Proposal for a Council Decision concerning the Specific Programme to be carried out by means of direct actions by the Joint Research Centre implementing the 7th Framework Programme (2007-2011) of the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) for nuclear research and training activities
Date: 2005-09-21
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: EU programme, Joint Research Centre, nuclear energy, nuclear research, research and development, research programme, technological change, vocational training

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 

Brussels, 21.9.2005 
COM(2005) 444 final 

2005/0189 (CNS) 

Proposal for a 

COUNCIL DECISION 

concerning the Specific Programme to be carried out by means of direct actions by the 
Joint Research Centre implementing the 7th Framework Programme (2007-2011) of the 
European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) for nuclear research and training 
activities 

(presented by the Commission) 

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EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM 

1. 

CONTEXT OF THE PROPOSALS 

The  Commission  adopted  its  proposal1  for  the  7th  Framework  Programme  of  the  European 
Atomic  Energy  Community  (Euratom)  for  nuclear  research  and  training  activities  (2007  to 
2011) on 6 April 2005. The Commission indicated that the activities were to be organised in 
two Specific Programmes corresponding to “indirect” actions on fusion energy research and 
nuclear  fission  and  radiation  protection  and  the  “direct”  research  activities  of  the  Joint 
Research  Centre  in  the  field  of  nuclear  energy,  and  these  are  the  subject  of  the  present 
proposals.  The  Commission  will  be  presenting  proposals  for  the  associated  “Rules  for 
Participation and Dissemination”. 

The policy context and objectives are those set out in the Communication “Building the ERA 
of knowledge for growth”2.  

The Specific Programmes of the 7th Euratom Framework Programme are designed to address, 
in  combination  with  the  necessary  national  and  industrial  efforts,  the  major  issues  and 
challenges in this field of research in Europe. 

Financial  support  at  a  European  level  offers  opportunities  to  increase  the  excellence  and 
effectiveness  of  research  in  a  way  that  cannot  be  achieved  at  national  level.  The  Specific 
Programmes of the 7th Euratom Framework Programme represent further consolidation of the 
European Research Area in this sector, achieving critical mass and structures in new areas of 
research  and  by  new  means,  and  further  supporting  the  free  movement  of  ideas,  knowledge 
and researchers. 

Throughout the implementation of the Specific Programmes, the potential for European level 
actions  to  strengthen  excellence  in  research  will  be  utilised  to  the  maximum.  This  implies 
identifying  and  supporting  existing  excellence  in  this  field  wherever  it  exists  across  the 
European Union as well as creating capacities for future research excellence.  

Where  possible,  the  impact  of  the  Specific  Programmes  will  be  enhanced  through 
complementarities with other Community programmes, such as the Structural Funds. This is 
in  conformity  with  the  approach  to  be  followed  in  the  EC  Capacities  Specific  Programme, 
since an important aspect of the Euratom Specific Programme for indirect actions will also be 
the  support  for  research  infrastructures,  though  in  this  case  in  the  specific  area  of  nuclear 
science and technology. 

2. 

PRIOR CONSULTATION 

In  the  preparation  of  current  proposals,  as  for  the  Framework  Programme,  the  Commission 
has  taken  into  account  the  views  expressed  by  the  other  EU  institutions  and  the  Member 
States,  as  well  as  by  many  stakeholders  in  a  broad  consultation,  including  the  scientific 
community  and  industry.  In  addition,  the  Specific  Programme  proposals  draw  from  the  in-

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COM(2005) 119. 
COM(2005) 118. 

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depth  impact  assessment  undertaken  for  the  7th  Framework  Programme  proposal3  and  the 
outcome of the five year assessment of the Framework Programme4.  

3. 

LEGAL ASPECTS 

The  present  Specific  Programme  proposals  cover  the  same  period  as  the  Framework 
Programme,  2007-2011,  which  in  turn  is  based  on  Article  7  of  the  Euratom  Treaty.  In 
accordance  with  this  Article,  second  paragraph,  research  programmes  are  drawn  up  for  a 
period of not more than five years. Hence, the present proposals are not for the same duration 
as the EC Specific Programmes.  

The  Commission  proposes  that,  unless  extenuating  circumstances  arise,  these  Specific 
Programmes  will  be  renewed  for  the  period  2012-2013,  in  accordance  with  the  foreseen 
legislative procedure. 

4. 

BUDGETARY IMPLEMENTATION 

The  “legislative  financial  statement”  attached  to  this  Decision  sets  out  the  budgetary 
implications and the human and administrative resources, and also provides indicative figures 
for the period 2012-2013. 

The Commission intends to set up an executive agency which will be entrusted with certain 
tasks required to implement the specific programme of indirect actions5. 

5. 

A COHERENT AND FLEXIBLE IMPLEMENTATION 

5.1. 

Adapting to new needs and opportunities 

It is vital that the implementation of the Specific Programmes is sufficiently flexible to enable 
them  to  remain  at  the  forefront  of  scientific  and  technological  developments  in  the  nuclear 
field  in  general  and  to  respond  to  emerging  industrial,  policy  or  societal  needs.  For  the 
indirect actions, this will be achieved primarily through the work programmes which will be 
updated  on  an  annual  basis  with  the  assistance  of  the  committees  of  Member  State 
representatives and identify the topics for calls for proposals to be launched. Revisions may 
be  made  more  rapidly  in  case  of  new  priorities  requiring  an  urgent  response,  in  particular 
arising from unforeseen policy needs. 

This  multi-annual  programming  will  benefit  from  a  wide  range  of  inputs  to  ensure  that  the 
activities supported maintain direct relevance to the evolving research needs of industry and 

3 
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SEC(2005) 430. 
COM(2005) 387. 
Article 54.2 (a) of the Financial Regulation (EC, Euratom) allows the Commission to entrust tasks of 
public authority to executive agencies. However, Council Regulation (EC) No 58/2003 laying down the 
statute for the executive agencies to be entrusted with certain tasks in the management of Community 
programmes,  and  Commission  Regulation  (EC)  No  1653/2004,  on  a  standard  financial  regulation  for 
executive agencies pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 58/2003, are EC Regulations which, consequently, 
would  not  apply  in  the  Euratom  field.  The  Commission  intends  to  request  the  Council  to  extend  the 
scope of these regulations to the Euratom Treaty. 

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EU policies in the nuclear field. The external advisory group for energy established under the 
EC  Cooperation  Specific  Programme,  with  effective  multi-disciplinary  membership  and  a 
balance of academic and industrial views, will provide one of these inputs. 

Additional external inputs may also be forthcoming from the technology platforms that it is 
envisaged could be established in certain thematic domains of the Specific Programmes in the 
near future.  

Other  forums  and  groups,  such  as  European  Strategy  Forum  on  Research  Infrastructures 
(ESFRI), may provide the Commission with timely advice on opportunities and priorities with 
relevance to the Euratom research sector. 

5.2. 

Cross-cutting issues 

Overall coherence in the implementation of the 7th Euratom Framework Programme  will be 
ensured by the Commission. The work programmes across the Specific Programmes will be 
revised in a coordinated way to allow cross cutting issues to be fully taken into account. 

The  committees  of  Member  State  representatives  also  have  an  important  responsibility  in 
assisting  the  Commission  in  the  effective  coherence  and  coordination  of  implementation 
across  and  within  Specific  Programmes.  This  implies  a  strong  level  of  coordination  within 
Member States between representatives of different committee configurations. 

Particular  attention  will  be  paid  to  those  actions  cutting  across  Euratom  and  EC  Specific 
Programmes, for example the use of advanced reactors in the production of hydrogen, or the 
development  of  advanced  materials.  Where  feasible  in  view  of  the  difficulties  posed  by  the 
existence of two Framework Programmes coming under separate Treaties, joint calls may be 
used building on the experience gained in the 6th Framework Programme. 

