The European commission has said it is “regrettable” that Belarus has decided to start the commercial operation of its first nuclear power plant without addressing all the safety recommendations contained in the EU’s 2018 peer review of Belarus’s stress test report.

The commission said it has repeatedly stated that all peer review recommendations should be implemented by Belarus without delay. Belarus submitted its original stress test report for review by the EU in 2017.

In a statement the commission said it is necessary to ensure maximum safety for the operation of the plant. “This is even more imperative, given its proximity to the EU border and to Lithuania’s capital Vilnius.”