On 8 and 9 February, 2022 ENCO carried out a virtual training course entitled “Verification of the Nuclear Security Status and Measures” for customs and border control officers of the countries, participating in the EU-funded ISTC – implemented project “Support to the Centre of Excellence of Eastern and Central Africa in Nuclear Security.
The program of the course included topics like International recommendations and national legal and regulatory framework for import/ export of radioactive sources; Basic concepts in radioactivity; Transport safety and security of radioactive sources; Prevention of illegal shipment of mobile radioactive sources across borders; Response measures in case of a radiological emergency at the border, etc.
Senior ENCO experts Maja Boskovic, Vladimir Rukhlo, Adriana Baciu, Oana Velicu, and Sorin Repanovici made presentations to thirty attendees from the participating African states.
The discussions following the lectures revealed various important areas from the point of view of the customs. One of them proved to be the fact that the customs officers come into contact with radioactive sources as they form part of shipments of related goods. The identification of such sources implies the use of basic equipment and the ability to perform measurements. It was also noted that the designation of special points of entry for the cross-border transport of radioactive material helps ensure more effective safety and security measures and impedes the illegal trafficking of sources.