1999/176/Euratom: Council Decision of 25 January 1999 adopting a specific programme for research and training to be carried out by the Joint Research Centre by means of direct actions for the European Atomic Energy Community (1998 to 2002)
Date: 1999-01-25
Institutions: Council of the European Union
Subjects: Joint Research Centre, nuclear fission, nuclear safety, research programme, teaching curriculum

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COUNCIL DECISION

of 25 January 1999

adopting a specific programme for research and training to be carried out by the Joint
Research Centre by means of direct actions for the European Atomic Energy Community
(1998 to 2002)

(1999/176/Euratom)

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
Commission (1),

to

the

proposal

from the

Having regard to the opinion of
Parliament (2),

the European

Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and
Social Committee (3),

(1) Whereas, by Decision 1999/64/Euratom (4), the
Council adopted a fifth framework programme
for Community activities in the field of research
and training for the European Atomic Energy
the period 1998 to 2002
Community for
(hereinafter referred to as the fifth framework
programme) setting out the general outlines and
the
scientific and technological objectives of
activities
Joint
Research Centre (JRC) for the European Atomic
Energy Community;

implemented by the

to be

(2) Whereas Article 3 of
stipulates
through

fifth framework
be
shall
programme
implemented
programmes
drawn up in accordance with Article 7 of the
Treaty, one programme of which concerning in
particular the JRC;

the
that
specific

it

(3) Whereas,

in accordance with Article 4(2) of
Council Decision 94/268/Euratom of 26 April
framework
the
1994
programme of
the European Atomic Energy
Community activities in the field of research and

concerning

fourth

(1) OJ C 236, 28.7.1998, p. 20.
(2) Opinion delivered on 15 December 1998 (not yet

published in the Official Journal).

(3) OJ C 407, 28.12.1998, p. 123.
(4) OJ L 26, 1.2.1999, p. 34.

on

the

training (1994 to 1998) (5) and Article 7(3) of
specific
the Council Decisions
programmes implementing the direct actions of
the
the
fourth
Commission has
an external
assessment
conducted which it has
the
transmitted to the European Parliament,
Council and the Economic and Social Committee
together with its conclusions and comments;

arranged for

programme,

framework

to be

(4) Whereas Council Decision 1999/66/Euratom of
22 December 1998 concerning the rules for the
participation of undertakings, research centres
and universities in the implementation of the
the European
fifth framework programme of
Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) (1998 to
2002) (6) allows the participation of the Joint
Research Centre in indirect actions;

(5) Whereas, for the purpose of implementing this
programme, it may be appropriate to engage in
international cooperation activities, in particular
on the basis of Chapter X of the Treaty, with
third countries or international organisations;

(6) Whereas implementation of this programme will
also comprise activities aimed at stimulating,
disseminating and exploiting research results, in
particular
and medium-sized
small
enterprises (SMEs), and activities to stimulate the
mobility and training of researchers;

vis-a` -vis

(7) Whereas

the

fifth
research activities under
framework programme should also be geared
towards innovation in order to contribute, inter
alia, to the objectives of the first action plan for
innovation; whereas the JRC should actively
pursue activities in innovation and technology
transfer;

(8) Whereas the equal opportunities policy of the
Community must be taken into account in the
implementation of this programme;

(5) OJ L 115, 6.5.1994, p. 31. Decision as last amended by
Decision 96/253/Euratom (OJ L 86, 4.4.1996, p. 72).

(6) OJ L 26, 1.2.1999, p. 56.

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(9) Whereas the Joint Research Centre (JRC) should
the research and training activities
implement
carried out by means of direct action,
in
particular the tasks entrusted to the Commission
by the Treaty; whereas the Commission should
undertake the tasks incumbent on it in the area
of nuclear fission, making use of the technical
expertise
particular
attention should be paid to the safety of the
nuclear fuel cycle and its impact on man and the
environment;

JRC; whereas

the

of

(10) Whereas the implementation of this programme
should be monitored with a view to adapting it,
where appropriate, to scientific and technological
developments and needs; whereas in due course
there should also be an assessment of progress
with the programme by independent experts;

(11) Whereas,

in

of

the

implementation

this
programme, the Board of Governors of the JRC
is consulted by the Commission in accordance
with the relevant provisions of the Commission
Decision concerning the organisation of the JRC;
whereas the current provisions are set out in
Commission Decision 96/282/Euratom (1);

(12) Whereas the Scientific and Technical Committee
and the Board of Governors of the JRC have
been
and
technological content of this specific programme,

consulted

scientific

the

on

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

Article 1

In accordance with Article 3(1) of the fifth framework
programme, a specific programme related to direct
actions of research and training activities to be carried
out by the JRC (hereafter referred to as the specific
programme) is hereby adopted for the period from
25 January 1999 to 31 December 2002.

