Experts overleggen in Vilnius over veilige kernenergie (en)

President Dalia Grybauskaitė attended the conference "International Instruments for Ensuring Nuclear Safety". Taking part in the international Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) conference in Vilnius are nuclear experts from more than 20 countries of the world as well as representatives of the European Commission and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

In her welcome address to the participants of the conference, the President noted that nuclear energy can be an effective and environmentally friendly source of energy. However, any decision to embark on a nuclear power programme should be extremely well grounded and analyzed, and each country must consider possible implications to the region and, first of all, to immediate neighbors.

According to the President, Lithuania encourages the IAEA member states to carry out, on a regular basis, comprehensive safety assessments of operational and planned nuclear power plants by using IAEA peer reviews and follow-up missions. Stress tests have already been carried out in the EU members and neighboring countries (Ukraine and Switzerland) seeking to ensure the nuclear safety to the maximum extent possible.

Lithuania has kept nuclear safety high on its EU Council Presidency agenda. Our country also commits itself to work for the responsible use of nuclear power when it becomes member of the UN Security Council in 2014.