European Commission signs n-safety cooperation project with Iran

The European Commission (EC) on Tuesday announced the signing of its first ever nuclear safety cooperation project with Iran.

The EC will assign 2.5 million euro ($2.66 million) to "enhance the capabilities of the Iranian Nuclear Regulatory Authority (INRA)", according to a statement published by the Commission.

"It will do so by preparing a feasibility study for the Nuclear Safety Centre foreseen in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)," the statement added.

Specifically, Brussels will support Tehran in "developing a nuclear regulatory framework, working toward the accession by Iran to several international nuclear conventions, including the Convention on Nuclear Safety," Efe news reported.

The EC said it would also review "the results of the stress test to take place in the Bushehr nuclear power plant", located in Southern Iran.

The project was "the first of a 5 million euro action approved by the European Union (EU) in 2016 under the Instrument for Nuclear Safety Cooperation."

A second project for the stress test at the Bushehr plant would also be signed in the "coming weeks", the EC said.

The EU and Iran thawed their diplomatic relations after the nuclear agreement signed in July 2015, thus laying the foundations for closer relations between them.

--IANS

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