The State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine (SNRIU) and the Norwegian Radiation and Nuclear Safety Agency (DSA) are working on the implementation of 18 common projects to counter the challenges caused by Russia’s military aggression, particularly in the area of developing policies and procedures to restore regulatory control over nuclear facilities affected by occupation and hostilities.
Gosatomregulirovanie said on Wednesday that the joint projects of the Ukrainian nuclear regulator and DSA, launched after February 24, 2022, also cover such areas as surveying territories affected by enemy military occupation; managing critical knowledge needed to protect personnel, the public and the environment during nuclear or radiation incidents caused by hostilities; and providing radiation reconnaissance equipment in previously occupied territories.
“I am grateful for DSA’s active participation in projects to address the pressing challenges faced by Gosatomregulirovanie after the rf’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022. Over the past two years, 25 projects have been initiated to counter the challenges caused by Russia’s military aggression. As of today, 18 projects out of them are being implemented,” said Oleg Korikov, head of the DSA.
Korikov and DSA Director General Per Strand discussed the status of implementation of joint projects and further cooperation, plans for which are envisioned in the Roadmap for Cooperation between DSA and Gosatomregulirovanie for 2024-2028, at a meeting during the Seventh Conference of the European Nuclear Safety Regulators Group (ENSREG) held in Brussels on June 24-25.
“In our decade of cooperation since 2014, we have established a sustainable mechanism for planning, coordination and timely implementation of joint projects. This strategy includes regular assessment of regulatory threats and challenges faced by Gosatomregulirovanie, which are reflected in the Threat Assessment Reports,” Korikov added.
Norway said it has already decided that 120 million kroner out of 1.1 billion kroner will be used for repairs in Kharkiv region, which has been particularly hard hit by Russian attacks recently.
Norway will provide 1.1 billion kroner ($103 million) to Ukraine to repair the country’s energy infrastructure and ensure the country’s power supply before next winter, the country announced on Sunday, June 16. “Russia is conducting massive, systematic attacks to paralyze the energy system, but Ukrainians are working day and night to provide electricity to the population,” Prime Minister Jonas Gara Storé said in a statement.
According to new estimates, more than 50% of Ukraine’s power generation capacity has been destroyed, the government said. “We are in close dialog with Ukraine on how it can make the most efficient use of these funds. The Ukrainians themselves understand what is needed best,” Støre said, adding that it is important to start repairing the infrastructure before the onset of winter.
Norway said that it has already decided that 120 million kroner will be spent on repairs in the Kharkiv region, which has been particularly hard hit by Russian attacks recently. The solar panels will be installed in seven maternity hospitals and operating rooms in the Kharkiv region, Støre said in a statement released during his participation in the Ukraine peace summit in Switzerland.
Norway has allocated 2.1 billion kroner to the Ukrainian energy sector in 2022, and 1.9 billion kroner last year. The Scandinavian country has pledged 75 billion kroner in military and civilian aid to Ukraine for the five-year period 2023-2027, with funds to be allocated each year according to Ukraine’s needs.
Ukrainians who had a permit for temporary collective protection from war in Norway, but whose permit was revoked or not renewed, cannot subsequently obtain it again.
The corresponding tightening to the protection rules was adopted by the Norwegian Ministry of Justice and Public Safety on May 31, according to a press release from the agency.
“Norway spends a lot of money on accelerated processing and resettlement of Ukrainian asylum seekers under a special scheme. The Center Party and the Labor Party in the government think it is wrong that asylum seekers who have voluntarily returned or have broken the rules should receive special treatment again,” Norwegian Justice and Public Safety Minister Emilie Enger Mehl said.
According to the Directorate of Immigration, about 2,000 Ukrainians with temporary collective protection have not received an extension of their one-year residence permit in Norway. In many cases, these are people who have moved back to Ukraine or other European countries. These people will no longer be able to receive collective protection in Norway if they apply for it again; instead, they will be referred to the normal individual asylum procedure.
The Minister also does not rule out the possibility of further tightening the rules for temporary collective protection in Norway.
“Immigration must be sustainable. We are therefore considering further tightening of the temporary collective protection scheme,” Mel indicated.
As reported, on March 11, 2022, the Norwegian government introduced a temporary collective protection scheme for displaced persons from Ukraine. This scheme means that those covered by it are granted a residence permit under a simplified procedure and without individual assessment.
According to Eurostat, at the end of March this year, Norway had 70.69 thousand citizens with temporary protection status from the war in Ukraine, compared to 52.61 thousand at the end of August 2023 and 66.94 thousand at the end of 2023.
A total of 4 million 211.5 thousand citizens of non-EU countries who left Ukraine as a result of the Russian invasion on February 24, 2022 had temporary protection status in the EU countries as of March 31, 2024. Ukrainian citizens accounted for more than 98% of temporary protection beneficiaries.
According to Eurostat data, at the end of March 2024, the main EU countries that received temporary protection beneficiaries from Ukraine were Germany (1 million 301.79 thousand people; 30.9% of the total), Poland (955.52 thousand people; 22.7%) and the Czech Republic (364.38 thousand people; 8.7%). The combined share of these three countries is 62.3%.
Norway has joined a coalition to support Ukraine in the field of air defense, the press service of the Norwegian government reports.
“It is quite natural for Norway to be part of such an air defense coalition. Norwegian NASAMS contributes to saving Ukrainian lives and protecting critical infrastructure every day,” said Norwegian Defense Minister Bjørn Arild Gram.
The press release notes that the Norwegian government has already joined three coalitions that provide military support to Ukraine. These are the Maritime Coalition, which Norway leads jointly with the United Kingdom, the F-16 Coalition, under which the Norwegian government will provide Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets and train the Ukrainian Armed Forces in their operation, and the Air Defense Coalition, led by Germany and France.
“We have stated that we will provide support where it is most needed. Air defense is on Ukraine’s list of priorities. It is absolutely necessary to protect military departments, cities and critical infrastructure necessary to support the life of society,” the head of the Norwegian Defense Ministry emphasized.
As reported, on February 14, France and Germany launched a coalition in Brussels to support Ukrainian air defense within the framework of the Contact Group on Ukraine’s Defense.
Ukraine has received $760 million in grant funds from Japan and Norway, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal has announced.
“The funds were received through the World Bank’s PEACE in Ukraine mechanism. They will be used to cover the priority expenditures of the state budget,” Shmyhal wrote in a telegram on Wednesday.
According to him, in 2024, Ukraine expects tangible financial support from Japan. “We have held many talks on this issue in Tokyo and obtained significant results. I thank our partners for their unconditional support,” Shmyhal wrote.
Norway will allocate NOK 200 million (approximately EUR 17 million) to the World Food Program, including the Grain from Ukraine program, and NOK 50 million (approximately EUR 4 million) will be transferred to the World Bank’s Ukraine Fund, the Norwegian government said in a statement.
“Norway will continue to support the people of Ukraine. At the same time, we do not lose sight of other crises in the world. The Nansen Program (5-year support program for Ukraine – IF-U) is one example of how we manage to combine these efforts,” Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said in a statement.
In addition, it is noted that another 150 million Norwegian kroner (about EUR 12 million) will be allocated to the World Food Program in response to its call for emergency assistance to Ukraine.
“In addition to providing food aid near the front line, these funds will be used to demine agricultural land, allowing farmers to return to food production as soon as possible,” the statement said.
