The Ministry of Electricity and Energy announced yesterday the completion of the bill regulating nuclear and radioactive activities. The Ministry sent the bill to the Cabinet, which will discuss it and submit it to the People's Assembly and the Shoura Council [Egypt's lower and upper chamber of parliament]. The aim is to have it adopted during this parliamentary session. Energy and Electricity Minister Hassan Younes said the bill had been reviewed by the State Council. The bill includes five enactment clauses and 128 articles. It is divided into seven chapters and one of them contains the definitions and the scope of the bill and covers the general provisions in this field. The Minister said the bill was one of the requirements to implement the nuclear program and keep up with the more and more activities and nuclear and radioactive practices connected with the peaceful use of atomic energy. He also pointed out that this bill was in line with the global trend to standardize nuclear laws in order to protect the environment and the people from any radioactive risk. He made it clear that the law would achieve its goals by setting a legal framework guaranteeing all competencies to the control authority – currently under foundation by virtue of this law – so that it may perform its tasks. He also said this law would guarantee the authority's total independence and provide safe ways to deal with all kinds of radioactive sources in order to protect the society and the environment and to safely dispose of radioactive wastes. "The law will also achieve its goals by controlling and making an inventory of the nuclear materials. It will also allow Egypt to abide by its commitments to implementing the provisions of the comprehensive safeguards agreement struck with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and not buying any nuclear material illegally" the minister said. He went on to say that the law would be applied to nuclear and radioactive utilities, activities and practices connected with all peaceful uses of atomic energy.
