The Zangger Committee and the Nuclear Suppliers Group are international bodies that have set guidelines for national export control systems, to ensure that nuclear trade is for peaceful purposes.
Zangger Committee
The Zangger Committee is an informal group of nuclear supplier countries that are party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). The Committee (also known as the NPT Exporters Committee) was named after its first chairman Professor Claude Zangger. The current chairman is Mr Pavel Klucký of the Czech Republic. There are currently 37 member states in the Zangger Committee, including the United Kingdom.
The Zangger Committee:
- was formed to interpret Article III paragraph 2 of the NPT - and focus on what is meant by "especially designed or prepared equipment or material for the processing, use or production of special fissionable material"
- harmonises nuclear export control policies of NPT parties
- maintains a 'Trigger list' (triggering safeguards as a condition of supply) of nuclear-related strategic goods, to help NPT parties identify equipment and materials subject to export controls
The UK was a founder member of the Zangger Committee, and through the UK mission in Vienna acts as Secretariat to the Committee. The European Commission is a permanent observer
Nuclear Suppliers Group
The Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) was created following the explosion in 1974 of a nuclear device, which demonstrated that nuclear technology transferred for peaceful purposes could be misused. It was set up to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons through export controls on materials, equipment and technology (known as the Trigger List) which may be used for developing nuclear weapons. . There are currently 46 member states in the NSG, including the United Kingdom.
The NSG guidelines were first published by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in 1978. You can read the latest version of these guidelines below:
In 1992, the NSG established guidelines for transfers of nuclear-related dual-use equipment, material and technology (items which have both nuclear and non-nuclear applications) which could make a significant contribution to an unsafeguarded nuclear fuel cycle or nuclear explosive activity. You can read these guidelines, published by the IAEA, here:
The Nuclear Suppliers Group meets formally once a year at the NSG Plenary. Its last Plenary took place in June 2009 in Hungary. The European Commission participates as an observer.