2002/838/Euratom: Council Decision of 30 September 2002 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 (2002-2006)
Date: 2002-09-30
Institutions: Council of the European Union
Subjects: EAEC, EU research policy, innovation, nuclear energy, research and development, research programme, technological change, vocational training

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COUNCIL DECISION

of 30 September 2002

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 (2002-2006)

(2002/838/Euratom)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

(5)

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Atomic
Energy Community, and in particular the first paragraph of
Article 7 thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission (1),

In implementing this programme, special attention
should be paid to the candidate countries. The JRC will
undertake appropriate training activities in nuclear safety
and safeguards, including measures to control the illicit
trafficking of nuclear materials.

Having regard to the Opinion of the European Parliament (2),

(6)

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

The JRC takes part in European networks on nuclear
reactor safety which aim at improving the various safety
practices and approaches and will thus contribute to a
similar process in candidate countries.

Whereas:

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

By Decision No 2002/668/Euratom, the Council adopt-
ed the Sixth Framework Programme of the European
for nuclear
Atomic Energy Community (Euratom)
research and training activities also contributing to the
creation of the European Research Area (2002-2006) (4)
(hereinafter referred to as ‘the framework programme’)
to be implemented by means of research and training
programme(s) drawn up in accordance with Article 7 of
the Treaty, which define the detailed rules for their
implementation, fix their duration and provide for the
means deemed necessary.

The rules for the participation of undertakings, research
centres and universities and for the dissemination of
research results, for the framework programme, should
apply to this programme.

In implementing this programme, emphasis should
be given to promoting the mobility and training of
researchers, and innovation, in the Community.

For the purpose of implementing the framework pro-
gramme, it may be appropriate to engage in international
in particular on the basis of
cooperation activities,
Chapter 10 of the Treaty, with third countries and
international organisations. In this connection, the Joint
Research Centre (JRC) will seek to represent all interests
of the Community and its Member States and make the
best possible use of the networks it operates.

(7)

(8)

(9)

Research activities carried out within this programme
should respect fundamental ethical principles, including
those reflected in Article 6 of the Treaty on the European
Union and in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the
European Union, as well as the need to take into account
public acceptability of these activities.

Following the Commission Communication ‘Women
and Science’ and the Resolutions of the Council of
20 May 1999 (5) and 26 June 2001 (6) and the Resolution
of the European Parliament of 3 February 2000 (7) on
this theme, an Action Plan is being implemented in
order to boost and increase the place and role of women
in science and research in Europe, which should ensure
the respect of equality of opportunity, irrespective of
gender.

This programme should be implemented in a flexible,
efficient and transparent manner, taking account of
relevant needs of
the JRC’s users and Community
policies, as well as respecting the objective of protecting
the Community’s financial interests. The research activi-
ties carried out under it should be adapted where
appropriate to these needs and to scientific and techno-
logical developments.

( 1) OJ C 181 E, 30.7.2002, p. 132.
( 2) Opinion delivered on 13 June 2002 (not yet published in the

Official Journal).

( 3) OJ C 221, 17.9.2002, p. 97.
( 4) OJ L 232, 29.8.2002, p. 34.

(5) OJ C 201, 16.7.1999, p. 1.
(6) OJ C 199, 14.7.2001, p. 1.
(7) OJ C 309, 27.10.2000, p. 57.

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(10) The JRC will continue to meet the requirements of
Community policies as reflected by its users; in order to
do this effectively, it will maintain a suitable balance
with research activities required for achieving scientific
excellence.

(11) The JRC should implement the research and training
activities carried out by means of direct action,
in
particular the tasks entrusted to the Commission by the
Treaty. The Commission should undertake the tasks
incumbent upon it in the area of nuclear fission, making
use of the technical expertise of the JRC.

The objectives and scientific and technological priorities

2.
for the specific programme are set out in Annex I.

Article 2

In accordance with Annex II to [Decision 2002/668/Euratom]
the framework programme, the amount deemed necessary for
the execution of the specific programme is EUR 290 million.
An indicative breakdown of this amount is given in Annex II
to this Decision.

Article 3

(12) The JRC should actively pursue activities in innovation

and technology transfer.

The Commission shall be responsible for the implemen-

1.
tation of the specific programme.

(13)

In the implementation of this programme, the Board of
Governors of the JRC should be consulted by the
Commission in accordance with the relevant provisions
of Commission Decision 96/282/Euratom of 10 April
1996 on the reorganisation of the JRC (1).

(14) The Commission should in due course arrange for an
independent assessment to be conducted concerning the
in the fields covered by this
activities carried out
programme. Such an assessment should be carried out
in a spirit of openness, with respect to all the relevant
actors.

(15) The Scientific and Technical Committee has been con-
sulted on the scientific and technological content of this
specific programme.

(16) The Board of Governors of the JRC has been consulted
on the scientific and technological content of
this
specific programme,

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

The specific programme shall be implemented in accord-

2.
ance with the specific rules set out in Annex III.

