In view of the renewed interest and initiatives in nuclear energy in numerous countries in Europe and around the world, the members of the European Technical Safety Organisations Network (ETSON) – a grouping of 17 EU TSOs and their associated members in Japan, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom – have started a network-wide reflection on its future strategy. The principles that will guide are:

• We firmly believe that maintaining and developing the highest level of nuclear safety in current and new projects, as well as efficient, reliable, and trusted nuclear safety systems and organisations is of paramount importance. To this endeavor, TSOs actively contribute to the reliability of the global system through the technical safety expertise they provide to Regulators and National Authorities.
   
• As per the requirements of the IAEA, all regulatory functions should be performed based on technical and scientific work independently performed. The maintenance of expertise supporting the RB’s functions and the arrangements between the RB and its support organisations are identified as key pillars of the framework for safety and under the direct responsibility of the governement. The availability of and access to dedicated safety research for maintaining and developing further technical expertise is underlined. To this end, ETSON members believe that safety research and the provision of safety-related expertise have to be strongly connected to allow for their mutual advancement.
   
• Furthermore, TSOs and the independent science based expertise they provide for, can actively and efficiently contribute to the dialogue with the Public on all nuclear energy related topics, which has been highlighted as a top priority at the recent IAEA Regulatory Conference from February 13th to 15th in Abu Dhabi and will be further developed during the coming IAEA TSO Conference to take place in 2024, which will allow for in-depth discussions on safety expertise and research, with all stakeholders.

The ETSON Board