Situated at the EC’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) Institute for Transuranium Elements (ITU) premises, the new training centre will instruct front-line officers, trainers and experts on how to detect and respond to illicit trafficking of nuclear or other radioactive materials.
The new training centre, dubbed as EUSECTRA, will enhance cross-border cooperation and experts’ networking and provide a centralized knowledge management tool.
EC commissioner for home affairs Cecilia Malmstrom said the training centre will make emergency personnel much better equipped to prevent and tackle nuclear incidents, which may have terrible consequences.
"EUSECTRA will not only help to protect European citizens but will also serve as a point of reference for other organizations in this field," Malmstrom added.
The training centre is part of the framework of the European Union (EU) chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) action plan adopted by the European Council in 2009.
European Commissioner for research, innovation and science Máire Geoghegan-Quinn said nuclear security is a major global challenge in the 21st century.
"Training and international cooperation in detection are key elements in our response to the threat of illicit trafficking of radioactive and nuclear materials. This new training centre is contributing at the cutting edge of research and technology in this field," Geoghegan-Quinn added.
