestic nuclear safeguards regime to ensure that the UK
continues to maintain its position as a responsible nuclear state
and that withdrawal from Euratom will not result in the weakening
of our future safeguards standards and oversight in the UK.
This Government believes that it is vitally important that the
new domestic nuclear safeguards regime, to be run by the Office
for Nuclear Regulation, is as comprehensive and robust as that
currently provided by Euratom. The government has therefore
decided that it will be establishing a domestic regime which will
deliver to existing Euratom standards and exceeds the standard
that the international community would require from the UK as a
member of the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency).
International oversight will be a key part of the future regime.
The UK is seeking to conclude new agreements with the IAEA that
follow the same principles as our current ones. This will ensure
that the IAEA retains its right to inspect all civil nuclear
facilities, and continue to receive all current safeguards
reporting, ensuring that international verification of our
safeguards activity continues to be robust.
Discussions with the European Union are on-going. We will be
exploring a number of options for smooth transition from the
current Euratom regime to a domestic one. The unique and
important nature of the civil nuclear sector means that there is
strong mutual interest in ensuring that the UK and Euratom
Community continue to work closely together in the future. The
UK’s ambition is to maintain a close and effective relationship
with the Euratom Community and the rest of the world that
harnesses the UK’s and the Euratom Community’s expertise and
maximises shared interests. By maintaining our current safeguards
and standards we are providing the best possible basis for
continued close cooperation with Euratom in the future.
Whatever the outcome of those discussions, the Government is
committed to a future regime that provides at least the existing
levels of assurance. The legislation to provide for this was
announced in the Queen’s speech and will be brought forward in
due course. This policy statement provides important context both
for parliamentary consideration of that Bill, and for the
forthcoming talks with the European Union, which take place in
the last week of September.
