Proposal for a COUNCIL DECISION amending Decision 2007/198/Euratom establishing the European Joint Undertaking for ITER and the Development of Fusion Energy and conferring advantages upon it
Date: 2018-06-07
Institutions: Directorate-General for Energy, European Commission
Subjects: EAEC, EU financing, European Joint Undertaking, nuclear fusion, nuclear reactor, nuclear research

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   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 7.6.2018 COM(2018) 445 final 2018/0235 (NLE)  Proposal for a COUNCIL DECISION amending Decision 2007/198/Euratom establishing the European Joint Undertaking for ITER and the Development of Fusion Energy and conferring advantages upon it  {SWD(2018) 325 final} - {SWD(2018) 326 final}  
 
 
EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM 

1. 

CONTEXT OF THE PROPOSAL 

This proposal provides for a date of application as of 1 January 2021 and is presented for a 
Union  of  27  Member  States,  in  line  with  the  notification  by  the  United  Kingdom  of  its 
intention  to  withdraw  from  the  European  Union  and  Euratom  based  on  Article  50  of  the 
Treaty on European Union received by the European Council on 29 March 2017. 

Fusion is expected to play an important role in Europe's future energy landscape as a virtually 
inexhaustible  climate-friendly  energy  source.  This  proposal  for  a  Council  Decision  seeks  to 
secure  funding  for  continued  European  participation  in  the  ITER  project  aiming  at  key 
scientific  breakthroughs  in  the  development  of  fusion.  It  is  particularly  important  following 
the  2015  Paris  Agreement  on  climate  change  and  the  EU  commitement  to  lead  the  way  in 
decarbonising the economy and tackling climate change in a cost effective manner. 

European participation in ITER is based on the ITER Agreement signed in November 2006 
between  seven  global  partners,  Euratom,  the  United  States,  the  Russian  Federation,  Japan, 
China,  South  Korea  and  India.  ITER  represents  a  unique  first-of-a-kind  project  developed 
through international scientific collaboration which allows for the synergies and mobilisation 
of financial resources that would not be possible for a single state.  

As  the  Host  Party  of  the  project  according  to  the  ITER  Agreement,  Europe  has  a  stronger 
legal  commitment  under  the  ITER  Agreement  and  accordingly  has  taken  the  lead  in  this 
project  with  a  45%  share  of  the  construction  costs1  (the  other  ITER  Members'  shares  are 
around 9% each) to ensure timely completion of the construction. This proposal for a Council 
Decision  amends  the  Council  Decision  (2007/198/Euratom)  of  27  March  2007  establishing 
the  European  Joint  Undertaking  for  ITER  and  the  Development  of  Fusion  Energy  and 
conferring  advantages  upon  it  to  provide  the  basis  for  the  financing  of  the  activities  of  this 
Joint  Undertaking  (hereinafter  "Fusion  for  Energy")  for  the  period  2021-2027  under  the 
Euratom Treaty.  

The  2007  Council  Decision  had  already  been  amended  by  the  Council  Decision 
2013/791/Euratom  of  13  December  2013  to  allow  a  financing  of  the  Fusion  for  Energy 
activities. This proposal, which follows the same logic, is based on  Article 47 of the Euratom 
Treaty  and  refers  to  the  participation  of  Euratom  in  the  financing  of  the  Joint  Undertaking 
during the Multi-annual Financial Framework 2021-2027.  

The presently proposed amendment allows securing the financing of the project for the next 
Multiannual  Financial  Framework  while  it  does  not  prevent  voluntary  contributions  from 
Members of the Joint Undertaking other than Euratom as provided for in Article 12(1)(c) of 
the Statutes of that Undertaking. 

The ITER Council endorsed in 2016 an updated schedule and associated cost estimates for the 
completion  of  the  ITER  construction.  The  new  schedule  targets  the  achievement  of  First 
Plasma  in  December  2025,  as  the  earliest  technically  achievable  date  for  the  ITER 
construction, with the full performance operation, using deuterium-tritium fuel (the so-called 
Deuterium-Tritium  phase)  estimated  in  2035.  This  schedule,  together  with  the  associated 

1 

As per the Cost sharing for all Phases of the ITER Project agreed in 2006 between the ITER Parties. 
This cost distribution will change in the operation phase, with Europe providing 34%. 

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revised  costs2,  form  the  basis  of  the  new  baseline  of  the  ITER  project;  it  does  not  include 
contingencies and therefore assumes that all major risks can be mitigated.  

In its Communication to the European Parliament and the Council of the EU “EU contribution 
to a reformed ITER Project”3 of 14 June 2017 and its accompanying Staff Working Document 
the Commission presented estimates of cost for the construction phase (for Europe only). For 
the  period  2021-2027 
the  Commission’s 
administrative  expenditure  related  to  the  Fusion  for  Energy  tasks  and  any  other  relevant 
activities, was5 estimated at about EUR 6.1 billion (in current value)6.  

the  amount  from  EU  budget4, 

including 

On 12 April 2018 the Council of the EU drew conclusions on the basis of the Communication 
from the Commission and reaffirmed the continued commitment of Euratom to the successful 
completion of the ITER project. The Council declared that it will endeavour to make available 
the  resources  for  the  Fusion  for  Energy  activities  within  the  limits  of  the  Multiannual 
Financial  Framework  for  the  period  2021-2027.  On  this  basis  the  Council  mandated  the 
Commission to approve the new ITER project baseline (scope, schedule and costs) on behalf 
of Euratom at an ITER Council meeting at Ministerial level.  

The  transfer  of  funds  will  be  aligned  with  the  period  covered  by  the  Multiannual  Financial 
Framework and run for seven years. According to the ITER Agreement, the ITER project will 
have an initial duration of 35 years (i.e. until 2042); thus, subsequent Council decisions will 
be needed to continue to fund the Euratom contribution to this project. 

The  successful  construction  and  operation  of  ITER  is  on  the  critical  path  of  the  European 
fusion roadmap which represents a comprehensive goal-oriented path to fusion electricity and 
has  been  endorsed  by  all  fusion  research  stakeholders  in  Europe7.  This  Decision  will 
accordingly facilitate synergies and complementarities with fusion research activities funded 
under  the  Euratom  Research  and  Training  Programme  2021-20258.  This  Decision  will  also 
allow completing the activities carried out in the frame of the Broader Approach Agreement 
concluded between Euratom and Japan and complementing the international collaboration in 
the framework of the ITER Agreement. 

The proposal has been prepared in order to ensure close interactions with other programmes, 
namely the EU FP9 and the Euratom FP9 proposals.  The rationale is quite clear as ITER is a 
first of a kind innovative project in the energy area that needs close support from the research 
and innovation side, conducted in particular through Euratom research programmes, but also 
through  the  EU  research  programmmes.  In  this  respect  the  texts  of  both  programmes 
(Euratom and EU FP9) under the next MFF have been reinforced to ensure that the necessary 
interactions related to ITER are clearly stated. 

