Opening of the Russian Methodological and Training Centre
The Russian Methodological and Training Centre (RMTC), a key element in the future system of nuclear control and safeguards, was opened on 4 November 1998 in Obninsk, near Moscow. The RMTC project, launched on the initiative of the EU, is the result of the first tripartite cooperation between Russia, the USA and the EU in this field, and is based on a common agreement on the priority and urgency of training as a means of reinforcing nuclear safety. The RTMC, which was designed by the European Commission's Joint Research Centre, and based on the PERLA laboratory for nuclear safety training in Europe, forms an element of the EU's TACIS regional programme on nuclear safety. It will provide the required facilities for the training of inspectors and operators in new and effective methods of nuclear materials control and accounting that are in compliance with international standards. The overall aim is to lay the foundations of a safety culture in Russia, an essential condition for a genuine non-proliferation policy.