An International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) team of experts today completed a mission to review national nuclear security practices in Albania.
The IAEA conducted the two-week International Physical Protection Advisory Service (IPPAS) mission at the Government’s request. The mission reviewed Albania’s nuclear security-related legislative and regulatory framework for radioactive material and associated facilities and activities. In addition, the team reviewed the physical protection systems at the Institute of Applied Nuclear Physics and at the Mother Theresa Hospital in Tirana.
The IPPAS team concluded that Albania has taken important steps to strengthen nuclear security. The team identified a number of good practices while also making recommendations and suggestions for continuous improvement.
“The example given by Albania strongly reinforces the importance and the value of establishing and applying IAEA nuclear security guidance,” said Nicolas Delaunay, the IAEA technical coordinator for the mission.
The team, led by David Ladsous, Project Manager in nuclear security at the Institute of Radiological Protection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN) in France, comprised five experts from five nations as well as an IAEA representative. The team met in Tirana with officials from the Radiation Protection Commission (RPC), the Ministry of Health, the Albanian State Police, the National Nuclear Agency, the Institute of Applied Nuclear Physics and the Mother Theresa Hospital.
"The IPPAS mission was very useful and we hope that IAEA guidance regarding nuclear security, especially in the area of physical protection, will benefit Albania,” said Thanas Goga, the spokesman of the Ministry of Health.
Background
The mission was the 73rd IPPAS mission conducted by the IAEA since the programme began in 1995. This was the first IPPAS mission in Albania.
IPPAS missions are intended to help States strengthen their national nuclear security regime. The missions provide peer review advice on implementing international instruments, and IAEA guidance on the protection of nuclear and other radioactive material and associated facilities.
The missions call upon a team of international experts to assess a nation's system of physical protection, compare it with international best practices and make recommendations for improvement. IPPAS missions are conducted both on a nationwide and facility-specific basis.