Iran, EU first-ever Nuclear Safety Cooperation Project

The European Union (EU) announced  that it has signed the first-ever project for nuclear safety cooperation with Iran, under the framework of the 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers. The European Commission said in a statement on Tuesday that the €2.5 million ($2.6 million) project aims to enhance the capabilities of the Iranian Nuclear Regulatory Authority (INRA), NewEurope news website reported. The statement added that the project will do so by preparing feasibility study for the Nuclear Safety Centre foreseen in the nuclear agreement, also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). It will support the INRA in developing a nuclear regulatory framework, working toward the accession by Iran to several international nuclear conventions, including the Convention on Nuclear Safety, and reviewing the results of the stress test to take place in the Bushehr nuclear power plant. The project is the first of a €5 million ($ 5.5 million) action approved by the European Union in 2016 under the Instrument for Nuclear Safety Cooperation. A second project for the stress test at the Bushehr nuclear power plant in southern Iran is going to be signed in the coming weeks.