30 Years Of Abacc- The Role Of State Authorities In Supporting Its Activities

The confidence-building process between Argentina and Brazil during the 1980s led to a unique safeguards’ agreement: the Agreement between the Republic of Argentina and the Federative Republic of Brazil for the Exclusively Peaceful Use of Nuclear Energy. This “Bilateral Agreement”, signed in July 1991, incorporated all the nuclear commitments already made by both countries and established the Brazilian-Argentine Agency for Accounting and Control of Nuclear Materials (ABACC), a binational organization aimed at the management and implementation of the Common System of Accounting and Control of Nuclear Materials (SCCC). Particularly, the “Bilateral Agreement” establishes that Argentina and Brazil “shall make their technical capabilities available to the ABACC in support of its activities”. In this regard, the role of the State Authorities responsible for safeguards implementation in Argentina and Brazil is crucial. In the year of ABACC’s 30th anniversary, the paper summarizes the experience of the Nuclear Regulatory Authority (ARN) of Argentina and the National Nuclear Energy Commission (CNEN) of Brazil in supporting ABACC’s activities during the past decade (2011-2021).