The Final meeting on the outcomes of the project “Support to Serbian Regulatory Authority and the Vinča Site” was held yesterday at the premises of Serbian Radiation and Nuclear Safety and Security Directorate with the presence of the media.

In addition to the Directorate and the Vinca Institute of Nuclear Sciences representatives, the Deputy Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia, Plamena Halacheva, the representatives of the Ministry of Science, Technological Development and Innovations, and the representatives of the European Commission (EC) were also present at the meeting.

The day before this meeting, the EC representatives together with the management of the Directorate and the Vinca Institute had another meeting at the premises of the Vinca Institute of Nuclear Sciences during which they recapitulated the results and visited the parts of the Institute included in this project.

This project, which focuses on resolving some of the key challenges the Republic of Serbia is facing in the process of EU accession, is worth 2 million euros and financed through the EU Instrument for Nuclear Safety Cooperation (INSC). It was implemented by the EU Consortium comprising ENCO from Austria, BEL V, IRE and SCK CEN from Belgium, and the Hungarian Atomic Energy Authority.

“The Republic of Serbia, thanks to a continuous and valuable assistance from the European Union realized in the form of different projects, managed to enhance a number of segments in its society”, said Sladjan Velinov, Director of Serbian Radiation and Nuclear Safety and Security Directorate during the yesterday’s meeting.

He also pointed out that the primary aim of this project was to support Serbia in overcoming some of the key challenges in the process of EU accession, which include further transposition of the EU acquis in the field of radiation protection and nuclear safety, as well as further development of Serbian capacities and potential in the field of oversight implementation and radioactive waste management.

Mr Velinov expressed his gratitude to the European Commission representatives on the great support Serbia had received within yet another project on enhancing the system of early warning on nuclear and radioalogical emergencies through which our country received 33 new measuring stations.

“New measuring stations significantly increased the coverage of Serbia in accordance with the existing risks”, said Velinov, and added that it is extremely important to, at the same time, improve the mechanisms for timely decisions and measures to protect the public and the environment from the harmful effects of ionizing radiation.

He also underlined the importance of the receipt of two radioisotope identification devices and 10 personal radiation dosimeters exceeding the value of 300 000 euros.

As a reminder, since 2002, the European Union provided the Republic of Serbia with the financial support worth more than 20 million euros in the field of nuclear safety and security.