Mandate
The ENSREG Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) Task Force was set up by ENSREG at the beginning of 2025. The Task Force’s objective is to ensure that the highest standards of nuclear safety are taken into account, in a timely manner, during the development and pre-licensing stage of SMRs in the EU.
Main tasks and activities
The Task Force contributes to:
- maintaining an overview of Task Force members’ activities in the early review, assessment or pre-assessment of specific SMR designs and technologies (pre-licensing) to avoid a duplication of efforts and share lessons learned and good practices
- interacting with the technical working groups of the European Industrial Alliance on SMRs to clarify regulatory expectations for nuclear safety in the EU
- identifying technical or organisational cross-cutting themes (regulatory challenges) and coordinating with ENSREG working groups, WENRA, IAEA NHSI and other regulatory cooperation forums for follow-up work.
Topics such as security and safeguards, as well as topics outside ENSREG’s remit, are excluded, and may be referred to other international forums.
The Task Force has no role in directing joint early reviews, assessments or pre-assessments of specific designs and technologies carried out by individual EU regulators or groups of EU regulators.
Membership and operation
The Task Force is chaired by ENSREG member Mr Marco Brugmans, Vice-Chair of the Dutch Authority for Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection (ANVS). Each EU country and the European Commission can nominate members to the Task Force. Each member should have expertise relevant to the group’s focus on nuclear safety. ENSREG observers from countries that have a direct interest in SMR pre-licensing and licensing (such as the United Kingdom or Switzerland) may nominate observers to the Task Force.
The Task Force usually meets 3-4 times a year in person and online (hybrid meetings). Its discussions aim to achieve consensus.