L 400/434 EN Official Journal of the European Union 30.12.2006 
 COUNCIL DECISION 
of 19 December 2006 
concerning the Specific Programme to be carried out  
by means of direct actions by the Joint Research Centre  
implementing the Seventh Framework Programme 
of the European Atomic En ergy Community (Euratom)  
for nuclear research and training activities (2007 to 2011) 
(2006/977/Euratom) 
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, 
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the Euro pean Atomic Energy Community, and in particular 
Article 7 thereof, 
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission, 
Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament1, 
Having regard to the opinion of the Eu ropean Economic and Social Committee2, 
Having consulted the Scientific and Technical Co mmittee and the Board of Governors of the Joint 
Research Centre, 
                                                 
1 Opinion of 30 November 2006 (not yet published in the Official Journal). 
2 OJ C 185, 8.8.2006, p. 10. 
30.12.2006 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 400/435 
 Whereas: 
(1) In accordance with Article 7 of the Tr eaty, Council Decision 2006/975/Euratom of 19 
December 2006 concerning the Seventh Framework Programme of the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) for nuclear re search and training activities (2007-2011) 
1 
(hereinafter referred to as "the Framework Programme") is  to be implemented through 
specific programmes that defi ne detailed rules for their im plementation, fix their duration 
and provide for the means deemed necessary. 
(2) The Joint Research Centre, hereinafter refe rred to as "the JRC", should implement the 
research and training activities carried out by means of the so-called Direct Actions under a 
JRC Specific Programme implementing the Euratom Framework Programme. 
(3) In implementing its mission, the JRC should provide customer driven scientific and 
technical support to the EU policy making proc ess, ensuring support to the implementation 
and monitoring of existing policies and res ponding to new policy demands. In order to 
achieve its mission the JRC should carry out res earch of the highest comparable European 
quality, including by maintaining its ow n level of scientific excellence. 
(4) In implementing this specific programme, emphasis should be given to promoting the 
mobility and training of researchers, and innova tion, in the Community. In particular, the 
JRC should undertake appropriate  training activities in nucle ar safety and security. 
                                                 
1 OJ L 400, 30.12.2006. 
L 400/436 EN Official Journal of the European Union 30.12.2006 
 (5) This specific programme should be implement ed in a flexible, effi cient and transparent 
manner, taking into account the relevant need  of JRC's user and Community polices, as 
well as respecting the objective of protecti ng the Community's financial interests. The 
research activities carried out  under the programme should be adapted where appropriate to 
these needs and to scientific and technological developments a nd aim to achieve scientific 
excellence. 
(6) The rules for participation of undertakings, research centres and uni versities and for the 
dissemination of research results, for the EC  Framework Programme (hereinafter referred 
as "the rules for participati on and dissemination") relating to  direct actions should also 
apply to the R&D activities carrie d out under this Specific Programme. 
(7) For the purpose of implementing this progr amme, in addition to cooperation covered by 
the Agreement on the European Economic Area or by an Association Agreement, it may 
be appropriate to engage in in ternational cooperation activities, in particular on the basis of 
Articles 2h, 101 and 102 of the Treaty, with third countries and international organisations. 
(8) In the context of enlargement and integrat ion activities, the JRC aims at promoting the 
integration of New Member States' organisa tions and researchers in its activities in 
particular on the implementation of the S&T components of the EU acquis, as well as an 
increased cooperation with those from Acce ssion and Candidate Countries. A progressive 
opening is also envisaged towards the Nei ghbouring Countries, specifically on priority 
topics of the European Neighbourhood Policy. 
30.12.2006 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 400/437 
 (9) Research activities carried out within this  specific programme s hould respect fundamental 
ethical principles, including t hose which are reflected in the Charter of Fundamental Rights 
of the European Union. 
(10) The JRC should continue to generate addi tional resources through co mpetitive activities; 
these include participation to the indirect ac tions of the Framework Programme, third party 
work and to a lesser extent the ex ploitation of intellectual property. 
