The European Union (EU) and representatives of the six Western Balkans partners (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia) mark a significant milestone in their collaboration on radiological safety with the conclusion of the EXTRA-EURDEP project. This initiative represents a key achievement in enhancing radiological data exchange and emergency preparedness across the Western Balkans (WB). This project has been funded by the European Instrument for International Nuclear Safety Cooperation (INSC) and coordinated by European Commission’s Directorate-General for International Partnerships (INTPA).
With the increasing need for effective radiological monitoring, the WB and EU have collaborated closely to improve the status of national radiological environmental monitoring (REM) networks in either connecting to EURDEP or finding solutions in keeping connected to EURDEP.
The EXTRA-EURDEP project has made significant efforts in gathering key information—both at technical level and management level—on monitoring networks and REM activities developed by the national organizations with the aim of meeting the project goals of supporting the WB on EURDEP. Furthermore, in recognizing the status of candidates and potential candidates, EXTRA-EURDEP has extended its initial scope by acknowledging that EURDEP is only one piece of a whole set of activities concerning the field of REM and nuclear emergency preparedness and response within the EU acquis, activities that will become mandatory once the WB partners join the EU.
The project has been successful in creating a strong community of EURDEP and REM stakeholders including several European Commission’s Directorate Generals: DG International Partnerships, DG Energy and DG Joint Research Centre.
Three out of the WB6 are connected to EURDEP, a fourth one will be very soon connected, and the other two have made significant efforts to manage the infrastructure needed to join EURDEP. Further meetings between the European Commission team of experts and national experts will take place in the following weeks to facilitate connection to EURDEP.
On 11th and 12th June, the final meeting and workshop was hosted in the JRC offices in Ispra, Italy. The event was in-presence and online, with a total attendance of 24 participants from all six WB partners, together with representatives from DG ENER, DG INTPA and DG JRC. This final meeting allowed to share a comprehensive and updated picture of the national status of EWRMN and EURDEP, aside from developing useful ideas for future collaborations. In addition, a workshop session was also organized to share current technical issues faced the WBC and how the European Commission could help bridge the gap.
The success of the EXTRA-EURDEP project is a powerful example of the strong partnership between the EU and the WB, further solidifying their commitment to regional and environmental safety. The project, implemented by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC), has paved the path for future collaborations across the region in the field of radiological environmental monitoring and emergency preparedness and response.