The following issues are of particular importance, and specific arrangements for a coordinated 
approach are foreseen:  

–  International  cooperation:  This  is  an  important  aspect  of  the  Euratom  programme  and  a 
strategic approach will be taken to promote actions in this respect and to address specific 
issues where there is a mutual interest and benefit. 

–  Research  infrastructures:  There  needs  to  be  close  collaboration  with  the  EC  Capacities 
programme  to  ensure  support  for  key  nuclear  research  infrastructures  with  more  general 
research applications. 

–  Link  with  Community  policy:  Arrangements  for  effective  coordination  within  the 
Commission services will be put in place, in particular to ensure that activities continue to 
meet  the  needs  of  developments  in  EU  policies.  For  this  purpose,  the  multi-annual 
programming  may  draw  on  the  help  of  user  groups  of  different  Commission  services 
associated with the policies concerned.  

–  Dissemination and knowledge transfer: The need to foster the uptake of research results is 
a strong feature across the Specific Programmes, with a particular emphasis on transferring 
knowledge between countries, across disciplines and from academia to industry, including 
through the mobility of researchers. 

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–  Science  in  society:  This  activity  in  the  EC  Capacities  programme  also  has  parallels  in 
activities in the nuclear sector, and there is a clear potential for mutually beneficial cross-
fertilisation in areas such as governance and stakeholder issues, especially those associated 
with the local acceptance of controversial facilities. 

6. 

SIMPLIFICATION AND MANAGEMENT METHODS 

A  significant  simplification  will  be  achieved  in  the  implementation  of  the  7th  Framework 
Programme, following the ideas presented in the Commission Working Document of 6 April 
2005  and  the  extensive  dialogue  on  the  basis  of  this  document.  Many  of  the  proposed 
measures  are  to  be  presented  in  the  Rules  for  Participation  and  Dissemination,  notably  to 
reduce “red tape” significantly and simplify the funding schemes and reporting requirements.  

Within the fission part of the Specific Programme for indirect actions, improvements will be 
proposed that are comparable with those foreseen for actions in the collaborative part of the 
EC programme. 

7. 

CONTENT OF THE SPECIFIC PROGRAMMES 

7.1. 

Nuclear research and training activities (indirect actions) 

This Specific Programme covers the following two thematic priorities: 

(i)  Fusion energy  research: to develop  the knowledge  base for, and to realise ITER as the 
major  step  towards,  the  creation  of  prototype  reactors  for  power  stations  that  are  safe, 
sustainable,  environmentally  responsible  and  economically  viable.  This  thematic  priority 
includes the following areas of activity: 

–  The realisation of ITER 

–  R&D in preparation of ITER operation 

–  Technology activities in preparation of DEMO  

–  R&D activities for the longer term 

–  Human resources, education and training 

–  Infrastructures 

–  Responding to emerging and unforeseen policy needs. 

(ii)  Nuclear  fission  and  radiation  protection:  to  promote  the  safe  use  and  exploitation  of 
nuclear  fission  and  other  uses  of  radiation  in  industry  and  medicine.  This  thematic  priority 
includes the following areas of activity: 

–  Management of radioactive waste  

–  Reactor systems  

–  Radiation protection  

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–  Support for and access to research infrastructures 

–  Human resources and training including mobility. 

In  general,  this  Specific  Programme  represents  strong  elements  of  continuity  with  previous 
framework  programmes  building  on  the  demonstrated  added  value  of  European  support  of 
this type. There are, in addition, important novelties in this Specific Programme which require 
specific consideration for the implementation: 

–  A strengthened approach to the coordinating of national research programmes in the field 

of nuclear fission and radiation protection. 

–  The  joint  implementation  of  ITER  in  an  international  framework,  the  establishment  of  a 
Euratom  Joint  Undertaking  for  ITER,  and  a  further  strengthening  of  the  co-ordination  of 
the integrated European fusion energy research activities.  

–  A more targeted approach to international cooperation within each theme is foreseen with 
specific  cooperation  actions  to  be  identified  in  the  work  programmes  in  line  with  the 
strategic approach for international cooperation foreseen. 

–  A component to allow a flexible response to emerging needs and unforeseen policy needs 
will  be  supported  under  each  of  the  themes  and  the  implementation  will  build  on  the 
experience  of  the  Scientific  Support  for  Policy  and  New  and  Emerging  Science  and 
Technology  schemes  introduced  in  the  6th  Framework  Programme,  as  well  as  the  Future 
and Emerging Technology scheme in the ICT area.  

During  the  lifetime  of  this  Specific  Programme,  and  the  foreseen  extension  to  2013, 
opportunities  for  the  creation  of  effective  Joint  Undertakings  may  arise,  for  example  in  the 
field of radioactive waste management6. The Commission services will submit proposals for 
the creation of such undertakings to Council at the appropriate time. 

7.2. 

JRC (direct actions) 

The  JRC  will  implement  its  mission  in  taking  into  account  the  internal  evolution  within 
Commission services, as well as the European and worldwide context in the nuclear field. 

To  this  end,  the  strengthening  of  JRC  relations  with  Member  States  research  organisations 
will be systematically sought. 

In connection with the Lisbon agenda and upon request of most of JRC stakeholders, the JRC 
will make a significant effort on training and knowledge management. The JRC will pursue 
its R&D activities in areas linked to waste management and environmental impact. 

In  nuclear  safety,  the  most  important  changes  are  an  answer  to  the  Community  policy 
developments,  new  needs  expressed  by  Commission  services  and  to  the  Community 
involvement in international initiatives, such as Generation IV. 

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See  the  Explanatory  Memorandum  to  the  Commission’s  revised  proposal  for  the  “Nuclear  Package”, 
COM(2004) 526, 8.9.2004. 

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The  JRC  is  involved  in  nuclear  safety  for  30  years,  but  the  international  context  has 
significantly changed these very last years and the non-proliferation dimension  is  becoming 
more  important.  However,  internal  evolution  of  Commission  Services  also  relies  on  JRC 
continuous support in more traditional areas. 

8. 

BUILDING THE ERA OF KNOWLEDGE FOR GROWTH 

Achieving the necessary rapid progress towards a knowledge economy and society requires a 
new ambition and effectiveness in European research. All actors across the European Union – 
national governments, research establishments, industry – have their role.  

All  Specific  Programmes  implementing  the  7th  Framework  Programmes  (EC  and  Euratom) 
are designed to maximise the leverage and impact of European-level research spending within 
the  available  budget.  Key  features  are:  the  focus  on  the  thematic  priorities  in  the 
corresponding Specific Programmes with activities and means of implementation designed to 
meet  these  objectives;  a  strong  element  of  continuity;  a  consistent  focus  on  supporting 
existing  excellence  and  creating  the  capacity  for  tomorrow’s  research  excellence;  a 
streamlined and simplified management to ensure user friendliness and cost effectiveness; and 
an  inbuilt  flexibility  such  that  the  Framework  Programme  can  respond  to  new  needs  and 
opportunities. 

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2005/0189 (CNS) 

Proposal for a 

COUNCIL DECISION 

Concerning the Specific Programme to be carried out by means of direct actions by the 
Joint Research Centre implementing the 7th Framework Programme (2007-2011) of the 
European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) for nuclear research and training 
activities 

(Text with EEA relevance) 

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 Commission7, 

Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament8, 

Having regard to the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee9, 

Whereas: 

(1) 

(2) 

(3) 

In  accordance  with  Article  7  of  the  Treaty,  Council  Decision  No  xxx/Euratom 
concerning the 7th framework programme of the European Atomic Energy Community 
for  research  and  training  activities,  (2007-2011)  (hereinafter  referred  to  as  ‘the 
Framework  Programme’)  is  to  be  implemented  through  specific  programmes  that 
define  detailed  rules  for  their  implementation,  fix  their  duration  and  provide  for  the 
means deemed necessary. 

