Proposal for a Council Decision adapting for the second time Decision 94/268/Euratom concerning a framework programme of activities in the field of research and training for the European Atomic Energy Community (1994 to 1998), as adapted by Decision 96/. . . /Euratom (96/C 115/02) (COM(96) 12 final - 96/035(CNS)

(Submitted by the Commission on 2 February 1996)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European 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 Parliament,

Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and Social Committee,

Whereas, by Decision 94/268/Euratom (1), the Council adopted a framework programme of activities in the field of research and training (1994 to 1998), which is being implemented; whereas, by Decision 96/. . ./Euratom, the Council carried out a technical adaptation of that programme following the accession to the European Union of the Republic of Austria, the Republic of Finland and the Kingdom of Sweden; whereas Article 1 (3) of Decision 96/. . ./Euratom provides that the amount deemed necessary for Community financial participation in the framework programme shall be ECU 1 336 million; whereas the same Article stipulates that not later than 30 June 1996 the Council shall review the above amount, with the possibility of increasing it to ECU 1 441 million,

Whereas the state of implementation of the framework programme shows strong participation by operators involved in European research into safety; whereas the appropriations provided for 1995 have been committed;

Whereas it is necessary that the Community continues to play an important international role in the field of nuclear safety; whereas it has special responsibility for enhancing the safety of nuclear plants throughout the continent of Europe; whereas constructors and operators in the Union must take safety requirements into account; whereas their competitiveness depends on the research and technological development work carried out in this field;

Whereas the 1995 annual report (2), as provided for by the second subparagraph of Article 4 (1) of Decision 94/268/Euratom shows that the Community research programmes stimulate scientific and technological cooperation to counter the dispersal of efforts and help to protect man and the environment;

Whereas the increase in the framework programme must respect the development of the financial perspective of the European Union;

Whereas more research is needed concerning the protection of man and the environment, the exploration of innovatory approaches to achieve extremely high reactor safety standards, waste management, decommissioning, and the control of pollution caused by past incidents; whereas the scientific and technological objectives of this research entail a reinforcement of the nuclear fission safety activities under the framework programme; whereas greater technological cooperation is required, particularly with the countries of central and eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS);

Whereas the Scientific and Technical Committee has been consulted by the Commission and has delivered its opinion,

HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS:

Sole Article

1. Decision 94/268/Euratom, as adapted by Council Decision 96/. . ./Euratom of . . . . . . 1996 is hereby amended as follows:

- Article 1 (3) shall be replaced by:

'Without prejudice to Article 7 (3) of the Treaty, the amount deemed necessary for Community participation in this framework programme shall be ECU 1 441 million.`

2. Annex I shall be replaced by Annex I to this Decision.

3. Annex III entitled 'Scientific and technological objectives` shall be supplemented by Annex II to this decision.

(1) OJ No L 115, 6. 5. 1994, p. 31.

(2) COM(95) 443 final, 18. 9. 1995.

ANNEX I

FOURTH FRAMEWORK PROGRAMME (1994 to 1998): AMOUNT AND INDICATIVE BREAKDOWN

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ANNEX II

SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL OBJECTIVES

Annex III, entitled 'Scientific and technological objectives`, to Decision 94/268/Euratom of 26 April 1994 shall be maintained and the following text shall be added at the end of the Section entitled 'Nuclear fission safety`:

'Citizens all over the continent of Europe are highly concerned about nuclear fission safety and expect more stringent standards and safety practices to be established. European constructors and industrial operators must take account of the requirements at a time of mounting competition worldwide. Safety is also a crucial issue in the Union's relations with the central and eastern European countries and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). In order to step up the pace of research, to ensure closer cooperation throughout Europe and to reduce the delays in take-up and dissemination of the results, the framework programme must be reinforced.

1. Reinforcement of the work on the following topics:

- use of innovatory approaches taking account of the safety of the new generation of reactors, beyond the projects under development. This includes topics concerning both the reactor itself and the fuel (new absorbers, very advanced fuel, etc.),

- reactor safety will not be limited to in depth study of accidents. It also includes accident prevention (such as systems analysis and passive actuators),

- phenomena concerning the fuel cycle and management and storage of wastes, which remain a major issue, partly because of the non-proliferation imperatives (plutonium) and partly from the point of view of the energy efficiency of the fuel (burn-up).

2. Closer cooperation with non-Union countries

The on-going activities on nuclear fission safety have taken account of the need for cooperation with the central and eastern European countries. However, they provide support only for participants from the Union, despite the definite mutual benefits to be gained from closer cooperation.

The emphasis on cooperation serves two objectives:

- to allow support for nuclear research teams, including young researchers, from eastern European countries and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and, thus, to conduct joint research projects,

- to step up specific research particularly important for the safety of the nuclear cycle in these countries.

Cooperation with these countries covers control of past incidents and the radiological consequences of accidents. It will contribute to the establishment of a harmonized warning network and the development of technologies for restoring contaminated environments, and will seek to adapt the practices and know-how tested by the Union in emergencies.

On reactor safety, the current programme should be extended to include the development and validation of codes for analysis and prevention of accidents (design basis accidents and serious accidents). Another aspect covered is the behaviour, particularly ageing, of systems and components performing a safety function.

On radioactive waste, collaboration could be established to characterize potential storage sites for radioactive waste. The technology developed in the European Union for dismantling nuclear installations could be applied or, if necessary, adapted to the needs of Russian reactors. Reactors being dismantled could serve as a site for demonstration activities, training and transfers of technologies in this field. Coordination with the Union's assistance programmes will be ensured.

The research in the field of safety has always had quantifiable objectives (minimising the risk of a major accident, limiting exposure to specified dosage) allowing the progress achieved to be measured. The new activities proposed herein are set, among others, in the perspective of reducing the risks of a severe accident by a factor of 10 (new generation of power stations).`