Romanian experience on implementing nuclear material accounting and control for with the SSAC personnel and operators

The paper presents the Romanian experience with NMC and A since 1957 when the first fuel loading for the nuclear research reactor of the Institute of Atomic Physics-Bucharest was brought to the site. As a non-nuclear weapon State party to the Non-Proliferation Treaty, Romania considers the IAEA's safeguards system as one of the basic components of the Treaty. Therefore, in the paper the cooperation between the IAEA and the State has been emphasised with the view to demonstrate its importance for strengthening the effectiveness and improving the efficiency of the international safeguards system. There are described the legal basis, the administrative structure and SSAC power that allow this country to fulfill the requirements of the international bindings assumed with the view to guarantee to the international community the exclusive peaceful uses of nuclear energy by Romania. This overview of the Romanian SSAC includes also details on the interfaces with the IAEA, different supplier states, and facilities, information treatment and preparation of material accountancy reports in IAEA and bilateral forms, planing, implementation of inspection and verification activities, training of the SSAC personnel and operators, independent NDA of nuclear materials, sample analysis, calibration and adjustment of inspection instruments, the quality measures applied. It is also emphasised the importance of SSAC as a barrier against the illicit movement of nuclear material from a controlled environment to a uncontrolled one. (author)