Nuclear safeguards constitute a key part of the EU nuclear policy and are laid out in chapter VII of the EURATOM Treaty. Nuclear safeguards ensure that nuclear material is only used for the purposes declared by the users, and that international obligations are complied with. All civil nuclear material within the European Union is controlled by the Commission through its Luxembourg based safeguards directorate.  Nuclear operators are required to keep records of all nuclear materials for which they are responsible and to report on them to the Commission.
The Commission is responsible for:

• Collecting and analyzing the information provided by the operators of nuclear installations regarding quantities, location and use made of all nuclear materials.
• The independent verification of operator's declarations through a dedicated team of some 150 nuclear inspectors.
• Ensuring the efficient and effective implementation of international safeguards through its long-standing cooperation with the IAEA.