An indicative breakdown of this amount is given in
Annex I.

2. Of the amount in paragraph 1:

— EUR 71,8 million is for the period 1998 to 1999,

and

— EUR 209,2 million is for the period 2000 to 2002.

In the case referred to in Article 2(1)(c) of the fifth
framework programme, the Council shall adapt the
latter figure in accordance with Article 2(1)(c), second
indent of the fifth framework programme. Pending a
decision by the Council, this specific programme shall
not be implemented beyond the provision of the first
indent.

The budgetary authority shall,

in compliance
3.
with the scientific and technological objectives and
priorities
the
laid down in this Decision,
appropriations for each financial year taking into
resources within the
account
multiannual financial perspective.

the availability of

set

Article 3

the

The

general

outlines,

and
1.
for the
technological objectives and the priorities
programme are set out
in Annex II. They are
consistent with the principles and the three categories
of selection criteria indicated in Annex I to the fifth
framework programme.

scientific

The detailed rules for financial participation by
2.
the Community in the specific programme are those
referred to in Article 4 of
the fifth framework
programme.

Direct actions are defined in Annexes II and III to the
fifth framework programme.

Specific rules for implementing the programme are set
out in Annex III to this Decision.

Article 2

Article 4

1.
The amount deemed necessary for the execution
of direct actions by the JRC under this programme is
EUR 281 million.

In the light of the criteria referred to in Article 3(1),
and the scientific and technological objectives and
priorities set out in Annex II, the Commission:

(1) OJ L 107, 30.4.1996, p. 12.

(a) shall monitor, with appropriate assistance from
independent external experts, the implementation

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of the specific programme and, where appropriate,
submit proposals to the Council for adapting it, in
accordance with Article
fifth
framework programme;

5(1)

the

of

in Article 5(2) of

(b) shall arrange for the external assessment provided
fifth framework
for
programme
conducted concerning the
activities carried out in the fields covered by the
specific programme.

to be

the

Article 5

The Commission shall draw up a work

1.
programme specifying:

(a) in greater detail, the objectives and priorities of

Annex II;

(b) the indicative timetable for the implementation of

the specific programme.

This work programme shall be updated where
2.
appropriate and be made available by the Commission
to all
in a user-friendly form,
including in electronic form.

interested parties

Commission decision concerning the organisation of
the JRC.

The Commission shall

3.
regularly inform the
Board of Governors of the implementation of this
specific programme.

Article 7

The Commission may request the JRC to execute, on
the basis of the criterion of mutual benefit, projects
with legal entities established in third countries when
this contributes effectively to the execution of direct
actions.

Article 8

In accordance with Article 5(4) of the fifth framework
programme, the Commission shall regularly inform
the
the Council and the European Parliament of
overall progress of
the
implementation of
the
programme.

Article 9

Article 6

This Decision is addressed to the Member States.

1.
The Commission shall be responsible for the
implementation of this programme, carried out by the
JRC.

2.
referred to as the Board of Governors)
consulted by the Commission in this
accordance with the

The Board of Governors of the JRC (hereinafter
shall be
in
task,
the
relevant provisions of

Done at Brussels, 25 January 1999.

For the Council

The President

J. FISCHER

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ANNEX I

INDICATIVE BREAKDOWN OF THE AMOUNT DEEMED NECESSARY

Type of activity

Nuclear fission safety

Nuclear safeguards

Decommissioning and waste management

(million EUR)

Amount

122

138

21

Total

281 (1) (2)

(1) Of which approximately 6 % may be allocated to exploratory research and up to 2 % for exploitation of own

JRC results and technology transfer.

(2) This total includes the JRC’s budget contribution necessary for its participation in shared-cost actions.

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GENERAL OUTLINES, SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL OBJECTIVES AND PRIORITIES

ANNEX II

A. THE MISSION OF THE JRC

The mission of the JRC is to provide customer-driven scientific and technical support for the
conception, development, implementation and monitoring of Community policies. As a service of the
European Commission, the JRC functions as a reference centre of science and technology for the
Community. Close to the policy-making process, it serves the common interest of the Member States,
while being independent of commercial or national interests.

Carrying out specific high-level research in close contact with industry and other bodies, the JRC
supports the policy maker in addressing the concerns of
improving the
the individual citizen,
interaction between man and the environment and promoting sustainable development.

In implementing its mission, the JRC will endeavour to coordinate research and training activities
carried out in the Member States. Its work depends on intensive networking with public and private
institutions in the Member States through, for example, research networks, joint projects or staff
exchanges. This is important because the JRC’s mission is complementary to the indirect action part of
the fifth framework programme; while the indirect actions will continue to be the main mechanism for
developing and testing new ideas, the JRC’s role is to help apply them in the service of the policy
maker.

