69th IAEA General Conference: in its first participation, ASNR asserts itself as a key player on the international stage

From 15 to 19 September 2025, ASNR, represented by its President, Commissioners, the Director General and several other representatives, participated in a series of meetings and discussions in Vienna, on the sidelines of the 69th IAEA General Conference.

During the event, approximately 25 bilateral meetings took place with the heads of nuclear safety authorities from Brazil, Czech Republic, China, Egypt, Finland, Germany, Ghana, Holland, Hungary, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, Philippine, Poland, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Switzerland, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United states and Vietnam. Meetings with IAEA’s Director General R. Grossi, Deputy Director General K. Herviou and several Directors were also organised. The president of ASNR also had the opportunity to meet and discuss with HE Mrs Delphine Hournau-Pouëzat, Ambassador, Permanent Representative for France to the Office of the United Nations and International Organisations in Vienna. 

These discussions highlighted that in an international context where several countries and safety authorities have undertaken reforms of their regulations and safety frameworks with the aim of simplifying the development of new nuclear projects, ASNR was promoting and reaffirming its core values: independence, transparency, priority to safety and science-based decisions. It was however acknowledged that shortcomings on global efficiency should be properly diagnosed and acted upon, and that it is a collective responsibility of Safety Authorities and the industry. The key message was that safety and efficiency should never be opposed. 

President Pierre-Marie Abadie signed three important bilateral cooperation agreements respectively with Morocco, Slovenia and the United Arab Emirates.  

The ASNR also discussed various topics with the European Commission, including safety culture, regulatory effectiveness and nuclear fusion regulation. 

ASNR's Director General, O. Gupta (also Vice-President of WENRA¹) participated in several meetings related to WENRA, including a meeting between the boards of WENRA and ETSON².  

Commissioner O. Dubois took part to several meeting with ETSON including a meeting with the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) and DDG K. Herviou. 

Commissioner G. Pina participated in a meeting with the Head of the German BfS³ where the PIANOFORTE⁴ initiative and other current subjects related to radiation protection were broached. 

The three ‘side events’ organised or co-organised by ASNR on HERCA⁵, on cooperation with African countries (both with the participation of Commissioner J-L Lachaume) and on nuclear fusion regulation attracted a large audience. The ASNR was also present at events devoted to the role of regulatory bodies in the implementation of deep geological disposal projects (J-L Lachaume) and the TRANSURANUS calculation code dedicated to fuel performance (O. Dubois). Commissioners G. Pina and S. Guénot Bresson also took part to the Gender equity’s meeting and the side event on the recent drone attack on Chernobyl, presented by Ukraine.

During the Senior Safety and Security Regulators' Meeting, B.M. Ayadi, expert in Artificial Intelligence, presented the project on using AI techniques in nuclear safety expert analysis at ASNR.

During the INRA⁶ meeting, attended by a representative of the IAEA and chaired by Juan Carlos Lentijo, Chairman of the CSN (Spanish Nuclear Safety Authority), Pierre-Marie Abadie presented an update of the current priority topics at ASNR and participated in a reflection on the efficiency of regulators.

In conclusion, the IAEA General Conference serves as an annual gathering point for nuclear safety authorities from around the world to engage and discuss, formally and informally on critical subject related to nuclear safety and radiation protection. The ASNR was very active and visible throughout the week, and these numerous exchanges enabled it to raise awareness of its positions and strengthen relations with its partners. It has established itself as a key player in nuclear safety and radiation protection at the global level.