(11) Sound financial management of the Fram ework Programme and its implementation should 
be ensured in the most effective and user-f riendly manner possible, while ensuring legal 
certainty and the accessibility of the programme for all part icipants, in accordance with 
Council Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1605/2002 of 25 June 2002 on the Financial Regulation applicable to the genera l budget of the European Communities
1 and 
Commission Regulation (E C, Euratom) 2342/20022 laying down detailed rules for the 
implementation of that Financial Regulation and any future amendments.  
                                                 
1 OJ L 248, 16.9.2002, p. 1. 
2 OJ L 357, 31.12.2002, p. 1. Regulation as amen ded by Commission Regulation (EC, 
Euratom) No 1261/2005 (OJ L 201, 2.8.2005, p. 3). 
L 400/438 EN Official Journal of the European Union 30.12.2006 
 (12) Appropriate measures – proportionate to th e European Communities' financial interests – 
should be taken to monitor both the effectiven ess of the financial support granted and the 
effectiveness of the utilisation of these funds  in order to prevent irregularities and fraud 
and the necessary steps should be taken to re cover funds lost, wrongly paid or incorrectly 
used in accordance with Regulation (EC,  Euratom) No 1605/2002, Commission Regulation 
No 2342/2002, Council Regulations (EC, Eu ratom) No 2988/95 of 18 December 1995 on 
the protection of the European Communities' financial interests1, (Euratom, EC) 
No 2185/96 of 11 November 1996 concerning on-t he-spot checks and inspections carried 
out by the Commission in order to protect the European Communities' financial interests against fraud and other irregularities
2 and Regulation (EC) No 1073/1999 of the European 
Parliament and of the Council concerning i nvestigations conducted by the European 
Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF)3. 
(13) The Commission should in due course arra nge for an independent assessment to be 
conducted concerning the activities carried out in the fi elds covered by this programme, 
HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION: 
                                                 
1 OJ L 312, 23.12.1995, p. 1. 
2 OJ L 292, 15.11.1996, p. 2. 
3 OJ L 136, 31.5.1999, p. 1. 
30.12.2006 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 400/439 
 Article 1 
The Specific Programme related to th e direct actions in research and training activities to be carried 
out by the Joint Research Centre, hereinafter the "specific programme" is hereby adopted for the 
period from 1 January 2007 to 31 December 2011. 
Article 2 
The Specific Programme shall establish the activitie s for the nuclear actions of the Joint Research 
Centre, supporting the whole range of research actions carried out in trans-national cooperation in 
the following thematic areas: 
(a) nuclear waste management, environmental impact; (b) nuclear safety; (c) nuclear security. 
The objectives and broad lines of thos e activities are set out in the Annex. 
Article 3 
In accordance with Article 3 of the Framework Programme, the amount deemed necessary for the 
execution of the Specific Programme shall be EUR 517 million. 
L 400/440 EN Official Journal of the European Union 30.12.2006 
 Article 4 
All research activities carried out under the Specif ic Programme shall be carried out in compliance 
with fundamental ethical principles. 
Article 5 
1. The Specific Programme shall be implemented by means of direct actions as established in 
Annex II to the Framework Programme. 
2. The rules for participation and dissemination re lating to direct actions  shall apply to this 
Specific Programme. 
Article 6 
1. The Commission shall draw up a multi-annual Work Programme for the implementation of 
the Specific Programme, setting out in greater  detail the objectives and scientific and 
technological priorities set out in the Annex, and the timetable for implementation. 
2. The multi-annual Work Programme shall take  account of relevant research activities 
carried out by the Member States, Associat ed States and European and international 
organisations. It shall be updated where appropriate. 
30.12.2006 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 400/441 
 Article 7 
The Commission shall arrange for the independent assessment provi ded for in Article 6 of the 
Framework Programme to be conducted concerning th e activities carried out in the fields covered 
by the Specific Programme. 
