ARCHIVES HISTORIQUES
DELACOMMISSION
COLLECTION RELIEE DES
DOCUMENTS "COM"
COM (79)153
Vol.1979/9012

Disclaimer
Conformément aurèglement (CEE, Euratom) n°354/83 duConseil du1erfévrier 1983
concernant l'ouverture aupublic desarchives historiques delaCommunauté économique
européenne etdelaCommunauté européenne del'énergie atomique (JOL43du15.2.1983,
p.1),telquemodifié par lerèglement (CE, Euratom) n°1700/2003 du22septembre 2003
(JOL243du27.9.2003, p.1),cedossier estouvert aupublic. Lecaséchéant, lesdocuments
classifiés présents dans cedossier ontétédéclassifiés conformément àl'article 5dudit
règlement.
Inaccordance with Council Regulation (EEC, Euratom) No354/83 of1February 1983
concerning theopening tothepublic ofthehistorical archives oftheEuropean Economic
Community andtheEuropean Atomic Energy Community (OJL43,15.2.1983, p.1),as
amended byRegulation (EC, Euratom) No1700/2003 of22September 2003 (OJL243,
27.9.2003, p.1),this fileisopen tothepublic. Where necessary, classified documents inthis
filehave been declassified inconformity with Article 5oftheaforementioned regulation.
InÜbereinstimmung mitderVerordnung (EWG, Euratom) Nr.354/83 desRates vom 1.
Februar 1983 über die Freigabe der historischen Archive der Europäischen
Wirtschaftsgemeinschaft undderEuropäischen Atomgemeinschaft (ABI. L43vom 15.2.1983,
S.1),geändert durch dieVerordnung (EG, Euratom) Nr.1700/2003 vom 22.September 2003
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COMMISSION
DES
COMMUNAUTES EUROPEENNES
Secrétariat généralCOM(79)153 final
Bruxelles ,le 21March 1979
«s*
INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION ONTHEPHYSICAL PROTECTION OFNUCLEAR MATERIALSe*
(Communication fromtheCommission totheCouncil )
 
00
C0M<79 >153final

COMMUNICATION -FROM.THECOMMISSION TOTHECOUNCIL
%Subject:International ConventiononthePhysicalProtectionof
NuclearMaterials
ThethirdMeetingofgovernmentrepresentatives forthepurposeofdrafting
anInternational ConventiononthePhysicalProtectionofNuclearMaterials
washeldinViennafrom5to16February1979.
InviewofCommunity'spowers1nthisarea,theCouncilrequestedthe
CommissiontoxfakepartintheViennaConferenceandgaveitpartialdirec­tivesfornegotiatingtheIncorporationintotheConventionofanaccession
clausewhichwouldopenthewayforCommunityparticipation .TheCommission
submittedthetextcontainedinAnnexAtothisnotetotheconference,
specifyingthatitconsideredtheamendmenttoArticle14tobeessential,
whereastheProtocolwastatended .toprovidetheadditionalInformation
des1r*edbycertainnon-Commnity States.
TheCommunityaccessionclause^foasdiscussedataplenarysessionofthe
conference.AdecisiononthisSwjectwaspostponeduntilthenextsession,
plannedfor7-15June1979,atwhichthetextoftheConventionisdueto
befinalized.
AsfarastheCommunityisconcerned,completedirectivesnowneedtobeadoptedinordertoenabletheCommission^M^lytoassumeItsresponsibili­
ties1nnegotiatingtheCommunity'saccessioroto theConvention,tothe
extentthattherightsandobligationsoftheTOpmunityareaffectedbythecontentofthatConvention. tCfc,
ThedraftdirectivewhichisalreadybeforetheCouncilcouldserveasabasis
forthiswork.
However,thequestionthatarisesiswhetherandtowhatexjfentdetailed
informationshouldbegiventosignatorynon-CommunityStatesfopgardlng the
ImplicationoftheCommunity'sparticipation .Manyofthenon-'Gntomunlty
countriesfearpracticalproblems1ntheimplementation oftheCorapntion,
iftherespectivepowersandresponsibilities oftheCommunityandx&.its
MemberStatesarenotmoreclearlydefined.Inparticular,Articlesoto11,
dealingwithproblemsofpenallawandextradition,haveoftenbeenmentioned
asprovisionsunderwhich1t1sbynomeansobviousthatCommunitypowers
areinvolved.Ontheotherhand,theroleoftheCommunityinthetransport^ofnuclearmaterialswasgenerallyrecognized.
Inordertoallaythesefears,theCommunitycouldspecify1nastatement
tobemadesubsequently,onsigningtheConvention/thatitisnotconcerned
withpenaland'~extradition clauses.Suchastatementmaynotberequiredfrom
thelegalstandpointCcf.rulingoftheCourtof14November1978)butwould
relievethemajoranxietyexpressedby-someofthenon-Community countries.