The Joint Research Centre, hereinafter referred to as ‘the JRC’ should implement the 
research  and  training  activities  carried  out  by  means  of  the  so-called  Direct  Actions 
under a JRC Specific Programme implementing the Euratom Framework Programme. 

In  implementing  its  mission,  the  JRC  should  provide  customer  driven  scientific  and 
technical  support  to  the  EU  policy  making  process,  ensuring  support  to  the 
implementation  and  monitoring  of  existing  policies  and  responding  to  new  policy 
demands. In order to achieve its mission the JRC carries out high quality research. 

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OJ C , , p. . 
OJ C , , p. . 
OJ C , , p. . 

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(4) 

(5) 

(6) 

(7) 

(8) 

In implementing this programme, emphasis should be given to promoting the mobility 
and training of researchers, and innovation, in the Community. In particular, the JRC 
should undertake appropriate training activities in nuclear safety and security. 

The  present  specific  programme  should  be  implemented  in  a  flexible,  efficient  and 
transparent  manner,  taking  into  account  the  relevant  need  of  JRC’s  user  and 
Community polices, as well as respecting the objective of protecting the Community’s 
financial interests. The research activities carried out under the programme should be 
adapted  where  appropriate  to  these  needs  and  to  scientific  and  technological 
developments and aim to achieve scientific excellence. 

The  rules  for  participation  of  undertakings,  research  centres  and  universities  and  for 
the dissemination of research results, for the EC Framework Programme (hereinafter 
referred  as  ‘the  rules  for  participation  and  dissemination’)  relating  to  direct  actions 
should also apply to the R&D activities carried out under this Specific Programme. 

For the purpose of implementing this programme, in addition to cooperation covered 
by the Agreement on the European Economic Area or by an Association Agreement, it 
may  be  appropriate  to  engage  in  international  cooperation  activities,  in  particular  on 
the  basis  of  Articles  2h,  101  and  102  of  the  Treaty,  with  third  countries  and 
international organisations. 

In the context of enlargement and integration activities, the JRC aims at promoting the 
integration  of  New  Member  States’  organisations  and  researchers  in  its  activities  in 
particular on the implementation of the S&T components of the EU acquis, as well as 
an  increased  cooperation  with  those  from  Accession  and  Candidate  Countries.  A 
progressive  opening 
the  Neighbouring  Countries, 
specifically on priority topics of the European Neighbourhood Policy. 

is  also  envisaged 

towards 

(9) 

Research  activities  carried  out  within  this  specific  programme  should  respect 
fundamental  ethical  principles,  including  those  which  are  reflected  in  the  Charter  of 
Fundamental Rights of the European Union. 

(10)  The  JRC  should  continue  to  generate  additional  resources  through  competitive 
activities;  these  include  participation  to  the  indirect  actions  of  the  Framework 
Programme,  third  party  work  and  to  a  lesser  extent  the  exploitation  of  intellectual 
property. 

(11)  Sound  financial  management  of  the  Framework  Programme  and  its  implementation 
should be ensured in the most effective and user-friendly manner possible, as well as 
ease  of  access  for  all  participants,  in  compliance  with  Council  Regulation  (EC, 
Euratom) No 1605/2002 of 25 June 2002 on the Financial Regulation applicable to the 
general budget of the European Communities, Commission Regulation (EC, Euratom) 
No 2342/2002 of 23 December 2002 laying down detailed rules for implementation of 
the Financial Regulation and any future amendments. 

(12)  Appropriate measures should also be taken to prevent irregularities and fraud and the 
necessary steps should be taken to recover funds lost, wrongly paid or incorrectly used 
in accordance with Council Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1605/2002 of 25 June 2002 
on  the  Financial  Regulation  applicable  to  the  general  budget  of  the  European 
Communities, Commission Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 2342/2002 of 23 December 

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2002  laying  down  detailed  rules  for  implementation  of  the  Financial  Regulation  and 
any  future  amendments,  Council  Regulations  (EC,  Euratom)  No  2988/95  of  18 
December 1995 on the protection of the European Communities financial interests10, 
(Euratom, EC) No 2185/96 of 11 November 1996 concerning on-the-spot checks and 
inspections  carried  out  by  the  Commission  in  order  to  protect  the  European 
irregularities11  and 
Communities’  financial 
Regulation  (EC)  No  1074/1999  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council 
concerning investigations conducted by the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF)12. 

interests  against  fraud  and  other 

(13)  The  Commission  should  in  due  course  arrange  for  an  independent  assessment  to  be 
conducted  concerning  the  activities  carried  out  in  the  fields  covered  by  this 
programme. 

(14)  The Scientific and Technical Committee and the Board of Governors of the JRC have 
been consulted on the scientific and technological content of this specific programme, 

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:  

Article 1 

The specific programme related to the direct actions in research and training activities to be 
carried  out  by  the  Joint  Research  Centre,  hereinafter  the  “specific  programme”  is  hereby 
adopted for the period from 1 January 2007 to 31 December 2011. 

Article 2 

The  Specific  Programme  shall  establish  the  activities  for  the  nuclear  actions  of  the  Joint 
Research Centre, supporting the whole range of research actions carried out in trans-national 
cooperation in the following thematic areas: 

(a) 

nuclear waste management, environmental impact and basic knowledge, 

(b) 

nuclear safety, 

(c) 

nuclear security. 

The objectives and the broad lines of those activities are set out in Annex. 

In accordance with Article 3 of the Framework Programme, the amount deemed necessary for 
the execution of the Specific Programme shall be EUR 539 million.  

Article 3 

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12 

OJ L 312, 23.12.1995, p. 1. 
OJ L 292, 15.11.1996, p. 2. 
OJ L 136, 31.5.1999, p. 1. 

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Article 4 

(1) 

All research activities carried out under the Specific Programme shall be carried out in 
compliance with fundamental ethical principles.  

(2) 

The following fields of research shall not be financed under this programme: 

–  research activities that are prohibited in all the Member States, 

–  research  activities  to  be  carried  out  in  a  Member  State  where  such  research  is 

prohibited.  

(1) 

(2) 

(1) 

(2) 

Article 5 

The  Specific  Programme  shall  be  implemented  by  means  of  direct  actions  as 
established in Annex II to the Framework Programme.  

The  rules  for  participation  and  dissemination  relating  to  direct  actions  shall  apply  to 
this Specific Programme. 

Article 6 

the 
The  Commission  shall  draw  up  a  multi-annual  Work  Programme  for 
implementation of the Specific Programme, setting out in greater detail the objectives 
and scientific and technological priorities set out in the Annex, and the timetable for 
implementation. 

The  multi-annual  Work  Programme  shall  take  account  of  relevant  research  activities 
carried  out  by  the  Member  States,  Associated  States  and  European  and  international 
organisations. It shall be updated where appropriate. 

Article 7 

The Commission shall arrange for the independent assessment provided for in Article 6 of the 
Framework  Programme  to  be  conducted  concerning  the  activities  carried  out  in  the  fields 
covered by the Specific Programme. 

Article 8 

This Decision is addressed to the Member States. 

Done at Brussels,  

For the Council 
The President 

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ANNEX - JRC Euratom Programme 

1. 

OBJECTIVE 

To  provide  customer  driven  scientific  and  technical  support  to  the  EU  policy  related  to 
nuclear  energy,  ensuring  support  to  the  implementation  and  monitoring  of  existing  policies 
while flexibly responding to new policy demands. 

2. 