2 

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The revised cost estimates were approved by the ITER Council ad referendum, pending the decisions 
by the budgetary authorities of the ITER Parties. 
COM(2017) 319 of 14.06.2017 and accompanying SWD(2017)232 
In  addition  to the  funding  from  EU budget,  France  as  Host  State  of  the project  contributes  at present 
directly to F4E budget in about 20% of the Euratom contribution. Furthermore, each year F4E Members 
pay a membership contribution to the Joint Undertaking.   
SWD(2017)232, Table 4, p.24 
This estimation does not include the contingencies on schedule and cost. 
https://www.euro-fusion.org/eurofusion/roadmap/ 
See Commission proposal COM(2018)437 

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2. 

RESULTS OF CONSULTATIONS WITH THE INTERESTED PARTIES AND 
IMPACT ASSESSMENTS 

This  proposal  takes  full  account  of  the  responses  to  the  Multiannual  Financial  Framework 
open public consultation that was organised under the coordination of the Secretariat General 
of the European Commission and was launched on 10 January and run until 8 March 2018. 
Furthermore, the proposal takes full account of consultations with stakeholders undertaken in 
the course of the preparatory activities which included an ex-ante evaluation and stakeholder 
events  and  surveys.  While  the  open  public  consultations  did  not  raise  particular  issues 
regarding  the  continuation  of  ITER  funding,  focused  stakeholder  consultations  have 
confirmed that the EU investment in the construction of ITER is bringing important benefits 
to  European  industry  and  the  research  community.  This  was  reiterated  during  an  industry 
event  organised  in  December  2017  which  demonstrated  that  fusion  is  already  delivering 
concrete opportunities for industry and is having a positive effect on jobs, economic growth 
and innovation, with positive impact beyond the fusion and energy fields. Independent studies 
commissioned  for  the  preparation  of  the  ex-ante  evaluation  provided  quantifications  of  jobs 
created and net value added generated by European participation in the ITER project. 

Last  but  not  least,  taking  into  account  the  Council  conclusions  of  April  2018,  this  proposal 
will  provide  continuity  for  the  project,  in  particular  vis-à-vis  the  international  partners  and 
secure the ITER funding for the whole duration of the next Multiannual Financial Framework. 

A limited number of proposals have been identified  that, due to their continuity  in terms of 
content and structure and/or size of the budget, should have an ex-ante assessment in the form 
of a Staff Working Document instead of an impact assessment. ITER was indicated, alongside 
other programmes such as Fiscalis, Humanitarian Aid, Common Foreign and Security Policy, 
as not requiring an impact assessment but rather an ex ante evaluation in the form of a Staff 
Working Document, in line with the requirements of the EU Financial Regulation. 

This proposal provides for a date of application as of 1 January 2021 and are presented for a 
Union  of  27  Member  States,  in  line  with  the  notification  by  the  United  Kingdom  of  its 
intention  to  withdraw  from  the  European  Union  and  Euratom  based  on  Article  50  of  the 
Treaty on European Union received by the European Council on 29 March 2017.  

3. 

LEGAL ELEMENTS OF THE PROPOSAL 

The legal basis for this Council Decision is provided for by Article 47 of the Euratom Treaty. 
This  Decision  shall  constitute  the  basic  act  for  the  period  covered  by  the  next  Multiannual 
Financial Framework and will be the basis for the adoption of the yearly financing decisions 
by  the  Commission.  These  decisions  will  allow  the  Commission  to  transfer  the  funds  to 
Fusion for Energy during the period 2021-2027. 

This Decision shall also covers the administrative expenditure of the Commission related to 
Fusion  for  Energy,  the  ITER  Organization,  the  Broader  Approach  and  any  other  relevant 
activities for the period 2021-2027.  

4. 

BUDGETARY IMPLICATION 

The 'legislative financial statement' attached to this proposal for a Council Decision sets out 
the  budgetary  implications  and  the  human  and  administrative  resources  needed  for  its 
implementation. 

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5. 

IMPLEMENTATION PLANS AND MONITORING AND EVALUATION AND 
REPORTING ARRANGEMENTS 

It  is  intended  to  continue  implementing  the  budget  for  European  participation  in  ITER 
through  the  use  of  a  joint  Undertaking.  The  establishment  of  a  Joint  Undertaking  under 
Chapter 5 of the Euratom Treaty was considered in 2007 as the most appropriate solution to 
discharge the Euratom obligations towards the ITER Organization pursuant to the conclusion 
of  the  ITER  Agreement  by  Euratom.  This  adequacy  has  been  confirmed  by  several 
independent reviews and assessments since then. 

Pursuant  to  Article  32  of  its  Financial  Regulation  the  Joint  Undertaking  (F4E)  draws  up  a 
programming  document  containing  multi-annual  and  annual  programming.  The  draft-
programming document is sent to the F4E Governing Board, the Commission, the European 
Parliament  and  the  Council  no  later  than  31  January  each  year.  The  Commission  sends  the 
opinion of its relevant services on this document to F4E.  

The overall planning and annual Work Programme of the Joint Undertaking (F4E) specify the 
timetable for the achievement of the milestones which cover the procurement activities during 
ITER construction. F4E regularly reports to its governance body (the Governing Board where 
Euratom  is  represented  by  the  Commission)  and  to  the  Council  of  the  EU  on  the  project's 
progress.  

A  full  series  of  key  performance  indicators  dedicated  to  the  specific  monitoring  of  the 
schedule and cost performance have  been introduced in  2017 to  better monitor the progress 
and the efficiency of F4E in delivering the Euratom contribution to the ITER project. A dash 
board  report  based  on  these  indicators  is  submitted  regularly  to  the  Governing  Board.  They 
include metrics based on an Earned Value Management system.  

At the level of the overall ITER project, the ITER Organization reports to the ITER Council 
on  a  similar  dashboard  of  performance  indicators,  including  the  percentage  of  the  physical 
completion of the construction to First Plasma. In December 2017, this indicator reached 50% 
and should reach 100% at the achievement of First Plasma foreseen for December 2025. 

In  the  context  of  the  Commission's  internal  management  planning  and  monitoring,  it  is 
proposed  to  use  two  indicators  that  should  report  on  progress  of  the  project  towards  the 
achievement  of  its  general  and  specific  objectives.  The  first  indicator  would  be  the 
“percentage  of  completion  of  ITER  construction”  and  the  second  the  “percentage  of 
Euratom’s  in  kind  obligations  discharged  by  F4E”.  Both  indicators  will  be  based  on  data 
reported by the ITER Organization. 

