COMMITMENT
(version dated November 11, 2003)

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Task

Article 2 of the Administrative Agreement between the German states Baden-Württemberg, Hesse, and the Free State of Bavaria dating from July 1999 reads as follows:

"The Committee advises the German states of Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, and Hesse independently and objectively at the very highest scientific level in the field of safety, waste disposal and risk assessment of nuclear facilities. The Committee is not subject to orders of the German states of Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria and Hesse."

Background

Nuclear power plants and other nuclear facilities are operated and also newly constructed worldwide both today and in the foreseeable future. In Germany, too, according to the Atomic Energy Act currently in force, a number of nuclear power plants will continue to be in operation for many years to come. For this reason, the ILK believes that it is vital for nuclear safety* to be assured at the highest standards and that it should be given the necessary priority and be kept abreast of international developments. Our goal is to achieve an optimised, effective and balanced set of safety measures and to place them into a broader framework.

It is in this way that we wish to support the regulatory authorities of the 3 German states funding the ILK by providing independent, objective, timely, and useful advice to assist their efforts to create optimal licensing practices and regulatory procedures. We take on the questions suggested by the states, offer them a competent international forum in which to discuss current issues, and inform them about international developments in the field of nuclear safety. We also select our own study topics.

We consider it to be important to take the international state of knowledge and the best practice into account for all topics concerning nuclear safety. It is for this reason that the ILK is international in composition.

We make the results of our advisory activities available to the regulatory authorities of the three states but also to other interested parties and to the general public.

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* In this text, "nuclear safety" is understood in its broadest sense to encompass radiation protection and the safe disposal of radioactive waste, in addition to reactor safety.

Objectives

With our contributions, we strive to:

• Maintain safety
  
  We wish to maintain the high safety standard of German nuclear power plants under prevailing conditions and, where necessary, to further improve it, e.g., by dealing with issues such as the identification of safety performance indicators (including indicators of declining safety performance). Our efforts are directed towards the technical, organizational, and human performance elements as well as their interactions.
  
  
• Support the implementation of safety-related advances
  
  We continue to be committed to safety-related research and advances in nuclear science and engineering and their appropriate practical implementation.
  
  
• Promote safety culture and scientific/technological competence
  
  We are committed to the advancement of safety culture in nuclear engineering and to maintaining the necessary personnel competence.
  
  
• Promote international cooperation
  
  We regard as indispensable the involvement of German institutions in international activities dealing with current issues in nuclear science and engineering, as well as with international regulatory practice. Correspondingly, we advocate that Germany is to remain open and actively participate in international co-operation.
  
  
• Support European harmonization of safety standards and practices
  
  We are convinced that the European harmonization of requirements on nuclear safety and disposal of nuclear waste represents a clear step forward. We support this development also within an international framework.
  
  
• Advance nuclear waste disposal
  
  The safe disposal of radioactive waste is necessary regardless of political positions regarding nuclear energy. This issue should not be handed down to the next generation.
  
  
• Comprehensively assess nuclear energy and its risks against the background of sustainable development
  
  We wish to contribute to the assessment of benefits and risks of various energy sources and electricity production means with the goal of identifying sustainable energy supplies. This assessment should include the current state of knowledge regarding energy sources and should be fully transparent. The assessment of the risks from nuclear energy and the entire fuel cycle, as well as a comparison of these risks with those associated with other energy sources, should be part of this evaluation.