Article 8 
This Decision shall enter into force on the third day following its publication in the Official Journal 
of the European Union. 
This Decision is addressed to the Member States. Done at Brussels, 19 December 2006. 
 For the Council 
 The President 
J. KORKEAOJA 
L 400/442 EN Official Journal of the European Union 30.12.2006 
 ANNEX  
JRC Euratom Programme 
1. Objective 
To provide customer-driven scientific and tech nical support for the Community policy related to 
nuclear energy, ensuring support for the implemen tation and monitoring of existing policies while 
flexibly responding to new policy demands. 
2. Approach 
The mission of the JRC is to provide customer-d riven scientific and technical support for the 
conception, development, implementation and m onitoring of Community policies, aiming at 
keeping European research at the forefront. The JRC mission also underlines the need for the JRC 
to undertake high quality research ac tivities in close contact with industry and other bodies and to 
develop networks with public and priv ate institutions in the Member States. In all of the activities of 
the JRC, both dimensions are present, but their re spective importance varies from direct support to 
Commission Services to ba sic research undertaken in a wide Eur opean or international perspective. 
The nuclear activities of the JRC aim at satisfying the R&D obligations of the Euratom Treaty and 
supporting both Commission and Memb er States in the field of safeguards and non-proliferation, 
waste management, safety of nuclear installation a nd fuel cycle, radioactivity in the environment 
and radiation protection. 
30.12.2006 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 400/443 
 The objective of this Specific Pr ogramme is to develop and assemb le knowledge, to provide crucial 
scientific/technical data and support for safety/secur ity and reliability, sustai nability and control of 
nuclear energy, including the assess ment of innovative/future syst ems. The participation in the 
indirect actions of the Framework Programme will strive to maximise complementarity with the 
institutional work programme, as outlined in section 3 below. 
One of today's major concerns in the nuclear fiel d is the loss of knowledge, expertise and especially 
technology and engineering for hand ling radioactive material and radiation fields. The JRC will 
continue to act as a European reference for the dissemination of informati on, training and education 
for young scientists and to provide ac cess to its infrastructures for othe r researchers, thus sustaining 
nuclear know-how in Europe. 
Another objective will be further development of collaboration through networking at European and 
world level. The possibility of the JRC taking part in networks of excellence and integrated projects 
will be particularly impor tant in this connection. 
In addition, the JRC will facili tate a fact-based debate and informed decision-making on the 
appropriate energy mix to meet the European ener gy needs (including renewable sources of energy 
and nuclear power). 
L 400/444 EN Official Journal of the European Union 30.12.2006 
 3. Activities 
3.1. Nuclear waste management, environmental impact 
3.1.1. Spent fuel characterisa tion, storage and disposal 
The management of spent fuel and nuclear high le vel waste involves trans port conditioning, storage 
and geological disposal. Major objective is to prev ent the release of radio nuclides to the biosphere 
over a very long time scale. The design, assessment and functioning of the e ngineered and natural 
barrier system over the relevant time scales ar e key components for the achievement of these 
objectives and depend inter a lia on the fuel behaviour. 
The JRC aims at obtaining data fo r the long-term behaviour of sp ent fuel and developing methods 
for the reliable assessment of the engineered systems with the empha sis on the integrity of the waste 
packages and the benchmarking of risk-oriented decision criteria. 
Laboratory experiments on fuel be haviour under representative conditions will provide relevant 
input to the models for long-term predictions and allow their validation. JRC will also participate in 
the various European efforts for safe waste disp osal solutions and activ ely support transfer of 
knowledge between different countries. 
30.12.2006 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 400/445 
 3.1.2. Partitioning, Transmutation and Conditioning 
The major challenges of this programme remain both the optimisation of fuel partitioning to 
separate selected long -lived radionuclides as well as the fabr ication and characteri sation of safe and 
reliable fuels or targets for actinide transmutation. 