APPROACH 

The mission of the JRC is to provide customer-driven scientific and technical support for the 
conception,  development,  implementation  and  monitoring  of  Community  policies.  The  JRC 
mission also underlines the need for the JRC to undertake high quality research activities in 
close contact with industry and other bodies and to develop networks with public and private 
institutions  in  the  Member  States.  In  all  of  the  activities  of  the  JRC  both  dimensions  are 
present, but their respective importance varies from direct support to Commission Services to 
basic research undertaken in a wide European or international perspective.  

The nuclear activities of the JRC aim at satisfying the R&D obligations of the Euratom Treaty 
and  supporting  both  Commission  and  Member  States  in  the  field  of  safeguards  and  non-
proliferation, waste management, safety of nuclear installation and fuel cycle, radioactivity in 
the environment and radiation protection.  

The objective of this Specific Programme is to develop and assemble knowledge, to provide 
crucial  scientific/technical  data  and  support  for  safety/security  and  reliability,  sustainability 
and  control  of  nuclear  energy,  including  aspects  related  to  innovative/future  systems.  The 
participation  in  the  indirect  actions  of  the  Framework  Programme  will  strive  to  maximise 
complementarity with the institutional work programme, as outlined in section 3 below. 

One  of  today’s  major  concerns  in  the  nuclear  field  is  the  loss  of  knowledge,  expertise  and 
especially technology and engineering for handling radioactive material and radiation fields. 
The  JRC  will  continue  to  act  as  a  European  reference  for  the  dissemination  of  information, 
training and education for young scientists. 

3. 

ACTIVITIES 

3.1. 

Nuclear waste management, environmental impact and basic knowledge 

3.1.1. 

Spent fuel characterisation, storage and disposal  

The  management  of  spent  fuel  and  nuclear  high  level  waste  involves  transport 
conditioning,  storage  and  geological  disposal.  Major  objective  is  to  prevent  the 
release  of  radionuclides  to  the  biosphere  over  a  very  long  time  scale.  The  design, 
assessment  and  functioning  of  the  engineered  and  natural  barrier  system  over  the 
relevant time scales are key components for the achievement of these objectives and 
depend inter alia on the fuel behaviour.  

The  JRC  aims  at  obtaining  data  for  the  long-term  behaviour  of  spent  fuel  and 
developing  methods  for  the  reliable  assessment  of  the  engineered  systems  with  the 

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emphasis  on  the  integrity  of  the  waste  packages  and  the  benchmarking  of  risk-
oriented decision criteria. 

Laboratory  experiments  on  fuel  behaviour  under  representative  conditions  will 
provide  relevant  input  to  the  models  for  long-term  predictions  and  allow  their 
validation.  JRC  will  also  participate  in  the  various  European  efforts  for  safe  waste 
disposal  solutions  and  actively  support  transfer  of  knowledge  between  different 
countries.  

3.1.2.  Partitioning, Transmutation and Conditioning 

The  major  challenges  of  this  programme  remain  both  the  optimisation  of  fuel 
partitioning  to  separate  selected  long-lived  radionuclides  as  well  as  the  fabrication 
and characterisation of safe and reliable fuels or targets for actinide transmutation.  

The  study  of  these  alternative  waste  management  strategies  continues  to  gain  high 
attention, because they would considerably reduce the long-term hazard of the waste 
disposal. For the transmutation, both fast and thermal reactors are considered along 
with dedicated actinide burning facilities. Most proposed concepts for future reactor 
systems incorporate such selective radionuclide separation. 

Strong  reduction  of  the  long-lived  radionuclide  amount  and  substantial  volume 
reductions in waste facilities will entail that development of inert matrices for HLW 
conditioning  will  represent  in  the  long  term  a  key  improvement  in  nuclear  waste 
management. 

The JRC will operate new facilities for advanced partitioning and for the production 
of fuels and targets (the Minor Actinide Laboratory) in this area. It will also conduct 
irradiation  tests  on  targets  and  fuels,  as  well  as  to  produce  basic  nuclear  data  for 
transmutation.  Finally,  the  chemical  durability  of  the  matrices  for  conditioning  of 
actinides will be determined from corrosion and leaching studies. 

3.1.3.  Basic actinide research 

The  basic  research  activities  aim  at  providing  basic  knowledge  to  underpin  the 
understanding  of  physical  processes  in  nuclear  fuel  (from  production  of  energy  to 
waste  management)  and  are  closely  linked  to  training  and  education  activities.  The 
basic research actions will focus on thermo-physical properties of materials, surface 
properties  of  actinide  bearing  systems  and  fundamental  physical  and  chemical 
properties. 

The JRC facilities like the Actinide User Laboratory will continue to host scientists, 
in particular from European universities. 

3.1.4.  Nuclear data 

The  proposed  designs  for  dedicated  minor  actinide  burners  and  advanced  concepts 
for  nuclear  energy  production  result  in  new  demands  for  nuclear  data  with 
significantly improved accuracy.  

JRC will perform measurements of nuclear data for nuclear waste management. New 
the 
technological  developments  have 

to  significant 

improvements 

led 

in 

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13 

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measurement capabilities. JRC also fosters an important effort in the development of 
basic nuclear theory for the modelling of reactions not accessible experimentally.  

Radionuclide  metrology  complements  this  work  with  measurements  for  improved 
nuclear  decay  data  of  fissile  materials  and  fission  products.  Accurate  experimental 
data  are  also  needed  to  validate  theories  and  models  on  which  radiation  protection 
regulations are based. 

3.1.5.  Medical applications from nuclear research 

A  number  of  medical  applications  have  resulted  from  JRC’s  nuclear  facilities  and 
expertise.  These  emerge  from  research  on  new  isotope  production,  development  of 
clinical  reference  materials  and  support  to  new  cancer  therapies.  The  JRC  aims  to 
make  these  new  applications  available  for  implementation  by  hospitals  and 
pharmaceutical industry. 

3.1.6.  Measurement of Radioactivity in the environment 

JRC  is  applying  its  expertise  in  trace  analysis  to  verification  of  radioactive 
discharges  and  emissions  from  nuclear  installations.  Work  also  includes  studies  on 
speciation, migration patterns in the biosphere and radio-toxicology of actinides. In 
view  of  the  new  limits  for  radionuclides  in  food  ingredients,  JRC  will  develop 
analytical 
techniques  and  produce  corresponding  reference  materials.  Inter-
laboratory  comparisons  will  be  organised  with  the  monitoring  laboratories  of  the 
Member  States  to  assess  the  comparability  of  the  reported  monitoring  data  and  to 
support the harmonisation of the radioactivity measurement systems. 

3.1.7.  Knowledge Management, Training and Education  

It  is  important  for  the  new  generations  of  nuclear  scientists  and  engineers,  to 
maintain  and  deepen  the  knowledge  of  nuclear  research  through  the  experiments, 
results,  interpretations  and  skills  acquired  in  the  past.  This  applies  especially  to 
domains  where  three  decades  experience  in  analysis  of  reactor  performance  and 
safety  was  concentrated  in  complex  analytical  tools  such  as  models  and  computer 
codes. The JRC will contribute in making this knowledge readily available, properly 
organised  and  well  documented  and  in  supporting  higher  education  activities  in 
Europe.  Furthermore,  the  JRC  will  contribute  to  the  development  of  better 
communication on nuclear issues, in particular in relations with public acceptability 
and more globally of strategies for overall energy awareness. 

3.2. 