-2-
Thisattitude1snotIncompatible withtheapproachadoptedbytheCommis­
sion1nothercaseswheretheCommunityhasaccededtoInternational agree­
mentsandhasrefusedtogiveparticipating non-Community StatesInformation
on.thedistribution ofpowersasbetweentheCommunityandItsMemberStates.
Hjfc*TheConvention nowbeingnegotiated 1nViennahasveryspecialcharacterls-
VZ*ticswhichconstituteacasewhichhasnodirectprecedent1ntheannalsof
v%£heCommunity.Notonly1s1tthefirstInternational agreementInvolving
<$heCommunity/ItsMemberStatesandnon-CommunityStates1nafieldrelating
totheEuratomTreatybut,1naddition,1tcontainsasetofprovisions
whichmanifestlydonotfallwithintheCommunity'ssphereofcompetence
(penalclausesandextradition).TheCommunity1snot1napositiontounder­
takecommitmentsderivingfromtheseprovisionsandthiscouldbeexpresslystatedto<$heparticipating non-CommunitySpates.
^However/asrc^fdstheprovisionsdirectlyconcernedwiththeinternationalVtransportofnuttjfearmaterials/thepowersaresharedbetweentheCommunity
andItsMemberStatesandsocloselyInterlinkedthatanabstractdistribu­
tion1snot'feasible.Inthecaseoftheseprovisions/theruleshouldbe
establishedthat.non-Community countriesshouldcontactboththeCommission
andtheMemberStatescowscprnedandthatthereplywillbegivenintheappropriatemannerbytheft^mmunityandbytheMemberStatesconcerned.Itwillberecalledthat/1no&ftrtoassurethenon-CommunityStatesthat/
inanyevent/allobl1gation£&pder theConventionwillbecoveredbythe
CommunityandItsMemberState^eitherjointlyorseverally/theCommission
proposedtotheViennaconference/inaccordancewiththedirectivereceived
fromtheCouncilon6February1979/thattheCommunityandItsMember
StateswouldensurethattheConventionenteredIntoforceforthematthe
sametime. A
ThelasttwodetailsproposedabovecouldM&£etoutinastatementorin
aprotocolannexedtotheConvention.'ty?
TheCommissionwoulddrawtheCouncil'sattentlo^^otheurgencywithwhich
^thenegotiatingdirectivesneedtobeadopted.TheabsenceofappropriatewdirectivespreventedtheCommissionfromplayingItsfullroleintheFebru­
arysession.WhilethelackoftimeforpreparingtheFebruarysession
could/tosomeextent/accountforthissituation/there9&ildbenosuch
justification asregardstheJunesession.IftheapproprlOT^directivesarenotgivenbeforetheopeningofthenextnegotiatingses&bji/Itwill
beImpossiblefortheCommissiontoparticipateinthesenegotnjkions.
Thiswouldautomatically meanthattheMemberStatestoowouldo&unable
totakepart1nthedraftingofthosepartsoftheConventionwhertthe
CommunityandtheMemberStateshavejointjurisdiction .
Intheopinionof-theCommission/adefinitionofthedistribution ofintra-
CommunltypowerswithrespecttoarticlesotherthanArticles6to11Isrrf&L
necessaryfortheadoptionofthenegotiatingdirectives.Thedistribution
ofpowerscouldbeeffectedifrequired/betweentheJunemeetingandthe
entryIntoforceoftheConvention.AsfarastheCommunity1sconcerned/v*
theConventioncouldnot1nanycaseenterintoforceuntilithasbeen
ratified1neachoftheparticipating MemberStates(cf.Article102of
theEuratomTreaty).
TheCouncil1sinvitedtoapprovetheorientations setoutaboveandto
completethedirectivestotheCommissionasquicklyaspossible.

MeetingofGovernmentalRepresentatives toConsidertheDrafting
ofaConventiononthePhysicalProtectionofNuclearMaterial
ViennaANNEXEA
CPNM/WP27
14February1979
ENGLISH
Original:EnglishandFrench
^Participatior%
AddiriontoArticle14»ProposalbytheEECdelegation
Participation oftheEuropeanAtomicEnergyCommunity
5.ThisConventionshallbeopenforsignatureandapproval,orfor
accessionbyJ4ieEuropeanAtomicEnergyCommunity(EAECJ.S
Upondeposita&igitsinstrumentsofapprovaloraccessiontheEAEC
Qshallbecomeaparty^iththesamerightsandobligations,byvirtueof
theprovisions ,oftheConvention,asStatesPartiesinsofarasthoserights
andobligationsfallwithinthepowersandjurisdiction conferredonthe
CommunitybytheTreatyestablishingtheEAEC.
NewArticle.
TheprotocoltothisConventioi^isanintegralpartthereof.
ProtocolconcerningtheEAECanditsMemberStates.
TheCommunityanditsMemberStateswiH^eteroine ,accordingtothe
appropriateinternalprocedures,thecommitmen^y^hichtheyundertake
respectively byvirtueofthepresentConvention.
TheCommunityanditsMemberStatesshalldeposittheirinstruments
Oofratification,acceptanceorapproved.,orofaccessionatthesaaetime.
%%%%