The study of these alternative wa ste management strategies con tinues to gain high attention, 
because they would considerably reduce the lo ng-term hazard of the waste disposal. For the 
transmutation, both fast and thermal reactors ar e considered along with dedicated actinide burning 
facilities. Most proposed concepts for future reactor systems incor porate such selective radionuclide 
separation. 
Strong reduction of the long-lived radionuclide amount and subs tantial volume reductions in waste 
facilities will entail that devel opment of inert matrices for HLW ("High Level Waste") conditioning 
will represent in the long term a key improvement in nuclear waste management. 
The JRC will operate new facilities for advanced  partitioning and for the production of fuels and 
targets (the Minor Actinide  Laboratory) in this ar ea. It will also conduct i rradiation tests on targets 
and fuels, as well as to produce basic nuclear data  for transmutation. Finally, the chemical durability 
of the matrices for conditioning of actinides will be  determined from corrosion and leaching studies. 
L 400/446 EN Official Journal of the European Union 30.12.2006 
 3.1.3. Basic actinide research 
The basic research activities aim at providing basic knowledge to underpin the understanding of 
physical processes in nuclear fuel  (from production of energy to wa ste management) and are closely 
linked to training and education ac tivities. The basic research actions  will focus on thermo-physical 
properties of materials, surface properties of actin ide bearing systems and fundamental physical and 
chemical properties. 
The JRC facilities like the Actinide User Laboratory will continue to host scie ntists, in particular 
from European universities. 
3.1.4. Nuclear data The proposed designs for dedicated minor actinid e burners and advanced concepts for nuclear 
energy production result in new demands for nucl ear data with significantly improved accuracy. 
JRC will perform measurements of nuclear data for nuclear waste management. New technological 
developments have led to significant improvement s in the measurement capabilities. JRC also 
fosters an important effort in the development of basic nuclear theory for the modelling of reactions 
not accessible experimentally. 
Radionuclide metrology complements this work with measurements for improved nuclear decay 
data of fissile materials and fission products. Accurate  experimental data are al so needed to validate 
theories and models on which radiat ion protection regul ations are based. 
30.12.2006 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 400/447 
 3.1.5. Medical applications from nuclear research 
A number of medical applications  have resulted from JRC's nuclear facilities and expertise. These 
emerge from research on new isotope production, development of clinical reference materials and 
support to new cancer therapies. The JRC aims to  make these new applic ations available for 
implementation by hospitals and pharmaceutical industry. 
3.1.6. Measurement of Radioactivity in the environment JRC is applying its expertise in trace analysis to ve rification of radioactive discharges and emissions 
from nuclear installations. Wo rk also includes studies on spec iation, migration patterns in the 
biosphere and radio-toxicology of  actinides. In view of the ne w limits for radionuclides in food 
ingredients, JRC will develop analytical techniqu es and produce corresponding reference materials. 
Inter-laboratory comparisons will be organised w ith the monitoring laboratories of the Member 
States to assess the comparability of the report ed monitoring data and to  support the harmonisation 
of the radioactivity measurement systems. 
L 400/448 EN Official Journal of the European Union 30.12.2006 
 3.1.7. Knowledge Management, Training and Education 
It is important for the new generations of nuclear scientists and engineers, to maintain and deepen 
the knowledge of nuclear research through the ex periments, results, inte rpretations and skills 
acquired in the past. This applies especially to domains where three decades experience in analysis of reactor performance and safety was concentrated in complex analytical tools such as models and 
computer codes. With a view to preventing th e possible loss of knowledge and the lack of new 
scientists and engineers in the area of nucle ar technology, the JRC will aim at retaining the 
necessary knowledge, ensuring that this knowledge is readily availa ble, properly organised and well 
documented. In addition, it will en courage the development of new sc ientists and engineers in the 
field of nuclear energy including by attracting young scientists and engineers in this field. It will 
also support higher education activities in Europe . Furthermore, the JRC will contribute to the 
development of better communicatio n on nuclear issues, in particul ar in relations with public 
acceptability and more globally of strate gies for overall energy awareness. 
