Rabat – Over the past five years, Morocco has made significant strides in establishing a regulatory framework to enhance national nuclear safety through a collaboration program with the European Union.
Speaking at the meeting marking the end of the program on June 15 in Rabat, Representative of the EU’s Delegation in Morocco, Matilde Ceravolo, stated that Morocco presents “an example for Africa” in terms of capacity building in the field of nuclear safety and the protection against nuclear hazards.
Launched in 2018, the EU-Morocco nuclear cooperation program opened the door for future collaborations between Moroccan and European institutions that will remain standing long after the end of the program, Ceravolo explained.
“The program itself may have come to an end,” but the collaboration has only started and will gain traction in the future, she added.
Explaining the significance of the program, the EU representative further highlighted that while the European Union is not the only entity providing expertise on nuclear safety, the program remains one-of-a-kind as it brings together the know-how of 27 countries.
Under a cover budget of €1.6 million, the program aimed to support Morocco’s nuclear safety agency (AMSSNuR) in developing a national regulatory framework, build capacity in terms of human resources and structure a strategy to counter nuclear hazard, according to Alfredo De Los Reye, the program’s technical project leader.
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To reach these aims, the program implemented 11 tasks through three phases, De Los Reye explained during a presentation at the event.
The tasks included establishing a regulatory framework, developing a management system within AMSSNuR, and boosting Morocco’s human resources through a wide range of training programs.
Other tasks addressed the structuring of a set of regulatory procedures, emergency preparedness and response protocols, and optimizing medical exposure of ionizing radiation, as well as developing an efficient strategy to communicate with the public and different stakeholders.
The program brought together nine German and French organizations specializing in nuclear safety among other European stakeholders, noted the program’s technical project leader.
Speakers at the event underscored that the program is a first step for future collaboration with Morocco in nuclear safety.
While presenting the results of the program, speakers touched down on a wide range of challenges facing the implementation of nuclear safety policies, including the challenge of spotting nuclear waste also known as “orphan radioactive waste.”
“Morocco is working to develop a national strategy to deal with orphan radioactive waste,” stated Director of Morocco’s AMSSNuR, Mounji Zniber, adding that the Moroccan agency is currently coordinating with national stakeholders to develop and implement a strategy to dispose of any nuclear biohazards.
