Safeguards
Nuclear materials such as uranium and plutonium can be used for both peaceful and military purposes. Nuclear safeguards were established to guarantee that nuclear materials would not be diverted to purposes other than those for which they were originally declared.
Nuclear safeguards are measures that:
- oblige users of nuclear material to keep a system of records and to make declarations about the nuclear material they hold and process to the European Commission
- require the Commission to verify these declarations with regard to their correctness and completeness in order to assure citizens, supplier states, and the international community that the nuclear material remains in use only for peaceful purposes.
Reporting and verification
Users and holders of nuclear material (uranium, plutonium, and thorium) in the EU have to keep records documenting flows, processes, and stocks.
Every month they must declare all flows of nuclear materials in and out of their installation to the European Commission. Once a year they must inventory all stocks of nuclear material they hold. The Commission:
The Commission's inspectors:
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