Cooperation between the IAEA and EURATOM Safeguards in the development and implementation of a safeguards approach for the export of fabricated MOX fuel from France to Japan

Nuclear safeguards organisations have to co-operate in order to cope with limited budget and human resources without compromising their safeguards goals. EURATOM Safeguards has always supported the IAEA in their role as an international safeguards organisation. The ongoing exports of MOX fuel assemblies from the MELOX fuel fabrication plant in France to Japanese customers are a prime example of this co-operation and how safeguards verifications can be optimised to limit their intrusiveness and resource requirements of all parties involved.