Ukrainian State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate to be reorganized into National Nuclear Regulatory Commission with greater independence, protection from ministerial pressure
MOSCOW. Aug 10 (Interfax) - The Board of Ukraine's State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate (SNRI) has discussed and approved a bill on the National Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Ukrainian media said on Tuesday with the reference to the SNRI website.
The bill says that the commission will be established as a government agency regulating nuclear and radiation safety and a replacement for the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate.
"The bill envisages the establishment of the National Nuclear Regulatory Commission as a permanent collegial central executive authority with a special status," the SNRI said.
The government will form the commission and will appoint its members, it said.
The commission will have a chairman and four members to be appointed as a result of an open tender and serve for five years in this capacity. One of the commission members will be the Ukrainian chief state inspector for nuclear and radiation safety.
In contrast to the National Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the SNRI is not a collegial body with a special status, although it is a central executive authority.
The SNRI does not have inspection members in its management.
"The special status is bound to protect the commission for being subordinated to any ministry," the SNRI said.
Ukraine will thus meet its obligations as a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and a party to international conventions, which prescribe the functional detachment of regulatory bodies from the bodies and organizations with duties and interests that may improperly influence the decision-making of the commission, the SNRI said.
The bill defines primary tasks and functions of the commission enshrined in Ukrainian laws, IAEA documents and EU legal acts with regard to functions of a regulatory body.
"The establishment and operation of the commission as an independent professional body of state regulation of nuclear and radiation safety will contribute to the provision of nuclear and radiation safety in Ukraine and Ukraine's image as a country capable of meeting international obligations and providing nuclear and radiation safety," the SNRI said.
The Board of Ukraine's State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate has approved the bill on the National Nuclear Regulatory Commission as a whole and has decided to put the bill to public hearings.