Communication from the Commission - Summary of Commission activities carried out in 2007 in implementation of Title II, Chapters 3 to 10, of the Euratom Treaty
Date: 2008-07-03
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: EAEC Treaty, international cooperation, nuclear policy, nuclear safety, radiation protection, radioactive waste, waste management

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COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 

Brussels, 3.7.2008 
COM(2008) 417 final 

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION 

Summary of Commission activities carried out in 2007 in implementation of Title II, 
Chapters 3 to 10, of the Euratom Treaty 

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1. 

INTRODUCTION  

This  Communication  describes  the  activities  carried  out  mainly  by  the  Directorate 
General  for  Energy  and  Transport  (DG  TREN),  as  part  of  the  Commission’s 
responsibilities under the Euratom Treaty (hereinafter “the Treaty”). DG TREN has 
responsibilities  for  the  implementation  of  the  majority  of  the  provisions  of  the 
Euratom Treaty Title II, Chapters 3 to 10, covering nuclear safety, investment, joint 
undertakings, safeguards and external relations. This communication also includes a 
summary of the activities of the Euratom Supply Agency (ESA)1. Activities related 
to research and research policy, under the responsibility of DG RTD2 and JRC3, are 
covered in their respective reports4. The preparation and implementation of the new 
Instrument for Nuclear Safety Cooperation falls under the responsibility of both DG 
RELEX5  and  DG  AIDCO6.  The  Instrument  for  Pre-Accession  Assistance  (IPA)  is 
managed by DG ELARG7 while Euratom loans by DG ECFIN8. The work of two on-
site laboratories (at La Hague and Sellafield) in reprocessing plants is supervised by 
the JRC and financed by DG TREN. 

2. 

POLICY AND LEGAL DEVELOPMENTS  

2.1. 

Nuclear policy 

2.1.1. 

50 years of Euratom Treaty 

In March 1957, the six founding states signed the Euratom Treaty with the objectives 
of minimising Europe's energy dependence and contributing to its economic growth, 
technological  development  and  improved  standards  of  living.  To  commemorate  its 
50th Anniversary, the Commission adopted a Communication9, offering an overview 
of  essential  aspects  of  its  implementation  in  the  past  half  century,  and  issued  a 
commemorative  publication10.  The  Communication  concluded  that  the  Treaty 
remains an indispensable legal framework for the EU and its citizens.  

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Annual Report available on request or at http://ec.europa.eu/euratom/anreport_en.html 
DG RTD: Research 
JRC: Joint Research Centre 
RTD: http://ec.europa.eu/research/reports/2007/index_en.html  
JRC: http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/jrc/index.cfm?id=2530&lang=en  
DG RELEX: External Relations 
DG AIDCO: Europe Aid and Cooperation 
DG ELARG: Enlargement 
DG ECFIN: Economic and Financial Affairs 
50 years of the Euratom Treaty COM(2007) 124 final of 20.03.2007 
"Euratom,  50  years  of  nuclear  energy  serving  Europe".  It  can  be  requested  at  the  Commission's 
Publications Office 

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2.1.2.  Energy policy and the Nuclear Illustrative Programme (PINC) 

In the context of increasing interest in nuclear energy, at global level and in Europe, 
the  Commission  highlighted  in  its  Communication  on  "An  Energy  Policy  for 
Europe"11  and  its  related  "Nuclear  Illustrative  Programme12"  the  contribution  of 
nuclear  energy  to  limiting  CO2  emissions.  The  spring  European  Council  noted  the 
contribution  of  nuclear  energy  in  meeting  the  growing  concerns  about  security  of 
energy supply and CO2 emissions reductions. 

The  Nuclear  Illustrative  Programme,  based  on  art.  40  of  the  Treaty,  reviewed 
investments in the nuclear sector carried out in the Member States since the previous 
PINC in 1997, as well as the implications of the phase out policies adopted by some 
countries. Public acceptability of nuclear power in terms of security and safety of the 
installations,  waste  management  and  decommissioning  were  highlighted.  Both  the 
European  Economic  and  Social  Committee  and  the  European  Parliament  adopted 
opinions on the paper13. 

