Contact Expert Group
Chairman's Summing Up of the First CEG Meeting's Major Decisions and Recommendations
(Moscow, 13 - 15 March 1996)The first CEG meeting took place in Moscow 13-15 March 1996 and was attended by 41 participants from 12 countries and 3 international organizations and the EC.
Six countries (Belgium, Finland, Germany, Norway, Russia, and Sweden) have formally joined the CEG and were represented by CEG members appointed by their governments and accompanied by experts. Japan was represented by observers.
The remaining five countries (Canada, France, Republic of Korea, United Kingdom, and USA) have not yet defined the status of their participation. The CEG urged them to do this as soon as possible by replying to the IAEA Director General's letter dated 30 November 1995 addressed to their respective governments.
The CEG considered the chairmanship for the CEG and decided that the chairman for the first term of the CEG (two years) will be elected at a later CEG meeting. Therefore it was agreed to proceed with the practice of two preceding meetings in Vienna (May 1995) and Stockholm (September 1995) and to elect two chairmen for the first CEG meeting, namely Mr. Snihs (CEG member, Sweden) and Mr. Semenov (IAEA), who both served as co-chairmen at the Stockholm meeting.
The agenda of the meeting was approved.
It consisted of two major blocks of questions:
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technical presentations and discussions of co-operation projects and
priorities;
- organizational questions including future activities of the CEG, establishment of the CEG Secretariat at the IAEA, its composition, duties and financing of its operation.
On technical questions the group:
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expressed its appreciation on the additional and more detailed information
presented on existing or suggested co-operation projects;
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noted that the description of the projects requires unification;
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discussed the format for project description presented by IAEA and agreed to
use it;
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asked co-operation parties to fill in these formats and forward them for
compilation to the CEG Secretariat, IAEA, by 1 May 1996;
- welcomed the practice of having short invited papers session and decided to continue this practice.
On organizational questions the Group:
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decided to start from 1 April 1996 the operation of the CEG Secretariat at the
IAEA composed (for the period of 1996 and 1997) of one professional (Executive
Secretary - P-5) and half a secretary (G5) post;
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agreed to finance the Secretariat: - in 1996 by shared financial contribution
of several countries who volunteered to do so. Norway, Sweden, Finland and
Belgium have declared their willingness to cover the required expenses and
several other expressed a positive attitude and will discuss the issue with
their governments; - in 1997 by shared contribution of the IAEA and the above
listed (and hopefully some additional countries);
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welcomed with high appreciation the IAEA's decision to contribute to the
financing of the CEG Secretariat;
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agreed with the suggested and discussed duties of the Secretary as amended in
the course of the discussion;
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agreed gratefully that Mr. B.Semenov should be Executive Secretary of the CEG;
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discussed the list of actions recommended on the basis of preliminary analysis
of the co-operation projects and priorities and concluded that the list of
prioritized projects should be further discussed between the CEG Secretariat
and representatives of the Russian Federation;
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agreed that the CEG Secretariat should use relevant documents, including the
Russian Federal Waste Management Programme, and information as a basis for
preparation of a detailed CEG two-year work plan;
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requested that the work plan be circulated to CEG members at least two months
before the second CEG meeting for comments and final approval at the meeting;
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asked the CEG Secretariat to prepare on the basis of the above draft two-year
work plan and suggestions made in the course of discussion, a draft agenda for
the second meeting and to circulate it for comments at least 2 months before
the meeting;
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decided to call the group as "Contact Expert Group (CEG) for International
Radwaste Projects";
- agreed to hold the second CEG meeting for two days in Vienna the first week of September (subject to confirmation by the IAEA).