International organisations
and conventions

EU – European Union

EU regulations in the field of nuclear energy are to be found in the Euratom Treaty. Euratom, the European Atomic Energy Community, was established in 1958 by the six original EC countries. Sweden became a member of Euratom when it joined the EU in 1995.

The EU Commission strives to control and harmonise handling of nuclear waste in Europe. It forms directives on nuclear safety and waste management during the coming months.

Research in the field of nuclear waste has been a part of the EU research programme for many years.

NEA – Nuclear Energy Agency

The NEA is a specialized agency within the OECD. The mission of the NEA is to assist its Member countries in maintaining and further developing the scientific, technological and legal bases required for the safe, environmentally friendly and economical use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.

The NEA's Radioactive Waste Management Committee concluded in a position statement in 1995 that final disposal in the bedrock is the best solution for safe nuclear waste management.

IAEA – International Atomic Energy Agency

The IAEA is a UN agency with a supervisory function whose mission is to ensure that nuclear power is used for peaceful purposes and to limit the spread of radioactive materials. The organization oversees the drafting of international treaties and agreements and offers services, programmes and activities within the nuclear energy field to its 138 member states.

Many countries, among them Sweden, have signed the IAEA's radioactive waste convention, which entered into force in 2001. The convention deals with safety in the management of spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste. Sweden has updated its report during 2009.

Edram – International Association
for Environmentally Safe Disposal
of Radioactive Materials

EDRAM is an association of companies and organizations with responsibility for the management of radioactive waste. The purpose of the association is to promote the exchange of knowledge, experience and information. They serve as a forum for strategic discussions. They support different countries' siting programmes, propose and support joint research and demonstration projects, coordinate contacts with international organizations and discuss technical and other aspects of waste management in a long-term perspective. 

Espoo Convention

The Espoo Convention is a convention under the UNECE (United Nations Economic Commission for Europe) concerned with environmental impact assessment in a transboundary context. Sweden signed the convention
in 1992.

Among the activities mentioned in the convention are “Installations solely designed for the production or enrichment of nuclear fuels, for the reprocessing of irradiated nuclear fuels or for the storage, disposal and processing of radioactive waste.”

The convention is important for SKB's work with regard to applications and environmental impact statements for the encapsulation plant and the deep repository.

The London Convention

Sweden has signed the London Convention (from 1972) on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter, which prohibits the dumping of nuclear waste in the sea or on the seabed off
the coast.