Article 4

1.
The Commission shall draw up a work programme for
the implementation of the specific programme, which shall be
made available to all interested parties, setting out in greater
detail the objectives and priorities, the timetable for implemen-
tation and the implementation arrangements.

The work programme shall take account of relevant
2.
research activities carried out by the Member States, Associated
States, European and international organisations. It shall be
updated where appropriate.

Article 5

For the purposes of implementing the specific pro-
1.
gramme, the Board of Governors of the JRC shall be consulted
by
the Commission in accordance with Commission
Decision 96/282/Euratom.

Article 1

2.
The Commission shall regularly inform the Board of
Governors of the implementation of this specific programme.

In accordance with Decision 2002/668/Euratom on the
1.
framework programme 2002-2006 (hereinafter referred to as
‘the framework programme’), a specific programme related to
direct action of research and training activities to be carried
out by the JRC (hereinafter referred to as ‘the specific pro-
gramme’) is hereby adopted for the period from 30 September
2002 to 31 December 2006.

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

Article 6

1.
The Commission shall regularly report on the overall
progress of the implementation of the specific programme, in
accordance with Article 4 of the framework programme.

2.
The Commission shall arrange for the independent
the framework
assessment provided for in Article 5 of
programme to be conducted concerning the activities carried
out in the fields covered by the specific programme.

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Article 7

Article 8

This Decision is addressed to the Member States.

Done at Brussels, 30 September 2002.

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.

For the Council
The President

B. BENDTSEN

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ANNEXE I

SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL OBJECTIVES AND BROAD OUTLINES OF THE ACTIVITIES

1.

Introduction

The Joint Research Centre (JRC) carries out its mission to provide customer-driven scientific and technical
support for the conception, development, implementation and monitoring of European Union policies. It
serves the common interest of the Member States while being independent of special interests, private or
national.

The JRC’s contribution to the framework programme 2002-2006 incorporates recommendations of recent
evaluations of the JRC and requirements necessitated by the reform of the Commission. In particular, it includes

— Strengthened user-orientation.

— Networking activities to create a broad knowledge base and, in the spirit of the European Research Area
(ERA), more closely associate Member State laboratories, industry and regulators in the S&T support
provided to the European Union policies.

— The concentration of activities on selected themes, including training of researchers to maintain nuclear

expertise in the European Union and its associated member states.

Coordination will be assured with the indirect actions under the Euratom specific programme.

It responds to clearly expressed needs and requirements, notably from the Commission services, which have
been identified, are updated through systematic and regular contacts (1).

In its domains of competence, the JRC’s contribution will aim at establishing synergies with the relevant
thematic priorities in the other specific programmes, notably through participation in the indirect action, with
a view to adding value, when appropriate, to the work carried out therein (e.g. through the comparison and
validation of tests and methods or the integration of results for policy-making purposes).

2.

Programme Content

2.1. Motivation

The JRC’s activities in the nuclear area aim to support related Community policies and specific Treaty
obligations entrusted to the Commission. Nuclear energy supplies 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.
The enlargement of the Union together with the needs of safeguarding material arising from the disarmament
process or the emergence of new technological developments introduce new challenges.

Focusing its activities in areas where Community involvement is appropriate, the JRC operates where its pan-
European identity provides an added-value and where its action is justified by the cross-border aspects of
nuclear safety and security or by public concern about the issues: safeguards, non-proliferation, radio-active
waste management, reactor safety and ionising radiation monitoring will be the key areas.

(1) Annual user workshops, interservice group of user DGs, bilateral agreements, etc.

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The principal objective will be to further develop collaboration through networking, leading to broad consensus
on a range of these issues at European and world-level. The application of Safeguards by the Euratom Safeguards
Office (ESO) and the IAEA requires R&D support and direct assistance. Special attention will be given to
cooperation with future European Union Member States. Training activities will be an important component
for the JRC to help equip the European Union with a future generation of scientists with necessary nuclear
skills and expertise. Main areas of research activity will therefore be as follows:

— Radio-active waste management and safeguarding nuclear materials.

— Safety of the different types of reactors, monitoring and metrology in the field of ionising radiation.

2.2. Radio-active waste management and safeguarding nuclear materials

S p e n t f u e l a n d h i g h l e v e l w a s t e t r e a t m e n t a n d s t o r a g e

To address the issues of spent nuclear fuels and radio-active waste treatment and management, the JRC will
further develop its understanding of fundamental physical, chemical and materials science data on actinides
and actinide-containing products.

The basic processes governing the behaviour of irradiated fuel under conditions of interim storage or long term
geological disposal will be further investigated.

The JRC will continue to test and evaluate processes to improve the efficient separation (partitioning) of radio-
toxic elements from spent fuel and the subsequent reprocessing of the resulting products. This will be carried
out with European partners under the transmutation and partitioning programme. Besides this experimental
and theoretical approach the JRC will pursue and extend its participation in networks with a possible
coordinating role as in the international working group on fuel design for the accelerator driven systems.