Nuclear safety 

3.2.1.  Nuclear reactor safety 

To  maintain  and  improve  the  safety  level  of  both  Western  and  Russian  type  of 
nuclear  power  plants  advanced  and  refined  safety  assessment  methodologies  and 
corresponding  analytical  tools  have  to  be  extended  and  validated.  Targeted 
experimental  investigations  will  be  carried  out  to  enable  the  validation  and 
verification  of  the  safety  assessment  tools  and  to  improve  the  understanding  of  the 
underlying  physical  phenomena  and  processes.  The  JRC  is  fully  involved  in  the 
international efforts for an advanced nuclear reactor safety. 

EN 

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3.2.2.  Nuclear fuel safety in power reactors operating in the EU  

Fuel  safety  concentrates  on  prevention  and  mitigation  of  the  consequences  of 
hypothetical  accidents.  The  two  main  aspects  in  this  research  concern:  mechanical 
integrity of the fuel assemblies during reactor lifetime, and fuel response to transient 
conditions and to severe reactor accident conditions up to core melt down. 

In this context the JRC is involved in the current fuel development strategy aimed at 
improving  safety  and  reducing  civil  and  military  stockpiles  of  plutonium.  The  JRC 
will  make  use  of  the  HFR  to  test  fuel  behaviour  and  properties.  Measurements  of 
performance-affecting properties will also be carried out. 

3.2.3. 

Safe Operation of Advanced Nuclear Energy Systems 

New reactor strategies are considered worldwide as an open research topic, with e.g. 
the  Generation  IV  Roadmap  scenario,  inspired  by  a  comprehensive  assessment 
including  public  concerns,  such  as  improved  safety,  reduced  wastes  and  improved 
resistance to proliferation.  

It  is  essential  for  the  JRC  to  be  part,  directly  and  in  co-ordinating  European 
contributions  in  this  world-wide  initiative  in  which  the  principal  research 
organisations  are  involved.  This  includes  primarily  safety  and  safeguard  aspects  of 
innovative nuclear fuel cycles, in particular characterisation, test and analysis of new 
fuels.  The  development  of  safety  and  quality  goals,  safety  requirements  and 
advanced  evaluation  methodology  for  reactors  will  be  addressed.  This  information 
will  be  systematically  disseminated  to  interested  Member  States  authorities  and 
Commission services, in particular through regular co-ordination meetings. 

3.3. 

Nuclear security 

3.3.1.  Nuclear Safeguards  

The JRC  activities in this area consist of technical support to Commission services 
under the Euratom Treaty and to IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) under 
the  Non-Proliferation  Treaty.  The  goal  will  be  to  implement  increased  automation 
and  better  tools  for  information  analysis  to  reduce  both  inspector  workload  and 
burden on the nuclear industry. 

Although the JRC has over 30 years experience in supporting the Euratom and Non-
Proliferation  Treaties,  technical  innovations  and  improvements  are  continue  to  be 
required to implement the evolving safeguards policy. While evolving to cope with 
these objectives, the JRC activity will continue to include verification and detection 
as  well  as  containment  and  surveillance  technologies,  measurement  methods  of 
nuclear material, production of nuclear reference materials, and provision of training, 
in particular for IAEA and Commission inspectors. 

3.3.2.  Additional Protocol 

The Additional Protocol aims to assure the absence of undeclared nuclear operations. 
Its implementation requires a number of techniques different from those involved in 
verifying  nuclear  material  accountancy.  It  requires  an  overall  description  of  a 
country’s nuclear activities, provision for more extensive site declarations and more 

EN 

15 

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inspection  requirements.  These  can 

varied 
include  off-site  monitoring  and 
monitoring  activities  outside  the  facility  boundaries  and  environment  particle 
analysis as a tool to detect undeclared nuclear activities. 

The  JRC  objectives  are  to  move  towards  real-time  follow-up  of  nuclear  material 
transfers  and  integrated  information  analysis.  JRC  will  particularly  work  on  the 
development  and  validation  of  information  analysis  tools  and  on  a  methodology 
based on systems analysis. 

3.3.3.  Open source Information collection on Nuclear Non Proliferation  

With  the  aim  to  support  Commission  services  and  to  collaborate  with  IAEA  and 
Member  States  authorities,  the  JRC  will  continue  to  systematically  collect  and 
analyse  information  from  a  variety  of  sources  (internet,  specialised  literature,  data 
bases)  on  nuclear  non-proliferation  issues  (possibly  extending  into  other  WMD  - 
Weapons of Mass Destruction - and delivery systems). This information will be used 
to  produce  country  reports  where  the  evolution  of  nuclear  activities  and  of  import 
and/or  export  of  nuclear  direct  and  dual  use  equipment  and  technology  in  selected 
countries will be closely followed. The information from these open sources will be 
corroborated with satellite imagery. To underpin this work, JRC will further develop 
multilingual web search, knowledge management and data mining technologies. 

3.3.4.  Combating illicit trafficking of nuclear materials, including nuclear forensic analysis 

The detection and the identification of illegally transported or stored nuclear material 
constitute  a  major  line  of  defence  against  the  illicit  trafficking.  Nuclear  forensic 
science provides clues on the origin of the seized material. Establishing appropriate 
response  plans  for  handling  cases  of  detection  remains  an  important  issue.  In  the 
field  of  nuclear  forensics  and  illicit  trafficking  JRC  will  increase  its  collaboration 
with national authorities and international organisations (ITWG, IAEA, etc.) 

Ethical aspects 

During  the  implementation  of  this  specific  programme  and  in  the  research  activities  arising 
from  it,  fundamental  ethical  principles  are  to  be  respected.  These  include,  inter  alia,  the 
principles reflected in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU, including the following: 
protection of human dignity and human life, protection of personal data and privacy, as well 
as animals and the environment in accordance with Community law and the latest versions of 
relevant  international  conventions  and  codes  of  conduct,  e.g.  the  Helsinki  Declaration,  the 
Convention of the Council of Europe on Human Rights and Biomedicine signed in Oviedo on 
4 April 1997 and its Additional Protocols, the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the 
Universal  Declaration  on  the  human  genome  and  human  rights  adopted  by  UNESCO,  UN 
Biological  and  Toxin  Weapons  Convention  (BTWC),  International  Treaty  on  Plant  Genetic 
Resources  for  Food  and  Agriculture,  and  the  relevant  World  Health  Organisation  (WHO) 
resolutions. 

Account will also be taken of the Opinions of the European Group of Advisers on the Ethical 
Implications  of  Biotechnology  (1991-1997)  and  the  Opinions  of  the  European  Group  on 
Ethics in Science and New Technologies (as from 1998). 

EN 

16 

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In  compliance  with  the  principle  of  subsidiarity  and  the  diversity  of  approaches  existing  in 
Europe, participants in research projects must conform to current legislation, regulations and 
ethical  rules  in  the  countries  where  the  research  will  be  carried  out.  In  any  case,  national 
provisions apply and no research forbidden in any given Member State or other country will 
be supported by Community funding to be carried out in that Member State or country. 

Where appropriate, those carrying out research projects must seek the approval of the relevant 
national or local ethics committees prior to the start of the RTD activities. An ethical review 
will  also  be  implemented  systematically  by  the  Commission  for  proposals  dealing  with 
ethically  sensitive  issues  or  where  ethical  aspects  have  not  been  adequately  addressed.  In 
specific cases an ethical review may take place during the implementation of a project. 

The  Protocol  on  protection  and  welfare  of  animals  annexed  to  the  Treaty  requires  that  the 
Community  pays  full  regard  to  the  welfare  requirements  of  animals  in  formulating  and 
implementing Community policies including research. Council Directive 86/609/EEC on the 
protection  of  animals  used  for  experimental  and  other  scientific  purposes  requires  that  all 
experiments  be  designed  to  avoid  distress  and  unnecessary  pain  and  suffering  to  the 
experimental animals; use the minimum number of animals; involve animals with the lowest 
degree of neurophysiological sensitivity; and cause the least pain, suffering, distress or lasting 
harm. Altering the genetic heritage of animals and cloning of animals may be considered only 
if  the  aims  are  ethically  justified  and  the  conditions  are  such  that  the  animals’  welfare  is 
guaranteed and the principles of biodiversity are respected. 

