France and the UK agree to reinforce cooperation

France and the UK have agreed to greater cooperation on a range of issues, including nuclear power regulation, preventing nuclear terrorism and combating climate change.

UK prime minister Gordon Brown and French president Nicolas Sarkozy

During a visit to the UK by French president Nicolas Sarkozy, a joint summit declaration was issued by the British and French governments detailing areas for which greater cooperation had been agreed.

In the field of nuclear energy, the declaration called for improving the "efficiency and effectiveness of nuclear development projects, including in safety and pre-licensing, through our nuclear regulators working closely together to share information on nuclear safety, security and waste management." It suggested that this "action could be extended to other interested European partners (and which could include as appropriate other items of common interests)." In addition, the declaration said that France and the UK "will explore opportunities to increase the interchange of regulatory staff between the two countries."

The two countries said they would cooperate to combat the risk of proliferation of nuclear weapons. The statement said: "We will also work together towards the establishment of an IAEA-led system of nuclear fuel assurance to reduce the proliferation risks."

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(Source: World Nuclear News)