IRRS Mission

The IRRS Mission or Integrated Regulatory Review Service mission is an International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) mission. Its role is a peer review based on IAEA safety standards. The IAEA IRRS missions are invited by Member States on a voluntary basis, in a spirit of openness and transparency. These assessments of the legislative, supervisory and organizational infrastructure are aimed at strengthening and improving of the national framework of the IAEA Member States. They represent a mechanism for mutual learning and represent an opportunity for the exchange of expertise, experience and best practices. Assessments contribute to the harmonization of supervisory activities in IAEA member countries. The Mission’s expert teams are set up and sent to the host country by the IAEA.

IRRS Mission 2012

At the request of the Slovak government, the IRRS Mission took place in the Slovak Republic from 28 May to 7 June 2012. The Mission at ÚJD SR reviewed the legal and regulatory framework for nuclear safety. In addition to ÚJD SR, the Mission experts also met with the staff of the Public Health Office of the Slovak Republic (ÚVZ SR), which is responsible for supervising the radiation safety of nuclear facilities. The team consisted of experts from twelve different countries: Belgium, Brazil, the Czech Republic, Finland, France, Hungary, Romania, Slovenia, South Korea, Sweden, Ukraine, the United Kingdom and the IAEA.

Mission conclusions

The main conclusions from the mission, which the team assessed as good practice, include the independence of ÚJD SR, which carries out well-organized regulatory processes in an open and transparent manner. The introduction of a systematic approach to vocational education helps to fulfil the powers and competencies of ÚJD SR. They also positively assessed the activities of ÚJD SR after the accident at the Fukushima Dai-ichi power plant, when ÚJD SR reacted promptly, communicated openly and appropriately in relation to its importance for nuclear safety in the SR. The results of the IRRS Mission 2012 are assessed in the Report.

IRRS Mission 2015 – Follow-up

From 24 February to 3 March 2015 a Follow-up IRRS IAEA Mission took place in the premises of ÚJD SR. The aim of the Follow-up Mission was to review the implementation of recommendations and suggestions for improvement, which were proposed to the Slovak Republic by the IAEA IRRS mission in 2012. Employees of ÚJD SR, ÚVZ SR and MV SR participated in the Follow-up mission on behalf of the Slovak Republic. The international team consisted of representatives of the IAEA, Belgium, Finland, Hungary, Slovenia and the United Kingdom.

The methods of the mission’s work consisted of checking the documentation submitted to the IAEA before the Mission, interviews with employees of ÚJD SR, ÚVZ SR, MV SR and on-site observations. The IRRS team concluded that the recommendations and suggestions from the 2012 Mission were systematically taken into account by developing a comprehensive action plan. Significant progress has been made in many areas and many improvements have been made in line with the Action Plan. Results of the IRRS 2015 – Follow-up Mission are evaluated in the Report.