"An Energy Policy for Europe" and the PINC propose to improve the framework for 
nuclear  energy  in  Europe  mainly  by  the  establishment  of  a  High  Level  Group  on 
nuclear  safety  and  waste  management,  and  the  European  Nuclear  Energy  Forum. 
Other  proposals  include  the  establishment  of  technology  platforms,  though  this  is 
outside  the  scope  of  the  current  Communication.  Nonetheless,  the  Sustainable 
Nuclear  Energy  Technology  Platform  (SNET-TP)14  was  recently  launched  by  DG 
RTD  and  aims,  inter  alia,  at  fostering  and  enhancing  European  cooperation  in 
research and development. 

In  addition,  and  in  the  context  of  meeting  the  2020  targets  for  reduction  of 
greenhouse  gas  emissions  set  at  the  2007  spring  European  Council  as  well  as  the 
2050  vision  for  a  low  carbon  economy,  a  European  Strategic  Energy  Technology 
(SET)  Plan15  was  adopted  in  November  2007.  It  proposes  a  general  policy 
framework to improve research and innovation and ultimately market insertion for all 
low carbon energy technologies. It firmly recognises nuclear fission (and fusion) as 
one of these technologies. 

2.1.3.  European High Level Group on nuclear safety and waste management (HLG) 

The Commission established the HLG16, composed of senior national regulators and 
officials dealing with nuclear safety. The creation of the Group was endorsed by the 
2007  spring  European  Council  and  received  support  from  the  EU  Institutions.  The 
aim  of  the  Group  is  to  develop  common  approaches  in  nuclear  safety  and  waste 
management and swiftly identify safety issues for priority handling and recommend 
actions  to  be  taken  at  EU  level.  A  high  level  representation  from  both  nuclear  and 
non-nuclear EU Member States should facilitate an EU-wide understanding. 

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COM(2007) 1 of 10.01.2007 
COM (2007) 565 of 04.10.2007 
TEN/283 - CESE 990/2007 of 12.07.2007 and ITRE report A6-0348/2007 of 26.09.2007, respectively 
www.snetp.eu 
COM(2007) 723 of 22.11.2007 
Commission Decision 2007/530/Euratom of 17.07.2007, OJ L 195/44 of 27.07.2007 

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The HLG met for the first time in October 2007. Three subgroups were established 
on  1)  Improvements  of  nuclear  safety  arrangements;  2)  Improvements  in  the 
decommissioning,  radioactive  waste  management  and  spent  fuel  arrangements;  3) 
Improvements in transparency arrangements. 

In order to ensure transparency, a website17 was created.  

2.1.4.  European Nuclear Energy Forum (Forum) 

In line with the conclusions of the spring European Council, the Commission set up 
the  Forum  to  facilitate  dialogue  between  different  stakeholders  (EU  governments, 
Members  of  the  European  Parliament,  the  nuclear  industry,  industrial  energy 
consumers  and  civil  society)  on  the  opportunities  and  risks  of  nuclear  energy. 
Meetings of the Forum will be organised alternatively in Bratislava and Prague. 

The  inaugural  meeting  of  the  Forum  was  held  in  November,  in  Bratislava,  in  the 
presence of the Prime Ministers of the host countries, several ministers and Members 
of the European Parliament as well as other key actors in the nuclear energy field18. 
Three working groups on opportunities, risks and transparency were set up.  

2.2. 

Commission's legislative proposals 

2.2.1. 

Supervision and control of shipments of radioactive waste and spent fuel  

Following  the  Council's  adoption  of  a  Directive  on  the  supervision  and  control  of 
shipments of radioactive waste and spent fuel19, an advisory committee to assist the 
Commission  by  providing  opinions  on  the  draft  of  a  standard  document  to  be  used 
for  all  shipments  within  the  scope  of  the  Directive,  the  criteria  allowing  Member 
States  to  evaluate  whether  requirements  for  exports  of  radioactive  waste  and  spent 
fuel  are  met,  and  on  recommendations  for  a  secure  and  effective  system  of 
transmission of the documents and information. 