The  Commission  proposal  for  the  2021-2027  Multiannual  Financial  Framework  set  a  more 
ambitious goal for climate mainstreaming across all EU programmes, with an overall target of 
25%  of  EU  expenditure  contributing  to  climate  objectives.  The  contribution  of  this 
programme  to  the  achievement  of  this  overall  target  will  be  tracked  through  an  EU  climate 
marker  system  at  an  appropriate  level  of  disaggregation,  including  the  use  of  more  precise 
methodologies  where  these  are  available.  The  Commission  will  continue  to  present  the 
information annually in terms of commitment appropriations in the context of the annual draft 
budget.  

To support the full utilisation of the potential of ITER to contribute to climate objectives, the 
Commission  will  seek  to  identify  relevant  actions  throughout  the  expenditure  preparation, 
implementation, review and evaluation processes. 

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The  Commission  will  carry  out  interim  and  ex  post  evaluations  and  will  communicate  the 
conclusions  to  the  European  Parliament,  the  Council,  the  European  Economic  and  Social 
Committee and the Committee of the Regions. The evaluation will be carried out in line with 
paragraphs 22 and 23 of the Interinstitutional Agreement of 13 April 20169, where the three 
institutions  confirmed  that  evaluations  of  existing  legislation  and  policy  should  provide  the 
basis  for  impact  assessments  of  options  for  further  action.  The  evaluation  will  assess  the 
effects  of  ITER  based  on  the  established  indicators/targets  and  a  detailed  analysis  of  the 
degree  to  which  the  project  has  proven  relevant,  effective,  efficient,  provides  enough  EU 
added value and is coherent with other EU policies. The evaluation will include lessons learnt 
to identify any lacks/problems or any potential to further improve the actions or their results 
and to help maximise their exploitation/impact. If the ex post evaluation is carried out close to 
the interim evaluation of the following period, both evaluations can be combined in as single 
one that will cover a larger period. 

In  addition,  pursuant  to  Article  14  of  its  statutes  F4E  drafts  an  annual  report.  This  report 
records the implementation of the F4E work programme. It is prepared by the F4E Director, 
assessed  by  the  Governing  Board  and  sent  by  the  Governing  Board,  together  with  its 
assessment, to the Members, the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission.  

9 

Interinstitutional Agreement between the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union and 
the European Commission on Better Law-Making of 13 April 2016; OJ L 123, 12.5.2016, p. 1–14 

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2018/0235 (NLE) 

Proposal for a 

COUNCIL DECISION 

amending Decision 2007/198/Euratom establishing the European Joint Undertaking for 
ITER and the Development of Fusion Energy and conferring advantages upon it 

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, 

Having  regard  to  the  Treaty  establishing  the  European  Atomic  Energy  Community,  and  in 
particular the third and fourth paragraphs of Article 47 and Article 48 thereof, 

Having regard to the proposal from the European Commission, 

Whereas: 

(1) 

(2) 

(3) 

(4) 

10 
11 

12 

The  ITER  Agreement10  has  been  signed  in  November  2006  by  Euratom,  the  United 
States, the Russian Federation, Japan, China, South Korea and India. Euratom, which 
is according to the ITER Agreement the Host Party, has taken the lead in this project. 
Decision  2007/198/Euratom11  established  the  European  Joint  Undertaking  for  ITER 
and the Development of Fusion Energy (hereinafter Joint Undertaking) to provide the 
contribution of Euratom to the ITER International Fusion Energy Organisation and the 
Broader  Approach  Activities  with  Japan  as  well  as  to  prepare  and  coordinate  a 
programme of activities in preparation for the construction of a demonstration fusion 
reactor and related facilities. 

Decision 2007/198/Euratom provides in its Article 5 that the Joint Undertaking shall 
have a distinct financial regulation based on the principles of the Framework Financial 
Regulation12 which  may  depart  from  the latter  where  the  specific  operating  needs  of 
the  Joint  Undertaking  so  require  and  subject  to  prior  consultation  with  the 
Commission. Title IV of the financial regulation of the Joint undertaking regulates the 
implementation of the budget. 

Decision 2007/198/Euratom provided a financial reference amount deemed necessary 
for  the  Joint  Undertaking  together  with  the  indicative  total  contribution  of  Euratom 
towards  such  amount,  which  should  be  made  available  through  the  Community 
research  and  training  programmes  adopted  pursuant  to  Article  7  of  the  Treaty  or 
through any other decision adopted by the Council. 

OJ L 358, 16.12.2006, p.62 
Council  Decision  of  27  March  2007  establishing  the  European  Joint  Undertaking  for  ITER  and  the 
Development  of  Fusion  Energy  and  conferring  advantages  upon  it  (2007/198/Euratom)  (OJ  L  90, 
30.03.2007, p. 58). 
Commission  Delegated  Regulation  (EU)  N°  1271/2013  of  30  September  2013  on  the  framework 
financial regulation for the bodies referred to in Article 208 of Regulation (EU, Euratom) N° 966/2012 
of the European Parliament and of the Council (OJ L 328, 7.12.2013, p. 42) 

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(5) 

(6) 

(7) 

(8) 

(9) 

Decision 2007/198/Euratom was amended by Decision2013/791/Euratom13 to allow a 
financing  of  the  Fusion  for  Energy  activities  for  the  duration  of  the  Multi-annual 
Financial Framework 2014-2020. 

A  new  ITER  project  baseline,  prepared  as  part  of  the  improvements  in  the 
management of the project, gained the support of the ITER Council in 2016 and 2017 
and was subsequently used for estimating the funding needs of the Joint Undertaking. 
The updated schedule of the new baseline foresees the achievement of First Plasma in 
December 2025 and full performance operation, using deuterium-tritium fuel, in 2035. 
This  schedule  does  not  include  contingencies  and  therefore  assumes  that  all  major 
risks can be mitigated.  

On 12 April 2018 the Council reaffirmed the continued commitment of Euratom to the 
successful completion of the ITER project and mandated the Commission to approve 
the new ITER project baseline  on behalf of Euratom at an  ITER Council  meeting at 
Ministerial level. 

This  Decision  will  allow  synergies  and  complementarities  with  fusion  research 
activities  funded  through  the  Euratom  Research  and  Training  Programme.  The 
successful construction and operation of ITER is on the critical path of the European 
fusion roadmap endorsed by all fusion research stakeholders in Europe. 

The  European  Parliament  and  the  Council  set  the  maximum  level  of  the  Euratom 
commitments for ITER in the Multiannual Financial Framework for the period 2021-
2027 at EUR 6.070.000.000 (in current values). 