During  the  implementation  of  this  programme,  scientific  advances  and  national  and 
international provisions will be regularly monitored by the Commission so as to take account 
of any developments.  

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LEGISLATIVE FINANCIAL STATEMENT 

1. 

NAME OF THE PROPOSAL : SPECIFIC PROGRAMME TO BE CARRIED OUT BY MEANS OF 
IMPLEMENTING  THE  7TH 
DIRECT  ACTIONS  BY  THE  JOINT  RESEARCH  CENTRE 
FRAMEWORK  PROGRAMME  UNDER  THE  EUROPEAN  ATOMIC  ENERGY  COMMUNITY 
(EURATOM) FOR NUCLEAR RESEARCH AND TRAINING ACTIVITIES (2007 TO 2011). 

2. 

ABM / ABB FRAMEWORK 

Policy Area(s) concerned and associated Activity/Activities: 

Direct Research 

3. 

BUDGET LINES 

3.1. 

Budget  lines  (operational  lines  and  related  technical  and  administrative  assistance 
lines (ex- B..A lines)) including headings : 

10  01  05  Support  expenditure  for  operations  of  Direct  research  policy  area10  03  Directly 
financed research operating appropriations 

(final budgetary nomenclature for FP7 will be established in due course). 

3.2. 

Duration of the action and of the financial impact: 

2007-2011 subject to the approval of new financial perspectives framework 

3.3. 

Budgetary characteristics (add rows if necessary) : 

Budget 
line 

10 01 05 

10 03 

Type of expenditure 

New 

EFTA 
contribution 

Contributions 
from applicant 
countries 

Heading in 
financial 
perspective 

Non-
comp 

Non-
comp 

Non-
diff 

YES 

NO 

YES 

No [1a] 

 diff13 

YES 

NO 

YES 

No [1a] 

13 

Non-differentiated appropriations hereafter referred to as NDA. 

EN 

18 

   EN 

 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
4. 

SUMMARY OF RESOURCES 

4.1. 

Financial Resources 

4.1.1. 

Summary of commitment appropriations (CA) and payment appropriations (PA) 14 

EUR million (to 3 decimal places)  

Section 
no. 

Expenditure type 

Operational expenditure15 

2007 

2008 

2009 

2010 

2011 

Total 

Commitment 
Appropriations (CA) 

Payment 
Appropriations (PA) 

8.1 

a  280,916 

358,377 

477,708 

493,220 

527,103 

2.137,324 

b  112,366 

227,626 

354,780 

440,367 

1.002,185
16 

2.137,324 

Administrative expenditure within reference amount17 

Technical 
administrative 
assistance (NDA) 

& 

8.2.4 

c 

177,503 

190,795 

197,945 

203,300 

184,645 

954,188 

TTOOTTAALL  RREEFFEERREENNCCEE  AAMMOOUUNNTT  

Commitment 
Appropriations 

Payment 
Appropriations 

a+c 

458,419 

549,172 

675,653 

696,520 

711,748 

3.091,512 

b+c 

289,869 

418,421 

552,725 

643,667 

1.186,830
18 

3.091,512 

Administrative expenditure not included in reference amount19 

Human resources and 
associated 
expenditure (NDA) 

8.2.5 d 

4,986 

5,085 

5,187 

5,291 

5,397 

25,946 

14  
15 
16  
17 
18  
19 

These figures refer to the expenditure for the entire Euratom Framework Programme - see COM(2005) 119. 
Expenditure that does not fall under Chapter xx 01 of the Title xx concerned. 
Payment appropriations refers to 2011 and following years 
Expenditure within article xx 01 05 of Title xx. 
Payment appropriations refers to 2011 and following years 
Expenditure within chapter xx 01 other than articles xx 01 05. 

EN 

19 

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Administrative  costs, 
other 
than  human 
and 
resources 
associated  costs,  not 
included  in  reference 
amount (NDA) 

8.2.6 e 

0,148 

0,151 

0,154 

0,157 

0,160 

0,770 

Total indicative financial cost of intervention 

TOTAL  CA 
cost 
Resources 

of 

TOTAL  PA 
cost 
Resources 

of 

including 
Human 

including 
Human 

a+c
+d
+e 

b+c
+d
+e 

463,553 

554,408 

680,994 

701,968 

717,305 

3.118,228 

295,003 

423,657 

558,066 

649,115 

1.192,38720 

3.118,228 

20  

Payment appropriations refers to 2011 and following years 

EN 

20 

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EN 

21 

   EN 

 
 
Co-financing details 

If the proposal involves co-financing by Member States, or other bodies (please specify which), an 
estimate of the level of this co-financing should be indicated in the table below (additional lines may 
be added if different bodies are foreseen for the provision of the co-financing): 

EUR million (to 3 decimal places) 

n + 1 

n + 2 

n + 3 

n + 4 

Year 
n 

n  +  5 
and 
later 

Total 

Co-financing body 

…………………… 

TOTAL CA including co-
financing 

f 

a+c
+d+
e+f 

4.1.2.  Compatibility with Financial Programming 

(cid:58) 

Proposal is compatible with existing financial programming. (Commission’s February 
2004 Communication on the financial perspectives 2007-2013 COM (2004) 101). 

(cid:133) 

(cid:133) 

Proposal  will  entail  reprogramming  of  the  relevant  heading  in  the  financial 
perspective. 

Proposal  may  require  application  of  the  provisions  of  the  Interinstitutional 
Agreement21 (i.e. flexibility instrument or revision of the financial perspective). 

4.1.3.  Financial impact on Revenue 

(cid:133) 

(cid:58) 

Proposal has no financial implications on revenue 

Proposal has financial impact – the effect on revenue is as follows: 

Certain  associated  states  may  contribute  to  a  supplementary  funding  of  the  framework 
programme trough association agreements. 

21 

See points 19 and 24 of the Interinstitutional agreement. 

EN 

22 

   EN 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
Budget line 

Revenue 

Prior to
action 
[Year 
n-1] 

[Yea
r n] 

Situation following action 

[n+1] [n+2] [n+3

[n+4]  [n+5] 

] 

EUR million (to one decimal place) 

a) Revenue in absolute terms 

b) Change in revenue 

 ∆ 

(Please  specify  each  revenue  budget  line  involved,  adding  the  appropriate  number  of 
rows to the table if there is an effect on more than one budget line.) 

4.2. 

Human Resources (officials) – see detail under point 8.2.1. 

Annual requirements 

2007 

2008 

2009 

2010 

2011 

Total number of 
human resources22 

1.944 

1.944 

1.944 

1.944 

1.944 

This figure does not include the short term staff but covers the officials authorised on the JRC staff 
table. 

5. 

CHARACTERISTICS AND OBJECTIVES 

5.1. 

Need to be met in the short or long term 

The nuclear activities of the JRC aim at satisfying the R&D obligations of the Euratom Treaty and to 
provide customer driven scientific and technical support to the EU policy related to nuclear energy, 
ensuring support to the implementation and monitoring of existing policies while flexibly responding 
to new policy demands. 

22 

Figures  indicated  in  the  table  refer  only  to  the  staff  financed  by  the  establishment  plan  for  all  direct  actions 
under the responsibility of DG JRC.  Therefore these figures do not comprise the posts of the establishment plan 
from  the  operating  budget  and  the  posts  from  the  establishment  plan  for  indirect  actions  -  see  documents 
COM(2005) 440, 441, 442, 443, 444. 

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23 

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5.2. 

