WRITTEN QUESTION No. 3937/98 by Carlos ROBLES PIQUER to the Council. Immediate prospects for the long-term nuclear fusion project
Date: 1999-01-04
Institutions: European Parliament, ROBLES PIQUER
Subjects: EAEC, Japan, Russia, United States, cooperation agreement (EU), nuclear fusion, nuclear reactor, research programme, scientific education, scientific research

21.7.1999

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 207/147

(1999/C 207/203)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3934/98

by Carlos Robles Piquer (PPE) to the Commission

(4 January 1999)

Subject: Use of nuclear energy for the desalination of sea water in arid countries

At its last conference the International Atomic Energy Agency, a United Nations body, proposed the urgent
development of programmes for the desalination of sea water using small nuclear reactors.

At its last assembly in September it asked its Director to give priority to this option and to promote
international cooperation in this field.

Can the Commission say what the European Union’s position is on this subject, in particular the possibilities of
cheap nuclear desalination in North Africa (Maghreb and Mashreq countries) in accordance with the study on
the subject carried out by the IAEA?

Answer given by Mr Papoutsis on behalf of the Commission

(3 February 1999)

For very many years the Commission has been monitoring the work carried out by the International Atomic
Energy Agency (IAEA) on the possible use of nuclear reactors for the desalination of sea water.

The Commission considers, moreover, that the use of the nuclear option requires high levels of expertise,
experience and safety. It also demands high-level non-proliferation assurances and the existence of strong and
independent safety authorities. Currently, these conditions do not all appear to have been met in the region
referred to by the Honourable Member.

(1999/C 207/204)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3937/98

by Carlos Robles Piquer (PPE) to the Council

(4 January 1999)

Subject: Immediate prospects for the long-term nuclear fusion project

The US Department of Energy’s decision to withdraw its researchers from foreign centres involved in the
current ITER project presents the other partners 6 the EU, Japan and Russia 6 with difficult decisions.

According to information published recently, Europe has decided to continue for a few years without
increasing its funding.

Furthermore, the loss of confidence in the long-term viability of the tokamak option (ITER) is renewing interest
in other options such as stellarator-type reactors.

Can the Council say what its intentions are in this area and what the Japanese and Russian positions are? Also,
can it examine the EU’s budget line earmarked for this purpose for the duration of the Fifth Framework
Programme? Finally, does it consider that the justification for this line can remain unchanged following the US
decision?

Reply

(9 March 1999)

On 30 June 1998, the European Atomic Energy Community approved the extension of the ITER-EDA (1)
1.
agreement for three years (22 July 1998 to 21 July 2001) (2). The three-year extension was also approved by
two of its partners to the agreement, Russia (on 16 June 1998) and Japan (on 14 July 1998).