(10)  Reflecting the importance of tackling climate change in lines with EU’s commitments 
to  implement  the  Paris  Agreement,  and  the  commitment  of  the  United  Nations 
Sustainable  Development  Goals,  this  Decision  will  mainstream  climate  actions  and 
lead  to  the  achievement  of  an  overall  target  of  25%  of  the  EU  budget  expenditures 
contributing  to  climate  objectives.  Actions  under  this  Decision  are  expected  to 
contribute  100%  of  the  overall  financial  envelope  of  this  Decision  to  climate 
objectives.  Relevant  actions  will  be  identified  during  the  implementation  of  this 
Decision and reassessed in the context of its revision and the interim evaluation.     

(11)  Pursuant to paragraph  22 and 23 of the Inter-institutional agreement for Better Law-
Making of 13 April 2016, there is a need to evaluate ITER on the basis of information 
collected through specific monitoring requirements, while avoiding overregulation and 
administrative  burdens.  These  requirements,  where  appropriate,  can 
include 
measurable indicators, as a basis for evaluating the effects of ITER. The conclusions 
of  the  evaluations  carried  out  by  the  Commission  will  be  communicated  to  the 
European Parliament the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and 
the  Committee  of  the  Regions.  Should  the  timings  of  the  ex  post  and  interim 
evaluations be  close to each other, both  evaluations could be combined into a single 
one covering the combined period.  

(12) 

13 

In accordance with the Financial Regulation, Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 883/2013 
of the European Parliament and of the Council[1], Council Regulation (Euratom, EC) 
No  2988/95[2],Council  Regulation  (Euratom,  EC)  No  2185/96[3]  and  Council 
Regulation (EU) 2017/1939 [4], the financial interests of the Union are to be protected 

Council  Decision  of  13  December  2013  amending  Decision  2007/198/Euratom  establishing  the 
European  Joint  Undertaking  for  ITER  and  the  Development  of  Fusion  Energy  and  conferring 
advantages upon it (2013/791/Euratom) (OJ L349, 31.12.2013, p. 100). 

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through  proportionate  measures,  including  the  prevention,  detection,  correction  and 
investigation  of  irregularities  and  fraud,  the  recovery  of  funds  lost,  wrongly  paid  or 
incorrectly used and, where appropriate, the imposition of administrative sanctions. In 
particular, in accordance with Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 883/2013 and Regulation 
(Euratom,  EC)  No  2185/96  the  European  Anti-Fraud  Office  (OLAF)  may  carry  out 
investigations,  including  on-the-spot  checks  and  inspections,  with  a  view  to 
establishing  whether  there  has  been  fraud,  corruption  or  any  other  illegal  activity 
affecting  the  financial  interests  of  the  Union.  In  accordance  with  Regulation  (EU) 
2017/1939,  the  European  Public  Prosecutor's  Office  (EPPO)  may  investigate  and 
prosecute fraud and other illegal activities affecting the financial interests of the Union 
as  provided  for  in  Directive  (EU)  2017/1371  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the 
Council[5].  In  accordance  with  the  Financial  Regulation,  any  person  or  entity 
receiving Union funds is to fully cooperate in the protection of the Union’s financial 
interests,  to  grant  the  necessary  rights  and  access  to  the  Commission,  OLAF,  the 
EPPO and the European Court of Auditors (ECA) and to ensure that any third parties 
involved in the implementation of Union funds grant equivalent rights.  

(13)  This  Decision  should  ensure  the  visibility  of  the  Community  funding  through 
coherent,  effective  and  proportionate  targeted  information  to  multiple  audiences, 
including the media and the public. 

(14) 

It  is  necessary  to  amend  Decision2007/198/Euratom  to  allow  the  financing  of  the 
activities of the Joint Undertaking and the related activities of the Commission for the 
period 2021-2027 from the general budget of the European Union. 

(15)  Decision2007/198/Euratom should therefore be amended accordingly, 

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:  

Decision 2007/198/Euratom is amended as follows: 

(1) 

In Article 4, paragraph 3 is replaced by the following: 

Article 1 

3. 
The  indicative  Euratom  contribution  to  the  Joint  Undertaking  for  the  period  2021-
2027 and the related supporting expenditure for the same period as referred to in paragraph 4 
are set at EUR 6.070.000.000 (in current values) 14.  

(2) 

The following paragraph 4 is added: 

4. 
The  amount  referred  to  in  paragraph  3  may  also  cover  expenses  for  preparation, 
monitoring,  control,  audit,  evaluation  and  other  activities  and  expenditures  necessary  for 
managing  and  implementing  this  Decision,  including  administrative  expenditure,  as  well  as 
evaluating the achievement of its objectives. It may moreover cover expenses relating to the 
studies, meetings of experts, as well as expenses linked to information technology networks 
information 
focusing  on 
technology tools and other technical and administrative assistance needed in connection with 
the management of this Decision. 

information  processing  and  exchange, 

including  corporate 

(3) 

Article 5b is deleted. 

14 

Considering the specificity of the activities of Fusion for Energy, Article 86.5 of the Regulation (EU, 
Euratom)  N°  966/2012  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  of  25  October  2012  on  the 
financial rules applicable to the general budget of the Union shall not apply.  

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(4) 

The following Article 5c is inserted: 

Article 5c 
Evaluation 

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

Evaluations shall be carried out in a timely manner to feed into the decision-making 
process. 

An  interim  evaluation  shall  be  performed  once  there  is  sufficient  information 
available about the implementation of the Decision in the period 2021 - 2027, but no 
later than 2024. 

At the end of the implementation of this Decision, but no later than four years after 
the end of the period specified in Article 4, a final evaluation of the Decision shall be 
carried out by the Commission.  

The Commission shall communicate the conclusions of the evaluations accompanied 
by its observations, to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic 
and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions. 

(5) 

The following Article 5d is inserted: 

Article 5d 
Communication, visibility and publicity 

1. 

2. 

The  recipients  of  Community  funding  shall  acknowledge  the  origin  and  ensure  the 
visibility  of  the  Community  funding  (in  particular  when  promoting  the  actions  and 
their results) by providing coherent, effective and proportionate targeted information 
to multiple audiences, including the media and the public. 

The Commission shall implement information and communication actions relating to 
this  Decision,  and  its  actions  and  results.  Financial  resources  allocated  to  the 
implementation of this Decision shall also contribute to the corporate communication 
of  the  political  priorities  of  the  Union,  as  far  as  they  are  related  to  the  objectives 
referred to in Article 1. 

This Decision shall enter into force on the twentieth day following that of its publication in 
the Official Journal of the European Union. 

Article 2 

It shall apply from 1 January 2021. 

This Decision is addressed to the Member States. 

Done at Brussels, 

For the Council 
The President 

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LEGISLATIVE FINANCIAL STATEMENT 

1. 

