MOSCOW, May 20, (RIA Novosti) - President Vladimir Putin of the Russian Federation has submitted a draft convention on the safe handling of spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste (hereinafter referred to as Convention) to the State Duma (lower parliamentary house) for ratification, reports the Kremlin press service.
The Convention was signed by the Russian Federation January 27, 1999 in Vienna.
As of today, the Convention involves 34 countries, including 21 that operate their own nuclear power plants. Great Britain, Germany, Spain, the United States, Finland, France, Sweden and Japan are all parties to the Convention.
The Convention sets forth the high contracting parties' commitments as regards the safe handling of spent nuclear fuel being formed during the operation of civilian nuclear power units and the safe handling of NPP radioactive waste.
The Convention mostly aims to ensure and maintain high standards as regards the safe handling of spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste through enhanced national measures and international cooperation. This document is also called upon to provide effective protection against potential hazards at every stage of handling spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste or protecting private individuals, society and the environment from the harmful impact of ionizing radiation today and in the future. The Convention aims to prevent radiological accidents and to reduce their consequences at any stage of handling spent nuclear fuel or radioactive waste.
The Convention does not contain any norms, whose application may exert additional pressure on the environment. Consequently, it is not subject to state environmental expert checks.
The Convention is an essential element of international nuclear legislation as regards the safe handling of spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste. It can serve as a basis for drafting future Russian normative-legal acts that regulate safety issues during the handling of radioactive waste.
