[en] Nuclear power station managers in Eastern Europe have so far received little from Western companies by way of resources to upgrade their plants, maintain them better or to train and retain their skilled staff. Factors contributing to this are the primary concern of the companies with their commercial interests so that the assistance offered is not always appropriate to the need, and generalizations and false perceptions about the dangers arising from Soviet designed power plants. Although, for example, the RBMK reactor design has been shown to have very poor intrinsic safety, this is not true of the WWER-440/230 design which has positive safety characteristics and exceptionally good reliability in power production. There is a need for more discriminating concern with respect to Eastern European nuclear plant. Some of the areas most urgently needing assistance are not in reactor safety where the West has expertise to sell but in spent fuel treatments, waste disposal and decommissioning. These are areas where the West lacks credibility since Western policy on these issues is at least in transition and worst in disarray. (3 tables). (UK)