The severe accident at Chornobyl that occurred 40 years ago on 26 April 1986 was the most catastrophic civilian nuclear disaster so far, with many direct victims, long term health and economic impacts and environmental destruction in Ukraine, Belorussia and Russia as well as a radioactive fallout that spread over many European countries and beyond with its health, environmental and economic toll.

Now the Chornobyl site is emblem of both the challenges of containing the radiation caused by the accident of 1986 (namely with the Sarcophagus coming to age and under attack) and the weaponisation of civilian nuclear sites (Chornobyl as well as Zaporizhzhia) during the Russian war of aggression on Ukraine.

This seminar will discuss what responses took place in former USSR and Europe, what lessons were learned in the aftermath of the accident of 1986, and what challenges and lessons need to be considered in the present context with the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine, and for the future.

The aim of the seminar is to share the understanding of an event which is at the same time human, technological, political, economic, historical, ecological and to connect the analysis and memories of something that happened forty years ago with its present and future impacts and learnings.

Speakers:

• Oksana Antonenko, part-time Professor at the Transnational School of Governance and Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies, EUI
• Olena Snigyr, Jean Monnet Fellow, Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies, EUI
• Angela Liberatore, Visiting Fellow on Science Diplomacy, EUI, author of The Management of Uncertainty. Learning from Chernobyl
• Simon Evans, Associate Director, Head ICCA and IIDSF, Nuclear Safety Department, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
• Olga Polotska, Executive Director, National Research Foundation of Ukraine -on line

Organised by Development and External Relations Service

Organisers: Angela Liberatore with Olena Snigyr and Oksana Antonenko

Details and registration: Learning from Chornobyl? Past, present and future • European University Institute