B. OBJECTIVE: MAINTAINING A VIGILANT APPROACH

Nuclear energy continues to supply about a third of the Community’s electricity and vigilance is still
required to ensure a continuation of the Community’s outstanding safety record, to maintain efforts to
avoid proliferation and to efficiently manage the processing and long-term storage of waste. New
challenges include a reactor park whose average age is increasing, an enlargement of the Community
to include countries with a different safety culture and the coming into safeguards of material arising
from the disarmament process.

The Commission has specific Treaty obligations in nuclear energy and it has always relied on the JRC
to provide a technical support that can keep up with technological developments and face new
challenges.

JRC’s objective is therefore:

— to support the Commission in its Treaty obligations,

— to remain vigilant so as to maintain the Community’s excellent record in safety and safeguards,

— to prepare to face the new challenges.

The two selection criteria for JRC activities are:

— relevance to Community policies. An understanding of the policy agenda allows JRC research to

be timely and support the formulation of policy where it is most needed,

— subsidiarity. This has two aspects. Firstly the research must be in an area where Community
involvement is appropriate and secondly it should be appropriate for this involvement to be
through the JRC. Thus the JRC only operates where its unique pan-European identity provides an

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added-value. In the nuclear area its action is justified by the cross-border aspects of nuclear safety
and safeguards and by public concern about the issues.

C. THE JRC PROGRAMME

The JRC’s specific programme for the fifth framework programme is shaped in a view to focus
activities in areas where they have a high European added-value or which correspond to tasks
entrusted to the Commission by the Euratom Treaty. These activities aim to optimise, in a European,
or even international framework, the use of the JRC’s special facilities and core competencies, in
particular in areas where the JRC has acquired a level of excellence and is the unique holder of
European knowledge.

Activities on fission safety will take advantage of the JRC’s unique facilities and will focus on areas
where the JRC is considered a reference centre for the Community such as actinides and areas of
public concern such as severe accidents and the handling of waste. Work on ageing of reactor
materials will increase to reflect the increasing importance of this issue for safety authorities and
industry. The needs of the enlargement countries will be given some priority.

Work on control of nuclear materials will continue at the same level in order to meet the present and
future needs of inspectors. This will include measurement, analysis and monitoring techniques and the
training of inspectors. Some prospective studies will be carried out in order to foresee the safeguards
implications of proposed changes in the fuel cycle and to determine whether remote sensing can be
used for the detection of illicit activities.

Lastly, wastes issued from nuclear activities have to be properly managed and some obsolete facilities
will be decommissioned.

This programme should not to be considered a blueprint for the work programme over the next four
years but rather a general outline that reflects the current view of the policy agenda and priorities.
Changes to the JRC programme are to be expected as science and technology advance and the policy
agenda and the priorities of the customer change.

1. NUCLEAR FISSION

1.1. Nuclear fission safety

Even if nuclear fission is today considered a mature technology both the safety of nuclear installations
and the management of the fuel cycle, notably the management of waste, require continued efforts as
they are matters of public concern. Also public authorities maintain vigilance and push for continuous
improvement and industry maintain a strong interest in new technologies and further improvements.
The JRC supports these efforts which are at the core of its mission. It also offers unique facilities and
traditional competence and scientific excellence while concentrating on activities where the added
value by its support is unquestioned. They concern:

— the ageing of materials and components: determination of the residual lifespan of reactors and
their main components, improvement and qualification of in-service inspection techniques through
the evaluation of structural integrity and the development of methodologies and the qualification
of non-destructive examination techniques,

— the fuel cycle safety: basic research on actinides is an area where the JRC is regarded as the centre
of excellence, and in which it will produce detailed knowledge of the properties of these elements.
This is essential to the whole fuel cycle safety and efficiency (basic properties of new fuel and
waste, licensing and industrial operations such as reprocessing, processing, storage and disposal of
waste and spent fuel), in particular it allows detailed studies of the phenomena occurring during
irradiation of nuclear fuel, as well as the optimisation of those fuels to enhance both safety and
efficiency (e.g.
studies on partitioning and
transmutation will focus on lowering the radiotoxicity of waste by reducing, or even eliminating,

irradiation, advanced fuels);

increase rate of

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the presence of actinides and other long-lived radioactive elements in the fuel cycle, on the
development of appropriate techniques for processing these materials,

— study of irradiated fuels with a view to direct disposal,
the examination of

in particular the characterisation of
long-term behaviour under storage and final disposal

irradiated fuels,
conditions, and the determination of the risks associated with their radiotoxicity,

— the study of severe accidents, including the operation in a European network and with the support
of international partners, of the FARO facility, the only one of its kind in the world, to allow the
study of in-vessel and ex-vessel phenomena following core meltdown using real materials and
representative configurations. The JRC will host in its large installations, in particular FARO,
research teams from research organisms from Member States and reciprocally, it will contribute to
European or international projects.