The committee gave a favourable opinion to the draft of the standard document for 
adoption by the Commission in early 200820. 

2.2.2.  Decommissioning in Bohunice 

The  Council  adopted  a  Regulation  on  the  implementation  of  the  Decommissioning 
Assistance Programme for Slovakia21 covering 423 M€.  

The  Regulation  provides  a  legal  base  for  the  EU  Decommissioning  Assistance 
Programme  for  the  period  2007  –  2013,  and  require  the  creation  of  a  management 
committee  to  assist  the  Commission.  This  committee  (Nuclear  Decommissioning 
Assistance Programme Committee) met for the first time in June 2007. 

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http://circa.europa.eu/Public/irc/tren/nuclear_safety_and_waste/home 
http://ec.europa.eu/energy/nuclear/forum/bratislava_prague/index_en.htm 
Council Directive No 2006/117/Euratom of 20.11.2006; OJ L 337/21, 5.12.2006 
C (2008) 793 final of 05.03.2008 
Council Regulation (Euratom) No 549/2007 of 14.5.2007; OJ L 131, 23.5.2007 

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3. 

GENERAL DEVELOPMENTS IN THE NUCLEAR FIELD WITHIN THE EU 

3.1. 

Implementation of legislation – Infringements 

With one exception (the Czech Republic), all procedures involving the new Member 
States that did not adhere to the tri-partite agreement INFCIRC 19322, as required by 
their Acts of Accession to the EU, were closed because of compliance. 

Negotiations  continued  with  the  Sellafield  (United  Kingdom)  operators  on  the 
rectification  of  the  shortcomings  that  formed  the  basis  of  the  warning23  issued 
according  to  art.  83  of  the  Treaty  (failure  of  the  operator  of  a  nuclear  installation 
satisfactorily to fulfil its obligations) by the Commission. Furthermore, the progress 
in  the  case  of  a  Commission  Directive  according  to  art.  8224  of  the  Treaty, 
concerning another installation on the same site, was monitored. 

On 18 July, the European Court of Justice25 ruled that the United Kingdom had failed 
to  fulfil  its  obligations  under  art.  53  of  Directive  96/29/Euratom  of  13  May  1996 
(Basic  Safety  Standards).  The  Commission  invited  the  United  Kingdom  to  outline 
the legislative measures planned to rectify the situation. 

3.2. 

Belene NPP notification 

On  27  February  a  notification  about  constructing  a  new  nuclear  power  plant  was 
submitted by a Bulgarian investor, as required by art. 41 of the Treaty.  

Following  analysis  and  extensive  discussions  with  the  investor,  the  Commission 
concluded  on  7  December  that  all  aspects  of  this  investment  were  in  line  with  the 
objectives of the Treaty. 

3.3. 

Decommissioning, waste management and transport 

3.3.1.  Decommissioning 

The  Commission  continued  to  monitor  the  implementation  of  the  Ignalina  and 
Bohunice Programmes, together with the European Bank for Reconstruction26. Since 
January 2007, DG TREN has been responsible for the implementation and follow-up 
of  the  Community  assistance  of  the  Kozloduy  Programme  in  Bulgaria.  In  2007,  a 
total  of  113  M€  was  committed  to  the 
Bohunice Programme and 74.28 M€ to the Kozl oduy Programme. As foreseen in the 

Ignalina  Programme,  56.72  M€  to  the 

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Information  Circular  193,  Agreement  between  the  European  Atomic  Energy  Community,  its  non 
nuclear  weapon  Member  States  and  the  International  Atomic  Energy  Agency  in  implementation  of 
Article  III  (1)  and  (4)  of  the  Treaty  on  the  Non-Proliferation  of  Nuclear  Weapons  of  1977  as 
supplemented by the Additional Protocol to this agreement. 
Commission Decision 2006/626/Euratom of 15.02.2007 
Art.82 gives right to the Commission to issue a Directive calling upon the Member State concerned to t 
take necessary measures to bring an infringement to an end. Non respect of this Directive may bring the 
case to the Court of Justice. 
Case C-155/06 
In the case of Ignalina, the National Agency of Lithuania is also involved. 