N u c l e a r s a f e g u a r d s a n d n o n - p r o l i f e r a t i o n

The safeguards work will provide direct support to the inspectorates (ESO and IAEA) and to operators and will
undertake related underpinning research to prepare for future demands including continuous improvements of
safeguards activities to adapt to political context, in particular changes in verification regimes, and technological
evolution. The activity includes the development and assessment of instrumentation in the areas of destructive
and non-destructive assays; provision of certified reference materials, containment and surveillance, training of
inspectors and the upgrading and operation of on-site laboratories. The JRC will continue to be the focus point
of the European Safeguards Research and Development Association (Esarda) network.

The strengthening of the safeguard regime is increasingly reliant on information technologies to improve
efficiency and to carry out new measures. The JRC will pursue its efforts in developing environmental
monitoring, satellite monitoring, and innovative data and information management systems as well as improved
communications and remote surveillance techniques that enable certain safeguards activities to be performed
remotely from headquarters. Synergy with the work performed by the JRC in the area of anti-fraud will be
further developed.

The JRC will continue to support the transfer of the technological ‘acquis communautaire’ in the safeguards
area to the Applicant Countries. The JRC is closely involved in the international efforts to detect clandestine
activities and to combat the illicit trafficking of nuclear materials.

The JRC will step up its activities and research efforts in this field so that it can respond to requests made by
any Member State or applicant state. Nuclear forensic science will be further developed.

The JRC’s specialised know-how and techniques for Euratom nuclear safeguards could be put at the disposal of
international efforts in non-proliferation of weapons for mass destruction. With this in view, the JRC will seek
to bring together all possible expertise and to fully associate its partners in the Esarda network.

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2.3. Safety of the different types of reactors, ionising radiation monitoring and metrology

S a f e t y o f t h e d i f f e r e n t t y p e s o f r e a c t o r s

The high safety level of nuclear plants within the European Union must be ensured. Some of the power plants
of the current generation will continue to be operated for at least 20 years. The JRC will continue to support
safety authorities and nuclear plant operators by networking on ageing, damage detection, in-service inspection
and structural integrity assessment. Accident analysis and management, validation of codes, systems’ analysis,
and risk-informed methods development are traditional JRC competencies, which are important both for
European Union harmonisation and in view of enlargement. Support to the Phebus programme will continue.
Retrieval of experimental data and their archiving for easy availability will be supported, with special attention
being paid to the management and the dissemination of these data.

Development of a common safety culture in Central & Eastern European Countries is a further area for JRC
support; this includes operational safety measures and plant upgrading, structural integrity, accident prevention
and management.

On the safety of nuclear fuel, the JRC will concentrate on mechanical and chemical interactions at the fuel/
cladding interface and on fuel behaviour at high burn-up. The Transuranus fuel performance codes will
continue to be extended with new data, which will be widely disseminated, and training of users, including
scientists from Eastern European countries.

Together with industry and R&D institutions, the JRC will contribute to the analysis and evaluation of several
safety features of the different types of energy production systems, currently under investigation in several
countries.

I o n i s i n g r a d i a t i o n m o n i t o r i n g a n d m e t r o l o g y

Research into understanding how to protect the citizen and the environment against the effects of ionising
radiation requires reliable dosimetry as a basis. The JRC’s long-standing expertise in radio-protection and
metrology will be further oriented towards this subject.

Radionuclide metrology will focus on reference measurements and the development of international standards
for reference radioactivity measurements. Additionally, support to nuclear safety and safeguards, ionising
radiation monitoring according to the Treaty, and the measurement of ultra low levels of ionising radiation will
be carried out.

JRC expertise in radioactivity trace analysis and speciation will be further developed in the context of
environment protection.

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ANNEX II

INDICATIVE BREAKDOWN OF THE AMOUNT

Types of activities

Radio-active waste management and safeguarding nuclear materials

Safety of the different types of reactors, ionising radiation monitoring and metrology.

Staff necessary for the monitoring of the decommissioning of the JRC’s obsolete installations

Amount
(EUR million)

186

89

15

(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 indirect actions.

Total

290 (1) (2)

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ANNEX III

SPECIFIC RULES FOR IMPLEMENTING THE PROGRAMME

1.

2.

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 I. The activities relating to this action shall be
performed in the relevant institutes of the JRC.

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 in the support
of the European policy making process. 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 6 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
candidate countries and countries of Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union.

It will also use appropriate mechanisms to continuously identify the requirements and needs of its customers
and users and to involve them in the related activities.

3.

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

4.

The accompanying measures shall include:

— the organisation of the visits of JRC staff to national laboratories, industrial laboratories and universities,

— the promotion of mobility of young scientists, particularly from the candidate countries,

— specialised training with the emphasis on the nuclear expertise and the nuclear safety culture in the

European Union,

— the organisation of visits to JRC institutes of visiting scientists and seconded national experts, particularly

from the candidate countries,

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

and colloquiums and scientific publications,

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