FRAMEWORK OF THE PROPOSAL/INITIATIVE  

1.1.  Title of the proposal/initiative  

1.2.  Policy area(s) concerned (programme cluster) 

1.3.  Nature of the proposal/initiative  

1.4.  Grounds for the proposal/initiative  

1.5.  Duration and financial impact  

1.6.  Management mode(s) planned  

2. 

MANAGEMENT MEASURES  

2.1.  Monitoring and reporting rules  

2.2.  Management and control system  

2.3.  Measures to prevent fraud and irregularities  

3. 

ESTIMATED FINANCIAL IMPACT OF THE PROPOSAL/INITIATIVE  

3.1.  Heading(s)  of  the  multiannual  financial  framework  and  expenditure  budget 
line(s) affected  

3.2.  Estimated impact on expenditure  

3.2.1. Summary of estimated impact on expenditure  

3.2.2. Estimated impact on appropriations of an administrative nature 

3.2.3. Third-party contributions  

3.3.  Estimated impact on revenue 

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LEGISLATIVE FINANCIAL STATEMENT 

1. 

FRAMEWORK OF THE PROPOSAL/INITIATIVE  

1.1. 

Title of the proposal/initiative  

Council  Decision  amending  Decision  2007/198/Euratom  establishing  the  European 
Joint Undertaking for ITER and the Development of Fusion  Energy and conferring 
advantages upon it.  

1.2. 

Policy area(s) concerned (Programme cluster) 

1 – Research and Innovation 

1.3. 

The proposal/initiative relates to:  

 a new action  
 a new action following a pilot project/preparatory action15  

 the extension of an existing action  

 a merger or redirection of one or more actions towards another/a new action  

1.4. 

Grounds for the proposal/initiative  

1.4.1.  Requirement(s) to be met in the short or long term including a detailed timeline for 

roll-out of the implementation of the initiative 

This Council Decision will allow the contribution of funds to Fusion for Energy to 
carry  out  the  tasks  assigned  to  it.  This  Decision  will  result  in  Europe  making  its 
contributions  to  the  construction  of  ITER  during  the  period  2021-2027  where  the 
ITER  project  will  reach  first  plasma  in  2025.  Europe  is  making  the  largest 
contribution to the project (about 45% of the construction costs) and the impacts of 
this  Decision  will  be  greatest  in  Europe,  both  at  near  term  (benefits  to  European 
industry)  and  at  long  term  (a  leading  role  in  the  commercial  exploitation  of  fusion 
energy). 

1.4.2.  Added  value  of  Union  involvement  (it  may  result  from  different  factors,  e.g. 
coordination gains, legal certainty, greater effectiveness or complementarities). For 
the purposes of this point 'added value of Union involvement' is the value resulting 
from  Union  intervention  which  is  additional  to  the  value  that  would  have  been 
otherwise created by Member States alone. 

The  initiative  falls  under  the  exclusive  competence  of  the  EU  according  to  Article 
101 of the Euratom Treaty. Therefore, the subsidiarity principle does not apply. 

ITER is a unique, first-of-a-kind, long-term project which greatly contributes to the 
long-term EU strategy for clean energy, security of supply and competitiveness. As 
such, it cannot be executed through industry initiative at this stage of the technology 
development and public intervention is warranted. This investment offers European 
high-tech  industries  and  small  and  medium  enterprises  (SMEs)  a  valuable 
opportunity  to  innovate  and  develop  “spin  off”  products  for  exploitation  outside 
fusion (such as the broader energy sector, aviation, medical, and hi-tech instruments).  

15 

As referred to in Article 58(2)(a) or (b) of the Financial Regulation. 

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As  ITER's  legal  basis  is  an  international  agreement  to  which  Euratom  is  a  Party, 
action  at  EU  level  is  more  effective  (less  fragmentation)  and  efficient  (better  value 
for money/economies of scale), and offers coordination of actions (e.g. in addressing 
externalities)  for  meeting  EU  obligations.  Pooling  of  resources  and  expertise  is 
paramount  to  the  construction  of  ITER  and  EU  action  is  particularly  needed  to 
achieve  the  critical  mass  of  resources  and  knowledge  across  different  fields, 
technologies, and research infrastructures and industries required for the construction 
of  this  first-of-a-kind  project.  This  has  also  been  recognized  explicitly  in  the 
“Reflection Paper on the Future of EU Finances” of June 2017, which puts forward 
clear  value  added  when  action  at  European  level  goes  further  than  national  efforts 
could –this includes "big projects and key enabling technologies, such as […] ITER 
(which) can only be financed by pooling resources at EU level because of their very 
high financing needs". 

Accordingly, action at EU level delivers results that uncoordinated national spending 
could not achieve in terms of a number of strategic priorities: i.) security of supply; 
ii.)  opportunities  for  long-term  growth  and  development  of  European  science, 
technology and industry, and structuring of the EU R&D fabric; iii.) improvements 
in quality and innovation through exposure to EU-wide and global competition, and 
iv.) mobilizing the EU potential/negotiating power at global level.  

1.4.3.  Lessons learned from similar experiences in the past 

The Joint European Torus (JET) project has demonstrated that building and operating 
a large fusion research infrastructure under the Euratom coordination is efficient and 
maximises the scientific and industrial benefits. However, the scale required for the 
ITER construction is  unprecedented and requires a  collaboration  at global level  for 
which there is no example to be found in the past.  

1.4.4.  Compatibility and possible synergy with other appropriate instruments 

This  Decision  will  allow  synergies  and  complementarities  with  fusion  research 
activities  with  the  Euratom  research  and  training  programme.  The  fusion  activities 
under  this  framework  will  provide  important  scientific  contribution  to  the 
construction and operation of ITER.  

1.5. 

Duration and financial impact  

 limited duration  

–    in effect from 01/01/2021 to 31/12/2027 

–    Financial impact from 2021 to 2027 

 unlimited duration 

–  Implementation with a start-up period from YYYY to YYYY, 

–  followed by full-scale operation. 
1.6.  Management mode(s) planned16  

 Direct management by the Commission 

16 

Details of management modes and references to the Financial Regulation may be found on the 
BudgWeb site: 
https://myintracomm.ec.europa.eu/budgweb/EN/man/budgmanag/Pages/budgmanag.aspx  

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–   by its departments, including by its staff in the Union delegations;  

–    by the executive agencies  

 Shared management with the Member States  

 Indirect management by entrusting budget implementation tasks to: 

–   third countries or the bodies they have designated; 

–   international organisations and their agencies (to be specified); 

–  the EIB and the European Investment Fund; 

–    bodies referred to in Articles 70 and 71 of the Financial Regulation; 

–   public law bodies; 

–   bodies governed by private law with a public service mission to the extent that 

they provide adequate financial guarantees; 

–   bodies governed by the private law of a Member State that are entrusted with 
the  implementation  of  a  public-private  partnership  and  that  provide  adequate 
financial guarantees; 

–    persons  entrusted  with  the  implementation  of  specific  actions  in  the  CFSP 

pursuant to Title V of the TEU, and identified in the relevant basic act. 