3.2. Nuclear safety 
3.2.1. Nuclear reactor safety 
To maintain and improve the safety level of both Western and Russian type of nuclear power plants 
advanced and refined safety assessment methodologi es and corresponding anal ytical tools have to 
be extended and validated. Targeted experimental i nvestigations will be carri ed out to enable the 
validation and verification of th e safety assessment tools and to improve the understanding of the 
underlying physical phenomena and processes. The J RC is fully involved in th e international efforts 
for an advanced nuclear reactor safety. 
30.12.2006 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 400/449 
 3.2.2. Nuclear fuel safety in power reactors operating in the EU  
Fuel safety concentrates on prevention and mitigation of the consequences of hypothetical 
accidents. The two main aspects in this research  concern: mechanical integrity of the fuel 
assemblies during reactor lifetime, and fuel response to transient conditions and to severe reactor 
accident conditions up to core melt down. 
In this context the JRC is involved in the curr ent fuel development strategy aimed at improving 
safety and reducing civil and military stockpiles of plutonium. The JRC will make use of the HFR 
to test fuel behaviour and properties. Measurements  of performance-affecti ng properties will also be 
carried out. 
3.2.3. Safe Operation of Advan ced Nuclear Energy Systems 
New reactor strategies are considered worldwid e as an open research topic, with e.g. the 
Generation IV Roadmap scenario, inspired by a comprehensive assessment including public 
concerns, such as improved safety, reduced wa stes and improved resistance to proliferation. 
It is essential for the JRC to play its full role, di rectly and in coordinating European contributions in 
this world-wide initiative in which the principal research organisations ar e involved. This includes 
exclusively areas that can improve safety and safeguard aspects of i nnovative nuclear fu el cycles, in 
particular characterisation, test and analysis of new fuels. The development of safety and quality 
goals, safety requirements and advanced eval uation methodology for syst ems will be addressed. 
This information will be systematically disseminat ed to interested Member States authorities and 
Commission services, in particular through regular coor dination meetings. 
L 400/450 EN Official Journal of the European Union 30.12.2006 
 3.3. Nuclear security 
3.3.1. Nuclear Safeguards 
The dimension of non-proliferation is growing in importance and it is  vital for the security of EU 
citizens that the necessary capacities continue to be available. The J RC activities in this area consist 
of technical support to Commissi on services under the Euratom Treat y and to IAEA (International 
Atomic Energy Agency) under the Non-Proliferat ion Treaty. The goal will be to implement 
increased automation and better tools for information analysis to reduce both inspector workload and burden on the nuclear industry.  
Although the JRC has over 30 years experience in supporting the Euratom and Non-Proliferation 
Treaties, technical innovations and improvements continue to be required to implement the 
evolving safeguards policy. While ev olving to cope with these objectives, the JRC activity will 
continue to include verification and detection as well as containm ent and surveillance technologies, 
measurement methods of nuclear material, producti on of nuclear reference materials, and provision 
of training, in particular for IAEA and Commission inspectors. 
30.12.2006 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 400/451 
 3.3.2. Additional Protocol 
The Additional Protocol aims to assure the absence of undeclared nuclear operations. Its 
implementation requires a number of  techniques different from thos e involved in verifying nuclear 
material accountancy. It requires an  overall description of a country 's nuclear activities, provision 
for more extensive site declarat ions and more varied inspection requirements. These can include 
off-site monitoring and monitoring activities outside the facility boundaries and environment 
particle analysis as a tool to de tect undeclared nuclear activities. 
The JRC objectives are to move towards real-tim e follow-up of nuclear material transfers and 
integrated information analysis. JRC will particul arly work on the development and validation of 
information analysis tools and on a methodology based on systems analysis. 
