In the early hours of 26 April 1986, what should have been a routine test at Chernobyl nuclear power plant, quickly escalated into the world’s biggest nuclear accident. A combination of fatal flaws in the reactor’s design and human error, led to a catastrophic explosion, releasing massive amounts of radiation.
The true number of victims of this disaster will never be known, but around 350 000 people were displaced in the years that followed, while some 600 000 men put their lives at risk to participate in the containment operations.
40 years later, Chernobyl has become an example of coming together to right a wrong.
The EU and Ukraine have been collaborating on nuclear safety since the establishment of the Ukrainian state in 1991. Since then, the EU has financed more than €1 billion worth of activities in Ukraine for nuclear safety.
A key highlight of this support is the €423 million contributed for the New Safe Confinement, a massive arch structure placed over the destroyed Unit 4 at Chernobyl, to prevent radioactive leakage. Following a Russian drone strike in February 2025, this structure was badly damaged and the European Commission has dedicated a further €37 million towards restoring the structure to full functionality by 2030.
In an effort to further decommission Chernobyl, there is the Industrial Complex for Solid Radwaste Management (ICSRM) at Chernobyl, a project largely funded by the EU. It helps treat, condition and safely store the solid radioactive waste presently stored on site.
The European Instrument for International Nuclear Safety Cooperation (INSC) 2021-2027 is the EU’s external assistance programme for nuclear safety. It supports the promotion of nuclear safety culture, the safe management of radioactive waste and the implementation of effective and efficient nuclear safeguards.
How we manage nuclear safety and prepare for the future, must be guided by the lessons we learn from the past. The EU continues to work in a coordinated way at a global level, to make sure this is the case.
For more information
The European Instrument for International Nuclear Safety Cooperation
