A mission sent by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to Morocco has said that Morocco is «committed to maintaining and strengthening its regulatory framework for nuclear and radiation safety». IAEA said, Thursday, that the Integrated Regulatory Review Service (IRRS), which concluded a 10-day mission to Morocco on 6 December 2023, advised the country to take additional measures to «complete the transition from a 1971 law and align the new regulations with IAEA safety standards». The IAEA team, which comprises a group of experts, urged Morocco to improve the regulatory oversight of its research actor. Hosted by the national regulatory body for nuclear and radiation safety and nuclear safety «Agence Marocaine de Sûreté et de Sécurité Nucléaires et Radiologiques», the sixteen-member team visited Morocco following the request of the Moroccan government. «Morocco has made significant progress in establishing an effective and consistent regulatory framework for nuclear and radiation safety», said IRRS team leader Fabien Feron, Director of Transport and Sources Department with the French Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN). «The Government and AMSSNuR should continue working together to ensure draft regulations are all promulgated and that a periodic safety review is soon undertaken at the CNESTEN research reactor», he added. «AMSSNuR's good performances, recognized by the IAEA experts in terms of international cooperation, information and communication, management system and emergency preparedness and response, demonstrate the commitment of our Agency to be a model for regulatory bodies in Africa and in the world», said Saïd Mouline, Director General of AMSSNuR. «This mission gives a prominent visibility to the work accomplished by Morocco to enhance its regulatory effectiveness, and equally important provides a strong motivation to strengthen it further», said Lydie Evrard, IAEA Deputy Director General and Head of the Department of Nuclear Safety and Security, in her closing remarks at the end of the mission. It is worth mentioning that the final mission report will be sent to the Moroccan government in about three months. Morocco will make the report public, IAEA concluded.