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Protocols of the Treaties of Accession, implementing rules for continued assistance 
in 2007-2013 were adopted by the Commission27. 

The  Commission  published  its  second  report28  on  the  use  of  financial  resources 
earmarked  for  the  decommissioning  of  nuclear  installations,  spent  fuel  and 
radioactive waste. 

The  report  compared  EU  nuclear  operators  and  Member  States'  funding  practices 
with those detailed in the Commission Recommendation29. Whereas the first report30 
was  limited  to  power  reactors,  the  second  report  covered  all  nuclear  installations, 
with emphasis on those that are at greatest risk should decommissioning funding be 
inadequately addressed. The report highlights examples of good practice in countries 
where the polluter pays principle is enshrined in national legislation and where funds 
show  a  demonstrable  performance  by  providing  adequate  resources  when  needed. 
Nevertheless, despite specific  national  legislation, there are grounds for progress in 
several aspects of fund adequacy, management and use, in particular through detailed 
monitoring and reporting at both national and EU level. 

The Commission will address these issues as a follow-up action to the publication of 
the Recommendation, with the assistance of the Member States advisory group. 

3.3.2.  Radioactive waste management 

The sustainable long term management of high level waste and spent fuel is still not 
satisfactory.  The  Commission  therefore  continues  to  encourage  Member  States  to 
develop  long  term  waste  management  programmes  with  precise  milestones  for  all 
categories of waste, in particular high-active and long-lived waste. 

The  need  to  make  progress  on  long-term  waste  management  solutions  was  also 
underlined during the meeting of the Forum (see point 2.1.4). Its working groups on 
risk  management  and  transparency  will  address  this  issue  and  come  up  with 
recommendations. 

3.3.3.  Transport of radioactive material  

The current EU regulatory system provides adequate safety and health protection for 
the  public  for  the  Transport  of  Radioactive  Materials  (TRAM).  Nevertheless,  the 
TRAM Standing Working Group's report31 underlines some weaknesses, in particular 
the possible delay in transboundary shipments or the denial of shipments. 

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C(2007)5538 
COM(2007)  794  final  of  12.12.2007.  Commission  Staff  Working  Document  SEC(2007)1654  of 
12.12.2007 
OJ L 330 of 28.11.2006, p.31 
COM(2004) 719 final of 26.10.2004: Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament 
and the Council, Report on the use of financial resources earmarked for the decommissioning of nuclear 
power plants 
COM(2006) 102 of 08.03.06 

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Work on an impact assessment to decide on the most appropriate regulatory measure 
to  complete  the  transport  nuclear  market,  ensure  availability  of  lifesaving  medical 
radiosotopes  and  increase  information  and  transparency  in  TRAM  transboundary 
activities is under way. 

3.4. 

Nuclear safeguards 

3.4.1. 

Safeguards inspections 

The  Commission  submitted  to  the  Council  its  revised  approach  for  implementing 
nuclear safeguards in the EU in a working document, “Implementing Euratom Treaty 
Safeguards”32.  The  framework  provided  has  been  built  upon  installation  specific 
guideline documents drafted and presented at dedicated meetings with stakeholders. 
A  draft  recommendation  on  operator  nuclear  material  and  accounting  systems  was 
presented  at  these  meetings  which,  when  adopted  will  provide  the  relevant  criteria 
for future audit activities. 

The  Commission  was  satisfied  that  in  the  territories  of  the  Member  States  nuclear 
materials were not diverted from their intended use as declared by the users and that 
the international safeguards obligations assumed by Euratom were complied with. 

3.4.2.  Additional Protocols (AP) 

The  Commission  prepared  reports  on  nuclear  material  related  information  for  the 
EU-15, Estonia, Slovakia and Poland, and submitted them to the IAEA33. 

Commission inspectors participated in the IAEA verification activities in the form of 
complementary accesses. 