–  If  more  than  one  management  mode  is  indicated,  please  provide  details  in  the 

‘Comments’ section. 

Comments  

Management  will  be  carried  out  by  F4E  under  the  supervision  of  the  Commission  .  The 
Commission represents Euratom in the governing bodies of both the ITER Organization (IO) 
and F4E. While Euratom provides about 80% of the F4E budget it has under the current F4E 
Statutes 5 voting rights out of 72. F4E is a Joint Underatking established according to Chapter 
5  of  the  Euratom  Treaty.  Pusuant  to  its  Statutes,  F4E  has  its  own  budgetary  discharge 
procedure by the European Parliament, following a recommendation of the Council of the EU.  

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2. 

MANAGEMENT MEASURES  

2.1.  Monitoring and reporting rules  

Specify frequency and conditions. 

This Decision will be implemented by the Commission and F4E, which channels the 
Euratom  contribution  to  the  ITER  Project  and  to  other  activities  related  to  ITER, 
such as the Broader Approach activities with Japan. 

This Decision provides for an interim and final evaluation of its implementation. The 
conclusions  of  these  evaluations  and  the  observations  of  the  Commission  will  be 
communicated to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and 
Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions. The Commission, on behalf of 
Euratom, participates in the decision-making bodies the ITER Organization and F4E: 
1)  The  Commisison  participates  in  the  the  ITER  Council,  and  in  the  Committees 
established by the Council; 2) as member of F4E, the Commission participates in the 
Governing  Board  and  in  Committees  established  by  the  Board.  These  governance 
structures are used for monitoring the progress of the project and the performance of 
its  implementation,  on  the  basis  of  reporting  and  disclosure  from  the  ITER 
Organization and F4E, respectively. 

In particular: 

a) Pursuant to Article 6.d. of the F4E Statutes, the Governing  Board of F4E adopts 
the project plan, the work programme, the resource estimates plan, the establishment 
plan and the staff policy plan. According to Article 6.e, the Governing Board adopts 
also  the  annual  budget.  It  is  to  be  noted  that  these  documents  are  part  of  the 
programming document that, pursuant to Article 32 of its Financial Regulation, F4E 
draws  up  each  year  and  has  to  submit  a  draft  to  the  Governing  Board,  the 
Commission, the European Parliament and the Council no later than 31 January. The 
Commission is requested to issue an opinion on this draft that should be taken into 
account by F4E to produce the final version of the programming document. 

b) Pursuant to Article 14 of its Statutes, the F4E Director prepares an annual report 
that records the implementation of the F4E work programme. This report is assessed 
by  the  Governing  Board  and  sent  by  the  Governing  Board,  together  with  its 
assessment,  to  the  F4E  Members,  the  European  Parliament,  the  Council  and  the 
Commission. F4E reports also to the Council each year on the progress achieved in 
implementing  the  cost  containment  and  saving  plans  as  well  as  on  the  F4E 
performance and management and on the ITER project. F4E reports also once a year 
to the Council on the fulfilment of the scheduled activities within its annual budget. 

c) In-between the formal reports, F4E provides in monthly intervals information on 
the implementation of its budget and on the progress on key milestones established to 
monitor the construction and procurement activities under F4E's responsibility.  

d)  At  the  level  of  the  overall  project  monitoring,  the  Director-General  of  the  ITER 
Organization  presents  twice  a  year  to  the  ITER  Council  and  its  Management 
Advisory Committee a report on the progress of the project, its implementation and 
on  the  execution  of  his  risk  and  cost  management  action  plan.  In-between  these 
reports, the ITER Organization reports every two months through a set of dashboards 
monitoring  budget  implementation,  risk  management,  procurement  activities  and 
progress on milestones for key components on the project's critical path.  

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2.2.  Management and control system(s)  

2.2.1. 

Justification of the management mode(s), the funding implementation mechanism(s), 
the payment modalities and the control strategy proposed 

The  overall  architecture of  the  ITER  project  calls  for  contracting  parties  to  operate 
through Domestic Agencies. 

The establishment of a Joint Undertaking under Chapter 5 of the Euratom Treaty was 
considered in 2007 as the most appropriate solution to operate this role of Domestic 
Agency  and  to  discharge  the  Euratom  obligations  towards  the  ITER  Organization 
pursuant  to  the  conclusion  of  the  ITER  Agreement.  This  adequacy  has  been 
confirmed by several independent reviews and assessment since then.  

On the basis of this Council Decision each year the Commission adopts a financing 
decision to transfer the funds of the year n+1 from the EU budget to F4E. F4E sends 
call  for  funds  for  its  administrative  and  operational  budgets.  The  Commission 
required  justifications  for  each  call  for  funds  related  to  the  operational  budget,  in 
particular a cash-flow forecast for running costs and operational costs, covering the 
period  of the payment request and a situation of the Fusion  for Energy  Treasury, a 
reference  to  the  commitment(s)  in  the  budget  to  which  the  payment  relates,  a 
comprehensive planning for each project on which a payment is to be made and the 
relevant justification. 

The  Joint  Undertaking  has  the  necessary  expertise,  resources  and  experience  to 
implement the required ex-ante checks and ex-post controls on procurements. Risks 
are assessed regularly and progress in the execution of work and the consumption of 
resources is monitored regularly, based on defined objectives and indicators. 

A  supervision  strategy  has  been  developed  by  the  Commission  over  the  F4E 
activities.  As  part  of  this  strategy  a  new  Administrative  Agreement  is  being 
negotiated  that  will  take  into  account  the  changes  in  the  legal  framework  (F4E 
statutes  were  amended  in  2015,  a  new  F4E  financial  regulation  was  adopted;  the 
responsibility  for  ITER,  and  therefore  F4E,  supervision  was  transferred  from  DG 
RTD  to  DG  ENER.)  These  modifications  in  the  F4E  legal  framework  and  in  the 
division of responsibilities within the Commission entail changes in the modalities of 
F4E's interaction with the Commission as covered in the Administrative Agreement 
with F4E. 

2.2.2. 

Information concerning the risks identified and the internal control system(s) set up 
to mitigate them 

There  are    inherent  financial  and  operational  performance  risks  in  F4E  due  to  the 
nature of its activities (large and complex in-kind procurements with high technical 
risks) and to the nature and architecture of the underlying project (involvement of 7 
contracting  parties,  development  of  the  single  largest  energy  experiment  to  date)  . 
Measures to monitor and better control the functioning of F4E have been put in place 
to  alleviate  this  situation.  The  Commission  together  with  F4E  will  continue  to 
identify  the  risks  related  to  the  implementation  of  this  project,  notably  in  terms  of 
costs,  and  will  take  the  most  appropriate  measures  to  manage  and  mitigate  these 
risks. 