Value-added  of  Community  involvement  and  coherence  of  the  proposal  with  other 
financial instruments and possible synergy 

The nuclear activities of the JRC aim at satisfying the R&D obligations of the Euratom Treaty and 
supporting  both  Commission  and  Member  States  in  the  field  of  safeguards  and  non-proliferation, 
waste management, safety of nuclear installation and fuel cycle, radioactivity in the environment and 
radiation protection.  

5.3. 

Objectives, expected results and related indicators of the proposal in the context of the 
ABM framework 

The focus of the work will be on the following activities, as indicated in the Annex. 

1. Nuclear waste management, environmental impact and basic knowledge 

2. Nuclear safety 

3. Nuclear security 

5.4.  Method of Implementation (indicative) 

Show below the method(s) chosen for the implementation of the action. 

(cid:58) Centralised Management 

(cid:58)     Directly by the Commission 

   ٱ  

Indirectly by delegation to: 

      ٱ 

      ٱ 

      ٱ 

Executive Agencies 

Bodies set up by the Communities as referred to in art. 185 of 
the Financial Regulation 

National  public-sector  bodies/bodies  with  public-service 
mission 

ٱ 

Shared or decentralised management 

ٱ  With Member states 

ٱ  With Third countries 

ٱ 

Joint management with international organisations (please specify) 

Relevant comments: 

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24 

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6. 

MONITORING AND EVALUATION 

6.1. 

General  

The  JRC  supports  the  annual  and  multi-annual  (i.e.  Research  Framework  Programme)  cycles  of 
planning,  execution,  monitoring  and  evaluation  through  an  established  set  of  key  performance 
indicators and specific evaluation activities. 

The  JRC  provides  scientific  and  technological  support  to  (mainly  Commission)  users  through  a 
Work Programme with roughly one hundred actions. The methodologies, indicators and criteria are 
applied across the entire set of actions and across internal JRC budget lines. As a consequence, an 
evaluation  exercise  typically  covers  a  large  number  if  not  all  budget  lines  of  the  JRC's  Work 
Programme. 

6.2.  Monitoring system  

On an annual basis following the Commission decision23 on the reorganisation of the Joint Research 
Centre  and  in  line  with  obligations  stemming  from  the  Specific  Programmes  (nuclear  and  non-
nuclear parts), the JRC Board of Governors implements the annual monitoring of the implementation 
of  the  JRC  Work  Programme  with  its  observations  on  the  JRC  annual  report.  An  appropriate  link 
with the Annual Monitoring of Indirect Actions is ensured. 

6.3. 

Evaluation 

The  JRC  assesses  the  output  and  impact  of  its  actions  on  an  annual  basis,  using  an  ex-post 
methodology applied in a peer review process. The results of this assessment feed directly into the 
planning  for  the  work  programme  of  the  following  year.  The  indicators  and  criteria  used  in  this 
periodic  action  review  relate  directly  to  the  actions'  outputs  and  the  JRC's  corporate  Key 
Performance Indicators.  

So far the JRC has carried out user satisfaction surveys on a bi-annual basis. The intention under the 
new Framework Programme is to phase-in a continuous user feedback collection system that will be 
linked to the annual reviews of actions. 

In  line  with  the  Commission’s  rules  and  good  practices  concerning  its  evaluation  activities,  there 
will be a mid-term review 3 1/2 years after the start of the Research Framework Programme of seven 
years  duration.  This  evaluation  will  be  carried  out  by  high-level  external  experts  and  it  will  draw 
upon  the  structured  information  collected  in  the  annual  review  of  the  actions  as  well  as  on  other 
sources, such as the user satisfaction surveys. 

Finally,  an  ex-post  evaluation  will  be  carried  out  at  the  end  of  the  seven  year  Framework 
Programme. 

23 

OJ L 107, 30.4.1996, p. 12 - 96/282/Euratom. 

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6.3.1.  Ex-ante evaluation 

While the JRC's work programme is updated annually, the research process develops over a longer 
time scale. Hence, the annual review of actions provides also a strong ex-ante evaluation component. 

6.3.2.  Measures taken following an intermediate/ex-post evaluation (lessons learned from similar 

experiences in the past) 

Past evaluations have shown specificities of JRC operations, which make it necessary to translate the 
basic  internal  Commission  rules  of  evaluation  (i.e.  the  assessment  of  results,  effectiveness, 
efficiency, side-effects, sustainability etc.) into the specific JRC context. These specificities are that: 

(3) 

(4) 

(5) 

The JRC implements its Work Programme with roughly one hundred actions, which in turn 
support Commission policies 

There  are  no  standard  cost-benefit  models  that  could  be  applied  to  the  operation  and  the 
evaluation of the JRC’s activities. 

The impact area of the JRC’s work is at the level of European policy makers, not European 
society at large. 

It  is  also  not  enough  for  the  JRC  to  measure  its  output  as  a  scientific  organisation,  which  is  a 
challenge  in  itself.  Combining  the  aspects  of  the  scientific  organisation  and  the  character  of  a 
Commission services, the real challenge for the JRC is to measure the impact of its activities, first on 
the policy makers and then on the policies they devise.  

Following  the  basic  lessons  emerging  in  the  last  Framework  Programme,  the  JRC  is  designing  its 
activities more and more in such a way that they can be made subject to a  meaningful evaluation. 
Furthermore, to assess the overall output of the JRC it is necessary to integrate the evaluation results 
of  all  individual  actions.  As  a  consequence,  JRC  evaluations  are  now  complemented  by  a  set  of 
support activities providing structured information to support 

•  the annual planning, execution and evaluation cycle and related decision making, and  

•  the multi-annual mid-term and ex-post evaluations. 

•  As a consequence the JRC developed and implemented Periodic Action Reviews (PAR) analysing 

the output of its individual actions in 2003 and 2004. PAR has multiple objectives: 

•  It evaluates JRC Actions according to a well defined methodology; 

•  It supports work programme planning for the coming year; 

•  It leads to a comprehensive data base supporting various reporting obligations; 

•  It builds a semi-quantitative data base for the benefit of future JRC evaluations; 

EN 

26 

   EN 

 
•  It allows deriving corporate level indicators from various lower levels including the Action level. 

The PAR review mechanism runs on an annual basis and will be further developed in the 
current Specific Programme.  

6.3.3.  Terms and frequency of future evaluation 

The periodic action review and the monitoring of the implementation of the Framework Programme 
will be carried out annually. The User Satisfaction Survey is presently carried out bi-annually. In the 
future a more continuous process might be phased in. The mid-term evaluation will be implemented 
3 ½ years after the start of the Framework Programme 7. The ex-post evaluation at the end of FP7.  

7. 

ANTI-FRAUD MEASURES  

Appropriate measures should also be taken to prevent irregularities and fraud and the necessary steps 
shall  be  taken  to  recover  funds  lost,  wrongly  paid  or  incorrectly  used  in  accordance  with  Council 
Regulation (EC, EURATOM) No 1605/2002 of 25 June 2002 on the Financial Regulation applicable 
to the general budget of the European Communities, Commission Regulation (EC, EURATOM) No 
2342/2002  of  23  December  202  laying  down  detailed  rules  for  implementation  of  the  Financial 
Regulation  and  any  future  amendments,  Council  Regulations  (EC,  Euratom)  No  2988/95  of  18 
December 1995 on the protection of the European Communities financial interests24, (EC, Euratom) 
No 2185/96 of 11 November 1996 concerning on-the-spot checks and inspections carried out by the 
Commission  in  order  to  protect  the  European  Communities’  financial  interests  against  fraud  and 
other  irregularities25  and  Regulation  (EC)  No  1073/1999  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the 
Council concerning investigations conducted by the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF)26. 

. 