3.4.3.  Nuclear Material Accountancy and Agreements 

The periodic reporting of accountancy data on the basis of the received accountancy 
reports to the IAEA was carried out, including the reports for the new Member States 
that acceded to the Euratom Safeguards Agreement. 

The  procedure  for  the  accession  of  Poland,  Malta,  Hungary  and  Lithuania  to  the 
Safeguards Agreement and its AP was finalised34. The procedure for Cyprus was also 
prepared for finalisation. 

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SEC(2007) 293 (EU restricted) 
International Atomic Energy Agency 
Dates of Accession: Poland 01.03.2007, Malta and Hungary 01.07.2007, Lithuania 01.01.2008 

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3.5. 

Radiation protection 

3.5.1.  Activities under articles 31, 35 and 37 of the Treaty 

Work on the  revision and recast  of the Euratom Basic  Safety  Standards  (BSS) was 
carried out in close cooperation with the  Group of  Scientific  Experts (GoE)35. This 
revision was based on the Draft Recommendations36 of the International Commission 
on Radiological Protection (ICRP). The GoE met twice with the participation of the 
IAEA, ICRP, and Nuclear Energy Agency as observers. The Working Parties dealing 
with natural sources, medicine, exemption and clearance, and a graded approach to 
regulatory control have to a large extent completed their work on the key issues to be 
resolved for the revised BSS. 

Commission  services  conducted  seven  verification  missions  under  art.  35  of  the 
Treaty37 in  Bulgaria, Germany,  Ireland, Finland, Luxembourg, Romania  and  Spain. 
The  purpose  was  to  provide  an  independent  assessment  on  the  adequacy  of  the 
monitoring facilities, their set-up and use, for: 

–  liquid  and  airborne  discharges  of  radioactivity  from  nuclear  sites  into  the 

environment; 

–  levels of environmental radioactivity (site-related and nationwide). 

All  verifications  started  with  a  preliminary  audit  of  the  monitoring  and  inspection 
activities carried out by the relevant national authorities and of the legal framework 
in force. 

The Commission provided  an overview  of  all art. 35 verifications carried out since 
199038 and elaborated on the added value of these verifications for European citizens, 
concerned national competent authorities and the Commission itself. 

Under art.3739, twelve Commission opinions were adopted on plans for the disposal 
of radioactive waste submitted by Member States. 

3.5.2.  Emergency preparedness 

There  were  no  radiological  emergency  situations  needing  the  activation  of  the 
ECURIE40  system.  The  annual  nuclear  emergency  exercise  was  hosted  by  Ireland. 
The  exercise  involved  all  Member  States  and  several  Commission  emergency 
services. 

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Art. 31 of the Treaty 
ICRP, Publication 103, December 2007 
Art.  35  requires  that  each  Member  State  shall  establish  facilities  necessary  to  carry  out  a  continuous 
monitoring  of  the  levels  of  radioactivity  in  the  air,  water  and  soil  and  to  ensure  compliance  with  the 
basic safety standards 
COM(2007) 847 final of 20.12.2007 
Art. 37 requires the Commission to deliver its opinion (after consulting the group of experts) on all data 
sent by Member States on their plans on the disposal of radioactive waste if the implementation of such 
plans might result in the radioactive contamination of other Member States 
Early information exchange system for radiological emergencies 

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Croatia joined ECURIE in September 2007. Contacts have also been established with 
the  former  Yugoslav  Republic  of  Macedonia  (FYROM)  in  order  to  prepare  for  its 
accession.  The  geographical  coverage  of  the  EURDEP41  radiation  monitoring  data 
exchange system was extended to Turkey and Croatia. 

3.5.3.  Foodstuffs 

The Commission made codification proposals42 for the post–Chernobyl legislation on 
conditions  governing  imports  of  agricultural  products  and  for  the  legislation  laying 
down  maximum  permitted  levels  of  radioactive  contamination  of  foodstuffs  and  of 
feeding stuffs in the case of a future accident. 

