Bilateral meeting between the nuclear safety inspectorates of Italy and Switzerland in Geneva

The periodic meeting of the "Italo-Swiss Commission - CIS" for cooperation on nuclear safety and radiation protection between the control authorities of the two countries ISIN and ENSI took place in Geneva on 1 and 2 July 2025.

The two delegations were led by Alessandro Carettoni, Secretary General of ISIN, and Marc Kenzelmann, Director of ENSI. In addition to the respective technical delegations of ISIN and ENSI, representatives of the Federal Office for Energy (SFOE) and the National Centre for Emergencies and Incident Management (NEOC) also participated for Switzerland.
In his introduction, the ISIN Secretary General illustrated the new developments in nuclear regulation that have occurred since the previous bilateral meeting in 2023 and the main activities in which the Inspectorate is engaged as well as the institutional powers of control over the management of radioactive waste and the dismantling activities of Italian nuclear installations.
One of the topics of discussion between the two delegations was the process of selecting the site for the disposal of radioactive waste: on the one hand, the creation of the National Repository as far as Italy is concerned, on the other, the state of implementation of the Sectoral Plan for the disposal of high-level radioactive waste in geological formation underway in Switzerland.
In September 2022, in the Swiss Confederation, the Lägern Nord site was selected, near the border with Germany and subsequently the third phase of the Sectoral Plan was started, which will conclude in 2029, with the release of the opinion on the suitability of the site by ENSI. A national referendum is expected to be held in 2031 for the final approval of the site. The goal is to have the geological repository in operation starting in 2050.
Furthermore, discussions included updates on the two countries' emergency preparedness and response, sharing the results of their respective exercises carried out at national and international level in the period following the last bilateral meeting in 2023.
An update was also provided on the status of the decommissioning of nuclear installations in the two countries.
Another topic addressed, which will require further discussions with other European safety authorities, was the possibility of allowing, on one's own national territory, the installation of nuclear plants subject to licensing procedures and authorized in other countries. It was highlighted that resorting to the current provisions, dictated by Conventions, international standards and European directives, can lead to both advantages and disadvantages.
During the second day, a technical visit was held at the laboratories of CERN - European Organization for Nuclear Research, during which some of the experiments in progress were described, as well as some aspects related to the management of radioactive waste and radiation protection.