Structural revision of IAEA safety standards

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has tow important safety-related functions: (1) establishing safety standards to protect against the impacts on health of ionizing radiation, and (2) ensuring the application of safety standards at the request of a member state. The IAEA safety standards (in their present structure, I fundamental, 15 requirements, and 106 guides) are not binding upon member states in the legal sense of international law, but may be incorporated into the respective national legal systems. The standards are binding upon IAEA activities conducted on the Agency's behalf Since the 1950s, extensive regulations, instructions for action, and general proposals have been developed at IAEA in the nuclear field. In the 1990s, the decision was taken therefore to merge the independent texts of regulations, harmonize them, and combine them under a common heading. In 2004, the IAEA Council of Governors adopted the so-called 2004 Action Plan, "Measures to Strengthen International Cooperation in Nuclear, Radiation and Transport Safety and Waste Management - Action Plan for the Development and Application of IAEA Safety Standards" (GOV/2004/6). The Agency's concept was then adopted that the safety standards constitute the global reference for the protection of persons and the environment. In addition, ten measures ("actions") were adopted on the development of safety standards, feedback from users, and further dissemination of the standards. The measures and activities derived from that step and identified have been initiated and, in part, completed. In some respects, new challenges have arisen which are also being addressed.