The results of the study to update the Commission information basis on the potential 
radioactive contamination of specific foodstuffs originating from third countries were 
presented  to  the  Committee  under  art.  7  of  Council  Regulation  737/90/EEC.  The 
study indicated that, for a number of agricultural products, controls of the radioactive 
caesium contamination at the border of the EU will remain necessary for at least 20 
years. 

3.5.4.  Thule petition 

Following a non-legislative resolution43 of the European Parliament, the Commission 
was  examining  the  possibility  of  proposing  radiation  protection  requirements  in 
situations arising from any source of emission or contamination. 

The  compatibility  of  such  a  provision  with  the  established  case-law  needs  to  be 
further assessed, in the light of the Court of Justice case-law which excludes military 
uses of nuclear energy from the scope of Euratom law44. 

3.6. 

Supply of nuclear fuel and nuclear materials 

Agreement on the text of the New Statutes of the ESA was reached in the Council 
after  consultation  of  the  European  Parliament.  ESA  has  changed  its  procedures  for 
handling  enrichment  contracts  in  accordance  with  the  European  Court  of  Justice 
ruling in joint cases C-123/04 and C-124/04. ESA also started to prepare a draft of its 
rules determining the manner in which demand is to be balanced against the supply 
of ores, source materials and special fissile materials. 

Diversification  of  supply  sources  continues  to  be  important.  Canada,  Australia  and 
Russia remain the largest suppliers of uranium to the EU. However, Russia has now 
re-established a dominant position as nuclear material supplier for VVER reactors. 

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EUropean Radiological Data Exchange Platform 
COM(2007) 291 final of 04.06.2007 and COM(2007) 302 final of 05.06.2007 
Resolution 2006/2012(INI) of 10.05.2007 
Judgment  of  the  Court  of  12.04.2005,  Commission  v  UK,  Case  C-61/03,  ECR  2005  p.  I-2477,  as 
confirmed by the Court on 09.03.2006, Commission v UK, Case C-65/04, ECR 2006 p. I-2239. 

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3.7. 

Non-proliferation and multilateral approaches to the fuel cycle 

The number of countries having declared an interest in developing peaceful uses of 
nuclear  energy  has  risen  considerably,  and  the  international  community  has  made 
various proposals to address the most proliferation-sensitive parts of the nuclear fuel 
cycle  –  i.e.  uranium  enrichment  and  reprocessing  –  by  offering  guarantees  of  fuel 
supplies to countries that voluntarily renounce having their own fuel cycle activities. 
The  IAEA  and  several  EU  Member  States  have  continued  to  work  on  these 
proposals,  with  the  Commission  closely  following  developments.  The  Commission 
insisted  that  in  cases  where  EU  countries  or  companies  are  involved  in  an 
international fuel supply mechanism, rights and obligations under the Treaty must be 
taken into consideration. Competition and the normal functioning of the nuclear fuel 
market should not be distorted by these initiatives. 

4. 

INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION 

4.1. 

Enlargement 

In  line  with  European  Council  conclusions45,  the  Commission  has  continued  to 
emphasise  the  importance  of  a  high  level  of  nuclear  safety  in  the  context  of  EU 
enlargement. 

It insisted on the need for candidate and potential candidate countries to align their 
legislations,  and  to  implement  the  Euratom  acquis,  including  the  international 
nuclear safety conventions to which the Community has acceded. 

Special  attention  continued  to  be  given  to  Croatia  on  fulfilling  its  obligations  of 
setting  up  a  decommissioning  and  waste  management  fund  for  the  nuclear  power 
plant shared with Slovenia. 

The  Commission  has  also  monitored  the  progress  of  the  FYROM,  Turkey,  and  of 
potential  candidate  countries46  towards  implementation  of  the  EU  acquis.  The 
respective regular reports47 highlight the need to improve nuclear safety and radiation 
protection. 

4.2. 

The new Instrument for Nuclear Safety Cooperation (INSC) 

Support  to  the  promotion  of  a  high  level  of  nuclear  safety  during  the  period  2007-
2013 will be provided under the new INSC48. The new instrument finances measures 
in third countries (no longer limited to CIS, as was the case for the Tacis programme 
that ended in 2006). 

