With a view to achieving continual improvements in nuclear-generated electricity, many international organizations have got involved in safety
Created in 1957 by the United Nations, the IAEA's primary objectives are to promote the use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes and to ensure that it is not diverted to military uses. Early on, the IAEA set out international safety standards. Since the Chernobyl accident, it has played an increasingly important role in the internationalization of safety problems. It also carries out a growing number of expert missions, including the OSART missions.
The IAEA is not the only body to deal with safety. Many groupings and associations also concern themselves with it and offer mutual assistance, such as:
The European Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) became in 1972 the OECD's nuclear energy agency. It strives to pool knowledge in the field of safety and analyze incidents at nuclear facilities;
The non-governmental organization WENRA (Western European Nuclear Regulators' Association) was officially set up in 1999 to bring together nuclear safety authorities from 17 countries including Belgium. It contributes to a common nuclear safety culture in Europe;
The WANO (World Association of Nuclear Operators) brings together all the nuclear operators around the world. It seeks to maximize nuclear safety and the reliability of nuclear power stations by exchanging information and encouraging communication, as well as comparisons and competition among its members. It organizes, at the request of its members, WANO Peer Reviews, which are based on the same principles as the OSART missions. The Doel and Tihange sites are regularly subjected to this type of review.
