REMARKS BY LUIS ECHAVARRI
Inaugural Ceremony of the World Nuclear University
4 September 2003

Good morning, ladies and gentlemen:

It is a great pleasure to be here at the Inauguration Ceremony of the World Nuclear University, representing the Nuclear Energy Agency of the OECD.

First of all, let me congratulate John Ritch, the Director General of WNA, for having led this very important initiative and thank him for his efforts and dedication to making it happen, reaching the point where we are today.

While NEA member countries have different energy policies regarding nuclear power, all of them agree on the need to maintain the infrastructure for the current activities in the nuclear sector and to maintain the nuclear option open for the future.

In this line, maintaining nuclear knowledge and infrastructure has become, in the last years, one of the most important strategic issues for the work of the NEA which, as you know, is a governmental organisation. This means that not only the industry needs the infrastructure but also that governments are very conscious that they need it for complying with their wide responsibilities in the nuclear field.

The NEA has carried out two studies in the last years, which reflect the importance of governments giving appropriate attention to this issue.

The first one, under the title of "Nuclear Education and Training: Cause for Concern?", was issued in 2000. The second one, entitled "Assuring Future Nuclear Safety Competences", was issued in 2001.

The conclusions drawn from these reports reflect the importance that governments act now, and facilitate the maintenance of education, manpower and other infrastructures in the nuclear field.

Let me stress some recommendations, such as the fact that governments should support, on a competitive basis, young students and that they should develop "educational networks or bridges" between universities, industry and research institutes.

These recommendations to governments, which we consider essential, explain very clearly why NEA is represented here today, and why we are a Founding Supporter of the World Nuclear University.

Our view of the role of this University, as for all universities, is what we have heard from Hans Blix a moment ago. That is an organisation whose main characteristics are based on Independence, Integrity, Objectivity and Excellence in Knowledge. These are characteristics that I am sure the World Nuclear University will promote and that will place it in a leading position.

But, additionally, a question we must ask ourselves is what NEA can bring at the outset to the WNU. In the last three years, the NEA has very successfully developed an International Nuclear Law School, together with the University of Montpellier in France. This School is helping in providing students of all levels a specific curricular in all aspects of nuclear law, with the best of the OECD countries' specialists passing on their knowledge to the new generations.

This School has benefited from the support of the IAEA, which is here with us today, and also the European Commission. Both have contributed significantly to widely extending the school. I would like to thank them for this very important support.

Finally, I would like to thank John Ritch once again for his initiative and to wish great success to the World Nuclear University. We all need it.