The Unified Convention of Safe Handling of Waste Fuel and Safe Handling of Radioactive Waste of 5 September 1997 (henceforth the Convention) was signed on behalf of the Russian Federation in Vienna on 27 January 1999 in accordance with the decree of the President of the Russian Federation of 28 December 1998 № 469 “On Signing the Unified Convention of Safe Handling of Waste Fuel and Safe Handling of Radioactive Waste.”
Currently 34 nations are participants of the Convention, 21 of which have nuclear power stations. Among the Parties belonging to the Convention are Great Britain, Germany, Spain, the U.S.A., Finland, France, Sweden and Japan.
The Convention determines the obligations of the signing Parties on ensuring safe handling of waste fuel from nuclear facilities used for peaceful goals, and in safe handling of radioactive waste when radioactive waste is formed as a result of civil activity.
The main goals of the Convention are: to achieve and maintain a high level of safe handling of waste fuel and radioactive waste by increasing national measures and international cooperation; to ensure effective resources and protection from potential danger at all stages of handling waste fuel and radioactive waste to protect individuals, society in general and the environment from the harmful effects of ionizing radiations in the present and future; to prevent accidents with radiological consequences and to mitigate these consequences if they should happen at any stage of handling waste fuel or radioactive waste.
In accordance with the statutes of the Convention, the signing Parties must take appropriate measures for ensuring minimalisation of formation of radioactive waste connected with handling waste fuel, as far as this is practical according to the policy used in the fuel cycle; for effective protection of individuals, society in general and the environment by implementing at national level appropriate methods of protection which are ratified by a regulating body within national legislation.
The Convention does not contain norms which may cause an additional affect on the environment, and thus is not subject to state ecological inspection. The Convention is a necessary element of the system of international nuclear legislation in the area of safe handling of waste fuel and radioactive waste, and can serve as the basis for future development of Russian normative legal documents regulating issues of ensuring safety in handling radioactive waste.
The Convention is subject to ratification on the basis of sub-items “b” and “g” in item 1 article 15 of the Federal law of 15 June 1995, № 101 “On International Agreements of the Russian Federation”, as it concerns fundamental rights and freedoms of people and citizens, and involves issues of ensuring international security.
The Convention does not contain rules differing to those stipulated by current Russian legislation.
Russia’s participation in the Convention will not entail additional expenses from the federal budget.