24 
25 
26 

OJ L 312, 23.12.1995, p. 1. 
OJ L 292, 15.11.1996, p. 2. 
OJ L 136, 31.5.1999, p. 1. 

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27 

   EN 

 
                                                 
8. 

DETAILS OF RESOURCES 

8.1. 

Objectives of the proposal in terms of their financial cost  

Commitment appropriations in EUR million (to 3 decimal places) 

(Headings of Objectives, actions and outputs should be provided) 

Year 
2007 

Year 
2008 

Year 
2009 

Year 
2010 

Year 
2011 

Total 

Total cost 

Total cost

Total cost

Total cost

Total cost

Total 
cost 

NUCLEAR  WASTE  MANAGEMENT,  ENVIRONMENTAL 
KNOWLEDGE 

IMPACT  &  BASIC 

NUCLEAR SAFETY 

NUCLEAR SECURITY 

TOTAL COST 

101,533 

104,581 

107,750 

110,948 

114,265 

539,077 

EN 

28 

 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
8.2. 

Administrative Expenditure 

8.2.1.  Number and type of human resources 

Types of 
post 

Staff to be assigned to management of the action using existing and/or additional 
resources (number of posts/FTEs) 

2007 

2008 

2009 

2010 

2011 

A*/AD 

B*, C*/AST 

Officials 
or 
temporary 
staff27 
(XX 01 
01) 

Staff financed28 by art. XX 01 
02 

staff29 
Other 
statutory 
financed by art. XX 01 04/05 

1.944 

1.944 

1.944 

1.944 

1.944 

TOTAL30 

1.944 

1.944 

1.944 

1.944 

1.944 

This presentation reflects the JRC situation where the Staff is primarily “JRC” and - with the 
exception  of  staff  directly  attached  to  research  project  –  managed  as  a  single  group  for  the 
nuclear and non nuclear activities. Administrative, technical and support staff may work for 
both programme the same day on the same site. 

The  ratio  of  nuclear  to  total  staff  may  vary  during  the  period  of  execution  framework 
programme but respect a ratio of the order of 30 %.  

The above staff figures covers statutory staff.  

8.2.2.  Description of tasks deriving from the action 

Tasks derive from the non-nuclear direct research specific programme 

27 
28 
29 
30     

Cost of which is NOT covered by the reference amount. 
Cost of which is NOT covered by the reference amount. 
Cost of which is included within the reference amount. 
Figures  indicated  in  the  table  refer  only  to  the  staff  financed  by  the  establishment  plan  for  all  direct 
actions  under  the  responsibility  of  DG  JRC.  Therefore  these  figures do not  comprise  the  posts  of  the 
establishment  plan  from  the  operating  budget  and  the  posts  from  the  establishment  plan  for  indirect 
actions - see documents COM(2005) 440, 441, 442, 443, 444. 

EN 

29 

   EN 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
8.2.3. 

Sources of human resources (statutory) 

(When more than one source is stated, please indicate the number of posts originating from 
each of the sources) 

(cid:58) 

Posts currently allocated to the management of the programme to be replaced 
or extended 

  (cid:58) 

Posts pre-allocated within the APS/PDB exercise for year n 

(cid:133) 

(cid:58) 

(cid:133) 

Posts to be requested in the next APS/PDB procedure 

Posts  to  be  redeployed  using  existing  resources  within  the  managing  service 
(internal redeployment) 

Posts required for year n although not foreseen in the APS/PDB exercise of the 
year in question 

8.2.4 Other Administrative expenditure included in reference amount (XX 01 05 – Expenditure on 
administrative management)31 

EUR million (to 3 decimal places)  

Budget line 

(number and heading) 

Year  

2007 

Year 
2008 

Year  

2009 

Year 
2010 

Year 
2011 

TOTAL 

Statutory staff 

xx.01 05 01 

132,100 

137,665 

142,206 

145,659 

141,128 

698,758 

External staff 

xx.01 05 02 

23,520 

30,809 

32,971 

34,418 

19,830 

141,548 

Other administrative 
expenses 

xx.01 05 03 

21,883 

22,321 

22,768 

23,223 

23,687 

113,882 

   Total 
administrative assistance 

Technical 

and 

177,503 

190,795 

197,945 

203,300 

184,645 

954,188 

31  

These  figures  refer  to  the  expenditure  for  the  entire  EURATOM  Framework  Programme  -  see 
COM(2005) 119. 

EN 

30 

   EN 

 
 
 
 
                                                 
8.2.5  Financial  cost  of  human  resources  and  associated  costs  not  included  in  the  reference 
amount32 

EUR million (to 3 decimal places)  

Type of human resources 

Year  

2007 

Year 
2008 

Year  

Year  

2009 

2010 

Year 
2011 

TOTAL 

Officials  and  temporary  staff 
(08 0101 and ) 

Staff  financed  by  Art  XX  01 
02  (auxiliary,  END,  contract 
staff, etc.) 

Total cost of Human 
Resources and associated 
costs (NOT in reference 
amount) 

4,986 

5,085 

5,187 

5,291 

5,397 

25,946 

4,986 

5,085 

5,187 

5,291 

5,397 

25,946 

Calculation– Administrative expenditures  

Have been calculated taking into account the following hypothesis: 

 - the number of official  staff on the ex part A of the budget remains at 2006 level  

-  expenditures  increased  by  the  2%  each  year  according  to  the  inflation  foreseen  such  as 
indicated in Fiche 1 REV (working document of commission services related to the financial 
perspectives), 

-  the assumption of 108 000 € for each official staff, and 70.000 € for the external staff(2004 

prices) 

Calculation– Staff financed under art. XX 01 02 

Reference should be made to Point 8.2.1, if applicable 

8.2.6 Other administrative expenditure not included in reference amount33 

EUR million (to 3 decimal places) 

32  

33  

These  figures  refer  to  the  expenditure  for  the  entire  EURATOM  Framework  Programme  -  see 
COM(2005) 119. 
These  figures  refer  to  the  expenditure  for  the  entire  EURATOM  Framework  Programme  -  see 
COM(2005) 119. 

EN 

31 

   EN 

 
              
             
             
             
             
                 
 
 
 
 
 
 
              
             
             
             
             
                 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
Year 
2007 

Year 
2008 

Year 
2009 

Year 
2010 

Year 
2011 

TOTAL 

     XX 01 02 11 01 – Missions 

0,036   

0,036    

0,037    

0,038    

0,038    

0,185    

     XX 01 02 11 02 – Meetings & Conferences 

0,001    

0,001    

0,001    

0,001    

0,001    

0,005    

     XX 01 02 11 03 – Committees34  

0,111    

0,114    

0,116    

0,118    

0,121    

0,580    

     XX 01 02 11 04 – Studies & consultations 

     XX 01 02 11 05 - Information systems 

 2 

  Total  Other  Management 
Expenditure (XX 01 02 11) 

3 

Other 

expenditure 

administrative 
including reference to budget line) 

nature 

of 

an 
(specify 

Total Administrative expenditure, other 
than human resources and associated 
costs (NOT included in reference 
amount) 

0,148 

0,151 

0,154 

0,157 

0,160 

0,770   

Calculation - Other administrative expenditure not included in reference amount 

These figures are estimated on the basis of the 2006 DG RTD requests increased of the 2% for 
the yearly foreseen inflation. (Fiche 1 REV) 

The  needs  for  human  and  administrative  resources  shall  be  covered  within  the  allocation 
granted  to  the  managing  DG  in  the  framework  of  the  annual  allocation  procedure.  The 
allocation  of  posts  should  take  into  account  an  eventual  reallocation  of  posts  between 
departments on the basis of the new financial perspectives. 

34 

CST Euratom. 

EN 

32 

   EN