DG ENER (D4) has developed a comprehensive risk assessment methodology with 
the creation of a risk register updated every 3 months and a risk management plan to 
monitor the key risks that can hamper the achievement of the First Plasma by 2025.. 

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Such risk monitoring should prompt the Commission to react proactively to delays, 
cost overruns or other negative events that can delay the Euratom contribution. 

F4E  will  revise  in  2018  its  internal  control  framework  to  take  into  account  fo  the 
changes intervened at Commission level.  

2.2.3.  Estimation and justification of the cost-effectiveness of the controls (ratio of "control 
costs ÷ value of the related funds managed"), and assessment of the expected levels 
of risk of error (at payment & at closure)  

At  Commission  level,  the  cost  of  control  attached  to  the  oversight  of  the  ITER 
project and of the operations  of F4E remains  low compared  to  the value of the the 
funds  managed.  This  cost  was  estimated  at  0,31%  in  2016  and  0,28%  in  2017, 
including  the  cost  of  maintaining  a  dedicated  unit  in  DG  ENER  ,  management 
oversight, and the support received from horizontal functions. This cost may increase 
slightly  in  the  coming  years  to  reflect  increased  oversight,  improved  risk 
management and the evolution of the tasks as the project progress furthers.  The risk 
of  error  associated  to  the  administration  of  the  EU  contribution  to  the  Joint 
Undertaking is minimal. 

At delegated entity level, F4E has not yet developped a methodology to carry out the 
assessment  of  costs  and  benefits  of  controls  or  the  expected  level  of  error.  Even 
though,  it  is  worth  to  mention  that  the  European  Court  of  Auditors  has  always 
delivered unqualified opinion to F4E on the true and fair view of accounts and on the 
regularity  of  underlying  transactions.  When  DG  BUDG  will  deliver  the  newer 
methodology  at  the  end  of  2018,  DG  ENER  will  ensure  that  F4E  carries  out  the 
necessary assessments.  

2.3.  Measures to prevent fraud and irregularities  

Specify existing or envisaged prevention and protection measures, e.g. from the Anti-Fraud Strategy. 

The Commission's Directorate General charged with the implementation of the ITER 
project and budget is committed to fight against fraud in line with the Commission 
Anti-fraud  strategy  COM(2011)376  of  24  June  2011  and  with  the  fortchoming 
revision of this antifraud strategy 

At Commission level, DG ENER develops and maintains its own antifraud strategy, 
based  on  a  specific  risk  assessment  process.  The  necessary  measures  are  taken  as 
regard awareness, risks assessment, information of staff, cooperation with entrusted 
entities and cooperation with OLAF. This strategy is revised every 2 to 3 years, the 
last time in December 2017.  

The administrative monitoring of the contracts, grants and related payments is under 
the responsibility of F4E. 

The  Commission  and  F4E  take  into  account  the  financial  interests  of  the  European 
Union notably in compliance with Council Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 2988/95 of 
18  December  1995  on  the  protection  of  the  European  Communities’  financial 
interests and Article 53(a) of the Financial Regulation.  

F4E  develops  ex-post  audit  strategies  to  assess  the  legality  and  regularity  of  the 
underlying transactions. 

The  European  Anti-Fraud  Office  (OLAF)  enjoys  the  same  powers  with  respect  to 
F4E and its staff, as it enjoys in respect of Commission departments. It is worth to 
mention that among the measures to prevent fraud and irregularities: 

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F4E has an internal auditor that reviews on a permanent basis different features 

- 
of the internal control system; 

F4E internal control system is regularly reviewed by the Commission's Internal 

- 
Audit Service; 

F4E is yearly subject to the European Court of Auditors audit on the true and 
- 
fair  view  of  accounts  and  legality  and  regularity  of  the  underlying  transactions 
(income and expenditure); 

F4E is yearly subject to the discharge procedures of the European Parliament 

- 
and the Council of the EU. 

F4E has developed an Anti-Fraud Straegy that was approved by its Governing Board 
in  June  2015.  The  overall  objective  is  to  improve  prevention,  detection  and  the 
conditions  for  investigations  of  fraud,  and  to  pursue  adequate  deterrence  and 
reparation, with proportionate and dissuasive sanctions. The F4E Anti-Fraud Strategy 
reinforces  the  adopted  measures  preventing  and  managing  conflicts  of  interests 
within F4E and is integrated into the broader legal framework of F4E protecting the 
financial interests of the EU and combating fraud, as stipulated in Articles 5a and 5aa 
of the Council Decision 2007/198/Euratom establishing F4E.  

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3. 

3.1. 

Heading of 
multiannual 
financial 
framework 

ESTIMATED FINANCIAL IMPACT OF THE PROPOSAL/INITIATIVE  

Heading  of  the  multiannual  financial  framework  and  new  expenditure  budget 
line(s) proposed  

Budget line 

Number  
1 Single Market, Innovation and Digital  

Type of  
expenditure 

Diff./Non-
17 
diff.

Contribution  

from 
EFTA 
countries
18 

from 
candidate 
19 
countries

from third 
countries 

within the 
meaning of 
Article [21(2)(b)] 
of the Financial 
Regulation  

01 01 04 

01  01  04  01  Expenditure  related  to 
officials 
agents 
temporary 
implementing ITER programme 

and 

01  01  04  02  External  personnel 
implementing ITER programme 

Non-diff. 

Non-diff. 

01  01  04  03  Other  management 
expenditure ITER programme 

Non-diff 

01 04 

01 04 01 European Joint Undertaking for 
ITER  –  Fusion  for  Energy  (F4E)  – 
Expenditure 
administrative  
on 
management  

Diff. 

01 04 02 European Joint Undertaking for 
ITER  –  Fusion  for  Energy  (F4E)  - 
Operational expenditure 

Diff. 

NO 

NO 

YES 

YES 

17 
18 
19 

Diff. = Differentiated appropriations / Non-diff. = Non-differentiated appropriations. 
EFTA: European Free Trade Association.  
Candidate countries and, where applicable, potential candidates from the Western Balkans. 

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3.2. 

3.2.1. 

