Safeguards Implementation In Switzerland: Past, Present And Future

This paper describes the current status of Safeguards implementation in Switzerland, it addresses the evolution during the last 25 years and hints at possible developments in the future. Switzerland has its Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement in force since 1978 and its Additional Protocol since 2005. It is the only state in Europe with a significant nuclear program that is not member of EURATOM. Hence, it is subject to Safeguards by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) only. Among others, this aspect gave the IAEA the opportunity to test and implement new Safeguards approaches in a faster and less bureaucratic way. In fact, Switzerland was the first country in the world to implement remote data transmission (RDT) from nuclear power plants on an operational basis. The experience gained by the IAEA was of good value to implement RDT during the following years in other countries. The implementation of RDT in Switzerland had also the effect to diminish gradually the verification efforts in the field. Switzerland got the Broder Conclusion by the IAEA end of 2015 and the new State Level Approach is implemented since 2018. During 2016 Switzerland took over the responsibilities for reporting and verification activities required under the Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement and its Additional Protocol also for the principality of Liechtenstein. Liechtenstein got the Broader Conclusion in 2016 and the new State Level Approach is implemented since 2019. The human resources allocated for Safeguards purposes in Switzerland increased dramatically during the last 15 years, this was mainly due to a successful State Systems of Accounting for and Control of Nuclear Material advisory service mission (ISASS) performed by the IAEA in 2007. Adequate resources enabled therefore the necessary improvements in quality of reporting and verifications and led finally the IAEA to draw the Broader Conclusion. Future developments are envisaged to ensure knowledge sustainability for keeping the current good quality of Safeguards implementation, this at the regulator level and as well as at nuclear facilities.