International policies

Germany has entered into bilateral agreements with eight neighbouring countries (Belgium, Denmark, France, the Netherlands, Austria, Poland, Switzerland and the Czech Republic) on the exchange of information regarding nuclear installations located in border regions. Regular and extensive contacts are cultivated between Germany and Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland and the Czech Republic. Joint commissions and nuclear expert groups have been set up with these countries. Bilateral consultations are held each year to discuss issues of nuclear safety, emergency preparedness, radiation protection and radioactive waste management. In addition, cooperation with France, the Netherlands and Switzerland is supported by bilateral working groups. In these working groups, information on nuclear installations close to borders is exchanged with a particular focus on the following subjects:

• changes relevant for permits or technical changes to nuclear installations near borders
• operating experience, especially concerning reportable events
• regulatory development of safety requirements, especially regarding emergency preparedness measures in case of major incidents
• disposal of nuclear waste.

In addition to the cooperation with neighbouring countries, more than 50 agreements exist with other states. However, the establishment of a commission is not necessarily required. Bilateral memoranda of understanding on the exchange of information were, for example, signed with Japan and Korea, and an agreement on the exchange of information exists with China.

Special instruments for cross-border cooperation on environmental precautions are the transboundary strategic environmental assessment (SEA) and the transboundary environmental impact assessment (EIA). The EIA was established under the Espoo Convention, the SEA is rooted in the UNECE Protocol on Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA Protocol) which was adopted later. These two international treaties have been transposed into German national law by the Environmental Impact Assessment Act (UVPG).

If a project may have a considerable environmental impact on other countries, the competent authority of the “state of origin” sends an early notification to its counterparts in the other countries. If the competent authorities there are not known, the notification is sent to the Espoo contacts of the countries in question in order to inform them about the implementation of transboundary participation in EIA processes. In Germany, pursuant to the Act on the Assessment of Environmental Impacts (UVPG), the authority competent for transboundary EIA or SEA corresponds to the authority competent for a similar procedure at national level. For example, in the case of authorising a nuclear power plant this would be the responsible Land (federal state) authorities.

In order to provide extensive information, on its website the Federal Environment Ministry offers an overview of transboundary environmental impact assessment and strategic environmental assessment processes (EIA and SUP processes) for nuclear installations with German public participation. For more information on the processes and details of the public participation, click on the linked pages of the competent authorities.

In 1975, the then most advanced industrialised countries created the Group of 7 (G7), to discuss global economy issues. The G7 comprises Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Japan, Canada and the United States. The Nuclear Safety and Security Group (NSSG) is a permanent body of the G7 dealing with questions of nuclear safety and radiation protection. The NSSG developed from the Nuclear Safety Working Group, established in 1992, which mainly dealt with the safety of Eastern European nuclear reactors of Russian design. In addition to the G7 countries, the European Commission, the OECD/NEA, the IAEA and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development have observer status in the NSSG. Russia’s participation in this format (formerly G8) was suspended in 2014 until further notice because of its annexation of Crimea.

The International Nuclear Regulators Association (INRA) was established in 1997. The INRA comprises the heads of the supreme regulatory authorities of Germany, France, Japan, Canada, Spain, Sweden, the United States, the United Kingdom and South Korea. The chair rotates every year. INRA addresses issues of mutual interest and makes recommendations with a view to further strengthening nuclear regulatory authorities worldwide.

The Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) is based in Paris and is a semi-autonomous organisation within the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The Federal Republic of Germany is a founding member of the OECD and joined the NEA in 1958.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was founded in 1957 as an autonomous intergovernmental organisation. It reports regularly to the United Nations General Assembly and is obligated to directly contact the United Nations Security Council if a threat to international safety is ascertained. Germany has been a member of the IAEA since it was founded in 1957.

The international community has established a range of multilateral conventions in the fields of nuclear safety and nuclear security with a view to strengthening international cooperation and setting international minimum standards. These conventions regulate areas such as the protection nuclear material during international transport, liability, early notification and mutual assistance in the event of nuclear accidents, nuclear safety requirements and safety requirements for the treatment of spent fuel elements and radioactive waste.

As part of its Integrated Regulatory Review Service (IRRS), the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) conducts reviews of national nuclear regulatory authorities. The IRRS should be regarded as an instrument of mutual learning for national regulatory bodies throughout the world, with the aim of strengthening nuclear regulatory infrastructure as a whole, thereby enhancing nuclear safety. In the EU, such reviews must be carried out every ten years (Directive 2009/71/Euratom as amended by Directive 2014/87/Euratom). The first review of the Federal Environment Ministry as the competent regulatory authority in Germany took place in 2008, with a follow-up mission in 2011. A further review took place in 2019, with a follow-up mission in 2023.

From 22 September 2019 to 4 October 2019, the first Integrated Review Service for Radioactive Waste and Spent Fuel Management, Decommissioning and Remediation (ARTEMIS) took place in Germany at the request of the German government, in particular the Federal Environment Ministry. The aim of the mission was an independent international review of the national programme for the responsible and safe management of spent fuel and radioactive waste. Germany thus fulfilled its obligation under Article 14 (3) of the Directive 2011/70/Euratom. The IAEA guidance and recommendations issued in 2019 were implemented and presented in the world’s first ARTEMIS follow-up mission, which took place from 6 to 12 November 2022. The ARTEMIS team confirmed that Germany had a well-established legal and regulatory framework for safe radioactive waste and spent fuel management and highlighted, in particular, the fact that Germany had undergone the world's first ARTEMIS follow-up mission so quickly. Germany will invite the IAEA to the next ARTEMIS mission in 2029.