The European Union has called on all states to conclude Comprehensive Safeguards Agreements and Additional Protocols without further delay, while expressing grave concern over Iran's persistent lack of cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), in a statement delivered on 9 June 2026 at the IAEA Board of Governors meeting in Vienna. The EU also noted with concern that the Agency could not draw safeguards conclusions for states retaining outdated Small Quantities Protocols.
The statement, delivered on behalf of the EU and aligned countries, addresses the Safeguards Implementation Report for 2025. The EU reaffirmed that Comprehensive Safeguards Agreements together with Additional Protocols represent the current verification standard under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), and welcomed Guinea and Somalia for bringing their agreements into force in 2026. The EU also congratulated Saint Vincent and the Grenadines for the entry into force of its Additional Protocol in 2025.
On Iran, the EU stressed that the Agency's inability to verify previously declared highly enriched uranium constitutes a matter of proliferation concern and non-compliance with Iran's NPT Safeguards Agreement, which remains in force and cannot be suspended. The EU called on Iran to engage constructively with the IAEA and return to full compliance with its obligations.
Regarding Ukraine, the EU applauded the IAEA's continued safeguards implementation despite Russia's war of aggression, and regretted that the Agency could not draw the broader conclusion for Ukraine due to conditions outside Ukrainian control. However, the Agency found no indications of proliferation concern.
The EU supported the implementation of integrated safeguards and the State-level Concept, and welcomed the continued implementation of the COMPASS initiative, whose network includes the European Commission and eight EU Member States. The EU also noted an increase in women in the Safeguards Department and encouraged further progress toward gender equality.
Stakeholder impact: The statement reinforces the EU's strong support for IAEA verification authority, which benefits non-proliferation efforts globally but imposes compliance costs on states with outdated safeguards arrangements. Iran faces continued diplomatic pressure and potential further Board resolutions if it fails to cooperate. States with Small Quantities Protocols are urged to update or rescind them, adding administrative burden. The EU's financial and in-kind contributions to IAEA safeguards support the Agency's capacity but represent a cost to EU taxpayers.