1.2. Nuclear safeguards

The scientific and technical support necessary to implement safeguards pursuant to Chapter VII of the
Treaty and the obligations arising from the Non-proliferation Treaty and the implementation of the
Commission’s IAEA support programme is part of a dual process:

— to meet the technological challenges of the large fuel cycle facilities,

and

— to meet

the new challenges arising following major international decisions, as well as the

incorporation of new, more efficient technologies.

The JRC’s impartiality is essential to support actions to combat illicit trafficking in nuclear materials
and damage to the environment involving radioactive materials. The JRC’s activities in this field are an
integral part of a process both of European cooperation, as reflected in the European Safeguards
Research and Development Association network, and of international cooperation with the United
States, Russia, Japan, Brazil, Argentina and Canada.

JRC activities will focus on:

— development and improvement of measurement, monitoring and analytical

techniques with
emphasis on automation: destructive and non-destructive testing and analytical
techniques
(including the development of high-performance analysis to detect traces of radioactive materials
in the environment), sealing and confinement techniques, quality control; these activities concern
in particular large reprocessing plants and the plutonium cycle, including MOX fuel, and will
include the monitoring of performance in real operating conditions of industrial equipment and
the study of its conformity with international standards,

— development of dedicated information technologies (processing techniques for the analysis and
detection of anomalies between declarations and verifications; three-dimensional laser techniques
for the monitoring of very sensitive areas); assessment of remote sensing as a method of detecting
illicit nuclear activities; establishment of the requisite infrastructure for implementation for control
purpose,

— evaluation with regard to controls on fissile materials, of certain innovative concepts in the field of

reactors and the fuel cycle; preparation of an approach that is adequate in terms of control,

— development of analytical

trafficking and
environmental damage involving radioactive materials (e.g. illicit dumping): research on analysis of
specific properties of fissile materials such as isotopic composition, purity and granulation to

techniques adapted to the fight against

illicit

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evaluate intended use, date of fabrication, etc. and development of a database to collate these
characteristics; development of ultra-sensitive analysis to make it possible to identify the routing of
materials up to their place of seizure,

— training of inspectors and operators, in particular in new technologies.

2. DECOMMISSIONING OF JRC INSTALLATIONS AND WASTE MANAGEMENT

The JRC will undertake and intensify work on decommissioning and dismantling of its installations
used for nuclear activities which have not been in use for some time and are becoming obsolete. This
will include the treatment and management including disposal of waste resulting from this work. This
is of vital importance not only to protect the environment but also for the protection of workers and
the eventual reduction of operational costs as it will reduce the need for monitoring and surveillance
as nuclear activities are being reduced and concentrated.

— Establishment of a long term plan in order to ensure future and continuous implementation of

these activities,

— Construction of an installation for the treatment of liquid wastes,

— Starting of decommissioning and dismantling operation of obsolete facilities and management of

wastes arising from these activities.

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ANNEX III

SPECIFIC RULES FOR IMPLEMENTING THE PROGRAMME

1. The Commission, after consulting the Board of Governors of the JRC, shall implement the direct
action on the basis of the scientific objectives and contents described in Annex II. The activities
relating to this action shall be performed in the relevant institutes of the Joint Research Centre
(JRC).

2.

In the implementation of its activities, the JRC will, whenever appropriate and feasible, participate
in or organise networks of public and private laboratories in the Member States or European
research consortia. Particular attention shall be paid to cooperation with industry, especially with
small and medium-sized enterprises. Research bodies established in third countries may also
cooperate on projects,
in accordance with the relevant provisions of Article 7 and, where
applicable, of agreements for scientific and technological cooperation between the Community and
the third countries concerned. Particular attention will be paid to cooperation with research
laboratories and institutes in the countries of central and eastern Europe and the former Soviet
Union.

The knowledge gained through implementation of the projects will be disseminated by the JRC
itself (taking into account possible limitations due to confidentiality issues).

3. The accompanying measures shall include:

— the organisation of visits to JRC institutes of grant holders, visiting scientists and seconded

experts,

— organisation of the secondment of JRC staff to national laboratories, industrial laboratories

and universities,

— systematic exchange of information, through, inter alia, the organisation of scientific seminars,

workshops and colloquiums and scientific publications,

— specialised training with the emphasis on multidisciplinarity,

— the independent scientific and strategic evaluation of the performance of the projects and

programmes.