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Republic of Cyprus
Radiation Protection

In Cyprus, the main origin of radioactive waste is from activities in the field of medicine, industry and research.

No nuclear facilities that could lead to the generation of spent fuel, i.e. nuclear power plants, research reactors, nuclear fuel or waste treatment facilities, uranium or thorium mines etc., exist in the country.

The existing legislation on radiation protection and nuclear and radiological safety and security also applies in cases where there is exposure or potential exposure to ionising radiation or radioactive contamination from the production, processing, handling, possession, use, storage, transportation, disposal etc. of radioactive waste.

The legislation in Cyprus on the responsible and safe management of radioactive waste is in line with European Acquis and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) standards.

The Protection from Ionising Radiation and Nuclear Safety (Responsible and Safe Management of Spent Fuel and Radioactive Waste) Regulations of 2014 (unofficial translation is available), which transpose into the national legislative framework the Council Directive 2011/70/EURATOM establishing a Community framework for the responsible and safe management of spent fuel and radioactive waste, were published in the Official Journal of the Republic on 4.4.2014 (P.I. 178/2014, no. 4770 of 4.4.2014).

The above Regulations apply to all stages of radioactive waste management, from generation up to disposal, when the radioactive waste results from civilian activities.

The scope of these Regulations is:
  • To ensure a responsible and safe management of radioactive waste to avoid imposing undue burdens on future generations;
  • To achieve a high level of safety in radioactive waste management to protect workers and the general public against the dangers arising from ionising radiation; and
  • To ensure the provision of necessary public information and participation in relation to radioactive waste management while having due regard to security and proprietary information issues.

Furthermore, the Regulations on the Responsible and Safe Management of Spent Fuel and Radioactive Waste of 2014 require that Cyprus has in place a national framework for the management of radioactive waste and implements a National Policy and Strategy on this matter.

The Republic of Cyprus is a contracting party to the Joint Convention on the Safety Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management, which entered into force on 18 June 2001 and ratified by the Republic of Cyprus with the “Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Nuclear Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management (Ratification) Law of 2009” (in Greek). The Department of Labour Inspection is the focal point for the Joint Convention and has represented Cyprus at all relevant review meetings of the Convention.

For the supervision and the control the intra- or extra-Community shipments of radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel where the Republic is the State of origin or of destination or of transit, the Protection from Ionising Radiation and Nuclear Safety (Supervision and Control of Shipments of Radioactive Waste and Spent Nuclear Fuel) Regulations of 2009 (P.I. 86/2009) apply. For shipments within the scope of the Regulations, the standard documents published as a Notification of the Minister of Labour and Social Insurance in the Official Gazette of 30.4.2009 (P.I. 183/2009) shall be used. Relevant information is available here too.

Relevant information on shipments and the management of radioactive waste and spent fuel in the website of the European Commission.




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