[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George H. W. Bush (1991, Book I)]
[May 20, 1991]
[Pages 525-526]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



White House Fact Sheet on the United States-German Nuclear Energy Safety 
Initiative
May 20, 1991

Technical Assistance for Central and Eastern Europe

    The President and Chancellor Kohl announced today that the United 
States and Germany will offer joint technical assistance programs to 
enhance nuclear energy safety in Central and Eastern Europe. This 
initiative was prompted by their shared commitment to the safe operation 
of peaceful nuclear facilities worldwide, as well as by requests from 
Central and Eastern European Governments for assistance in nuclear 
energy safety.
    As technological leaders in the field, the United States and Germany 
will offer joint assistance to Central and Eastern Europe as well as 
working through the and with the International Atomic Energy Agency 
(IAEA) in Vienna. Cooperation will focus initially on safety matters 
related to older reactors operating in the region, with the primary 
objective of enhancing operational safety at these facilities. Both 
sides anticipate that this initially modest program will lay the 
foundation for further U.S.-German joint efforts with Central and 
Eastern Europe, as part of their broader commitment to the success of 
these new democracies.

[[Page 526]]

    The IAEA is now engaged in a comprehensive safety review of first 
generational nuclear reactors in Central and Eastern Europe. The United 
States and Germany will provide teams of experts and contribute up to 
$200,000 each in support of this work, which will focus on 
instrumentation and control, operating procedures, fire protection, and 
facility management and organization. The United States and Germany also 
support follow-on measures to the IAEA safety review in key areas such 
as operator training, power plant maintenance, and safety procedures, 
and have agreed to matching financial commitments of up to $1 million 
each over the next 2 years to help fund these activities.
    In addition, the United States and Germany will work closely with 
the World Bank and the newly created European Bank for Reconstruction 
and Development to encourage a priority focus on safety and 
environmental concerns in their energy-related lending programs. This 
could include, for example, funding for alternative sources of 
electricity to cover energy demands while safety repairs are performed 
at nuclear power plants. Both sides will also work to promote energy 
efficiency and adequate supplies of energy resources in these countries, 
and they will work jointly through the Organization for Economic 
Cooperation and Development, the Nuclear Energy Agency, and the 
International Energy Agency to promote nuclear energy safety in Central 
and Eastern Europe.

Coordination of Bilateral Programs With the Soviet Union

    The President and Chancellor Kohl also agreed to coordinate their 
existing programs of nuclear operational safety cooperation with the 
Soviet Union. The U.S. program, which commenced with a U.S.-Soviet 
agreement signed on March 16, 1990, is being implemented under a 
longstanding U.S.-Soviet Memorandum of Cooperation on Civilian Nuclear 
Reactor Safety. The program emphasizes improved operational safety 
practices through strengthened operating instructions, training, and 
management and operational controls.