Western European Nuclear Regulators' Association (WENRA)

Western European safety and security regulators founded the WENRA advisory body at the beginning of 1999. This move was triggered by a need - for the purpose of accession negotiations - to develop a common policy concerning the safety of nuclear power plants in states acceding to the European Union.

Of the central and eastern European countries applying for EU membership, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, the Czech Republic and Hungary all had the capacity to generate nuclear power. To lend the issues surrounding nuclear safety sufficient weight during the accession process, it was agreed that the directors of the western regulatory bodies should come to a consensus concerning the status of safety regulators and the safety of nuclear power plants in the states in question. In the process, reference was made to findings by western safety regulators and experts, established during the 1990s as part of both bilateral and EU-sponsored measures to improve nuclear safety in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe.

The WENRA remit is:

• to develop a joint policy of safety and supervision within the European Union
• to enable the independent assessment of nuclear safety and security in countries applying for membership of the European Union
• to analyse and establish a common policy concerning any issues arising associated with nuclear safety and supervision.
• to share experiences and promote best practice through mutual learning

• www.wenra.org