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48 

European Council conclusions of December 1998, Vienna, point 67. 
European Council conclusions of December 1999, Helsinki, point 7. 
Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia and Kosovo (under UNSCR 1244). 
COM(2007) 663 final of 07.11.2007. 
Council Regulation (EURATOM) No 300/2007 of 19.02.2007 

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The  modalities  of  the  extension  of  the  assistance  given  to  the  CIS  into  other 
geographical  areas,  as  provided  for  by  the  Instrument,  will  depend  on  the  policy 
orientations and priorities to be decided according to the programme modalities.  

The  new  programmes  will  involve  a  gradual  phasing  out  of  “technical  assistance” 
(involving supply of hardware) and a shift towards more collaborative programming 
and implementation. Beneficiary countries will be required to take a more proactive 
role in the definition, management and implementation of the activities. Projects will 
be  designed  to  achieve  precise  objectives  and  will  look  for  co-financing  while 
coordination with other Community instruments such as the Euratom Research and 
Training Framework Programme will be privileged.  

Assistance  will  be  coordinated  with  other  instruments  such  as  the  European 
Neighbourhood  and  Partnership  Instrument  (ENPI)  and  the  Instrument  for  Pre-
Accession (IPA). 

4.3. 

Agreements with Third Countries 

The Commission started technical talks with Canada on a possible simplification or 
recasting of the bilateral cooperation agreement on peaceful uses of atomic energy49 
that was signed in 1959, amended several times. 

Technical  talks  between  Euratom  and  the  Russian  Federation  on  a  possible 
agreement in the field of trade in nuclear materials are ongoing.  

4.4. 

International Conventions  

4.4.1.  Convention  on  the  Physical  Protection  of  Nuclear  Material  and  Nuclear  Facilities 

(CPPNM) 

Following the Council's approval50 and the Commission's decision51 on the accession 
of the Euratom Community to the CPPNM, necessary steps for the accession started. 

4.4.2.  Convention on Nuclear Safety (CNS) 

The Report  of the Euratom Community  for the 4th Review meeting of Contracting 
Parties to the CNS to be held in April 2008 was adopted by the Commission52 and 
submitted to the IAEA Secretariat for peer review by other contracting parties at the 
4th Review meeting. 

4.4.3.  Paris Convention on Third Party Liability in the Field of Nuclear Energy 

Work on an impact assessment was started for the possible accession of Euratom to 
the Paris Convention. After drafting the terms of reference, a contractor was chosen 
to carry out the study. The report is expected in 2008. 

49 
50 
51 
52 

OJ No.59 of 24.11.59, p. 1165-1180 
Council Decision 2007/513 Euratom of 10.07.2007, OJ L 190 of 21.7.2007, p. 12 
C/2007/6385 of 19.12.2007 
C(2007) 4492 final of 01.10.2007 

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4.5. 

Cooperation with the IAEA  

Preparatory  work  started  for  a  political  statement  to  foster  enhanced  cooperation 
between  Euratom  and  the  IAEA.  To  this  end,  a  Joint  Statement  of  the  European 
Commission and the IAEA reinforcing cooperation on nuclear energy for peace and 
development was prepared and signed on 7 May 2008. 

The  Commission  administrated  the  “Community  System  of  Accountancy  and 
Control” in accordance with the safeguards verification agreements with the IAEA, 
under  which  the  IAEA  carries  out  its  inspections  simultaneously  with  the 
Commission. The IAEA successfully met its verification objectives for the EU.  

High level discussions with the IAEA on the safeguards verification agreements led 
to  significant  progress  in  the  development  of  the  common  safeguards  verification 
scheme at operational level.  

A  Commission  Staff  Working  Document53  on  the  Euratom  co-sponsorship  of  the 
"Fundamental Safety Principles"54 was submitted to the Council for information.  

53 
54 

SEC(2007) 1443 of 23.10.2007 
Safety Fundamentals No. SF-1, IAEA, Vienna 2006 

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