Assistant Director at Serbian Radiation and Nuclear Safety and Security Directorate, Mr. Branko Brajic participated in the panel discussion at the two-day “Look Up” conference, held on 07 and 08 December on Kopaonik.

For these two days, prominent experts discussed the topics of ecology, energy and environmental protection, legacy waste as well as on the problems they are facing and the ways to deal with them.

Branko Brajic, Assistant Director at the Directorate, talked on the panel devoted to legacy waste. He presented to the conference participants and the attendees the role of the Directorate as the central regulator with regards to dealing with the legacy radioactive waste (RAW) and the norms that clearly define the conditions and procedures relevant for RAW management.

By explaining the process of dealing with the legacy waste in Serbia, Brajic first pointed out the necessity to demystify the term of radioactivity – “Radioactivity can be beneficial and have positive sides, and, at the same time be dangerous if not handled in proper manner. The legacy radioactive waste started to be generated in the 1950s when Vinca Institute of Nuclear Sciences was established. Following the removal of radioactive lightning rods (RLR), which was carried out by Serbian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency, the amount of legacy waste additionally increased”, said Brajic.

Since 2012, when the third hangar in Vinca site and special storage for high-activity radioactive substances were constructed, as Brajic pointed out, the waste has been stored in a safe and secure manner – “Technology is advancing and there is still room for further advancements, but the Directorate is sending a clear message that the waste is managed in a safe manner.”

“Look Up”  conference gathered 50 experts and more than 400 representatives from professional and business circles in our country and the region, members of the Government of Serbia, international institutions, public and private sector.