3.3.3. Open source Information collection on Nuclear Non Proliferation 
With the aim to support Commission services and to collaborate with IAEA and Member States 
authorities, the JRC will continue to systematically  collect and analyse information from a variety 
of sources (internet, specialised literature, data bases)  on nuclear non-proliferation issues (possibly 
extending into other WMD – Weapons of Mass Destruction – and delivery systems). This 
information will be used to produce country reports where the evolution of nuclear activities and of 
import and/or export of nuclear di rect and dual use equipment and te chnology in selected countries 
will be closely followed. The information from these open sources will be corroborated with 
satellite imagery. To underpin this work, J RC will further develop multilingual web search, 
knowledge management and data mining technologies. 
L 400/452 EN Official Journal of the European Union 30.12.2006 
 3.3.4. Combating illicit trafficking of nuclear materials,  including nuclear forensic analysis 
The detection and the identification of illegally tran sported or stored nuclear material constitute a 
major line of defence against the illicit traffickin g. Nuclear forensic scie nce provides clues on the 
origin of the seized material. Establishing approp riate response plans for ha ndling cases of detection 
remains an important issue. In the field of nuclear forensics and illicit trafficking JRC will increase its collaboration with national authorities and in ternational organisations  (ITWG, IAEA, etc.) 
Ethical aspects 
During the implementation of this specific programme and in the res earch activities arising from it, 
fundamental ethical principles are to be respected. These include, in ter alia, the principles reflected 
in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU , including the following:  protection of human 
dignity and human life, protecti on of personal data and privacy, as well as animals and the 
environment in accordance with Community law and th e latest versions of relevant international 
conventions and codes of conduct, e.g. the Helsin ki Declaration, the Conve ntion of the Council of 
Europe on Human Rights and Bio- medicine signed in Oviedo on 4 April 1997 and its Additional 
Protocols, the UN Convention on th e Rights of the Child, the Univer sal Declaration on the human 
genome and human rights adopted by UNESCO, UN Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention 
(BTWC), International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for F ood and Agriculture, and the 
relevant World Health Orga nisation (WHO) resolutions. 
30.12.2006 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 400/453 
 Account will also be taken of the Opinions of  the European Group of Advisers on the Ethical 
Implications of Bio-technology ( 1991-1997) and the Opinions of th e European Group on Ethics in 
Science and New Technologies (as from 1998). 
In compliance with the principle of  subsidiarity and the diversity of  approaches existing in Europe, 
participants in research projects must conform to current legisl ation, regulations and ethical rules in 
the countries where the research will be carried  out. In any case, nationa l provisions apply and no 
research forbidden in any given Member State or other country will be supported by Community 
funding to be carried out in th at Member State or country. 
Where appropriate, those carrying out research proj ects must seek the approval of the relevant 
national or local ethics committees prior to the star t of the RTD activities. An ethical review will 
also be implemented systematically by the Co mmission for proposals dealing with ethically 
sensitive issues or where ethical aspects have not been adequately addressed. In specific cases an 
ethical review may take place during  the implementation of a project. 
L 400/454 EN Official Journal of the European Union 30.12.2006 
 The Protocol on protection and welfare of anim als annexed to the Trea ty requires that the 
Community pays full regard to the welfare requirements of animals in formulating and 
implementing Community policies including rese arch. Council Directive 86/609/EEC on the 
protection of animals used for experimental a nd other scientific purposes requires that all 
experiments be designed to avoid distress and unnecessary pain a nd suffering to the experimental 
animals; use the minimum number of animals; involve animals with the lowest degree of 
neurophysiological sensitivity; and cause the least pain, suffering, dist ress or lasting harm. Altering 
the genetic heritage of animals and cloning of animals may be c onsidered only if the aims are 
ethically justified and the conditi ons are such that the animals' welfare is guaranteed and the 
principles of bio-diversity are respected. 
During the implementation of this programme, scie ntific advances and na tional and international 
provisions will be regularly monitored by the Commission so as to take account of any 
developments.