Estimated impact on expenditure  
Summary of estimated impact on expenditure20  

Heading of multiannual financial  
framework 21 

1 

Single Market, Innovation and Digital  

EUR million (to three decimal places) 

2021 

2022 

2023 

2024 

2025 

2026 

2027 

Post 
2027 

TOTAL 

01 01 04 01 Expenditure related to officials and 
temporary 
ITER 
programme 

implementing 

agents 

01  01  04  02  External  personnel  implementing 
ITER programme 

Commitments = 
Payments 

Commitments = 
Payments 

(1) 

9,257 

9,442 

9,631 

9,824 

10,020 

10,220 

10,425 

(1) 

0,314 

0,320 

0,327 

0,333 

0,340 

0,347 

0,354 

01  01  04  03  Other  management  expenditure 
ITER programme 

Commitments = 
Payments 

(1) 

1,500 

1,530 

1,560 

1,592 

1,624 

1,656 

1,689 

01 04 01 European Joint Undertaking for ITER 
– Expenditure on administrative  management 

Commitments = 
Payments 

01 04 02 European Joint Undertaking for ITER 
– Fusion for Energy (F4E) - Operational 
expenditure 

Commitments 

Payments 

(1) 

(2) 

(3) 

65,000 

66,000 

67,000 

69,000 

70,000 

71,000 

73,000 

858,081 

690,463 

1,024,144 

791,024 

664,205 

842,685 

636,093 

209,304 

520,061 

538,856 

647,466 

697,841 

800,512 

811,667 

1,280,987 

TOTAL appropriations for the envelop 
of the programme 

Commitments 

=1+2 

934,152 

767,755 

1 102,662 

871,773 

746,189 

925,908 

721,561 

Payments 

=1+3 

285,375 

597,353 

617,374 

728,215 

779,825 

883,735 

897,135 

1,280,987 

68,819 

2,335 

11,151 

481,000 

5,506,695 

5,506,695 

6,070,000 

6,070,000 

20 
21 

Totals may not tally due to rounding 
Article  01  01  04  includes  technical  and/or  administrative  assistance  and  expenditure  in  support  of  the  implementation  of  EU  programmes  and/or  actions  (former 
‘BA’ lines), indirect research, direct research. 

EN 

19 

EN 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
Heading of multiannual financial  
framework  

7 

European Public Administration  

EUR million (to three decimal places) 

2021 

2022 

2023 

2024 

2025 

2026 

2027 

Post 
2027 

TOTAL 

Operational  appropriations  (split  according  to 
the budget lines listed under 3.1)   

Commitments 

Payments 

Appropriations of an administrative nature 
financed from the envelope of the programme22  

Commitments = 
Payments 

(1) 

(2) 

(3) 

TOTAL appropriations for the envelope 
of the programme 

Commitments 

=1+3 

Payments 

=2+3 

22 

Technical and/or administrative assistance and expenditure in support of the implementation of EU programmes and/or actions (former ‘BA’ lines), indirect research, 
direct research. 

EN 

20 

EN 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
Heading of multiannual financial  
framework  

7 

European Public Administration 

2021 

2022 

2023 

2024 

2025 

2026 

2027 

Post 
2027 

TOTAL 

EUR million (to three decimal places) 

Human resources  
Other administrative expenditure  
TOTAL appropriations under HEADING 
7 of the multiannual financial framework 

(Total  commitments  = 
Total payments) 

2021 

2022 

2023 

2024 

2025 

2026 

2027 

Post 
2027 

TOTAL 

EUR million (to three decimal places) 

TOTAL appropriations  
across HEADINGS  
of the multiannual financial framework  

Commitments 

934,152 

767,755 

1 102,662 

871,773 

746,189 

925,908 

721,561 

6,070,000 

Payments 

285,375 

597,353 

617,374 

728,215 

779,825 

883,735 

897,135 

1,280,988 

6,070,000 

EN 

21 

EN 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
3.2.2. 

Summary of estimated impact on appropriations of an administrative nature 

–    The  proposal/initiative  does  not  require  the  use  of  appropriations  of  an 

administrative nature  

–    The proposal/initiative requires the use of appropriations of an administrative 

nature, as explained below: 

EUR million (to three decimal places) 

Years 

2021 

2022 

2023 

2024 

2025 

2026 

2027 

TOTAL 

HEADING 7 
of the multiannual 
financial framework 

Human resources  

Other administrative 
expenditure  

Subtotal HEADING 7 
of the multiannual 
financial framework  

23 

Outside HEADING 7
of the multiannual 
financial framework  

Human resources  

9,571 

9,762 

9,958 

10,157 

10,360 

10,567 

10,779 

71,154 

Other expenditure  
of an administrative 
nature 

Subtotal  
outside HEADING 7 
of the multiannual 
financial framework  

1,500 

1,530 

1,560 

1,592 

1,624 

1,656 

1,689 

11,151 

11,071 

11,292 

11,518 

11,749 

11,984 

12,223 

12,468 

82,305 

TOTAL 

11,071 

11,292 

11,518 

11,749 

11,984 

12,223 

12,468 

82,305 

23 

Technical  and/or  administrative  assistance  and  expenditure  in  support  of  the  implementation  of 
EU programmes and/or actions (former ‘BA’ lines), indirect research, direct research. 

EN 

22 

  EN 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
3.2.2.1.  Estimated requirements of human resources 

–    The proposal/initiative does not require the use of human resources.  

–    The  proposal/initiative  requires  the  use  of  human  resources,  as  explained 

below: 

Estimate to be expressed in full time equivalent units 

Years 

2021 

2022 

2023 

2024 

2025 

2026 

2027 

 Establishment plan posts (officials and temporary staff) 

Headquarters and Commission’s 
Representation Offices 

Delegations 

Research 

61 

61 

61 

61 

61 

61 

61 

 External staff (in Full Time Equivalent unit: FTE) - AC, AL, END, INT and JED 

24

Heading 7 

Financed from 
HEADING 7 of 
the multiannual 
financial 
framework  

Financed from the 
envelope of the 

25

programme 

Research 

- at Headquarters 

- in Delegations  

- at Headquarters 

- in Delegations  

4 

4 

4 

4 

4 

4 

4 

Other (specify) 

TOTAL 

The human resources required will be met by staff from the DG who are already assigned to management of the action and/or 
have  been  redeployed  within  the  DG,  together  if  necessary  with  any  additional  allocation  which  may  be  granted  to  the 
managing DG under the annual allocation procedure and in the light of budgetary constraints. Staff numbers required for F4E 
Joint undertaking including officials are presented under point 3.2.2.2 

Description of tasks to be carried out: 

Officials and temporary staff 

Staff working in the headquarters are in charge of the definition and subsequent follow-
up  of  the  activities  both  from  the  domestic  agency  in  Barcelona  (F4E)  and  the  ITER 
project where the Commission is a representative of the European partnership. 

External staff 

Staff working in the headquarters are in charge of the definition and subsequent follow-
up  of  the  activities  both  from  the  domestic  agency  in  Barcelona  (F4E)  and  the  ITER 
project where the Commission is a representative of the European partnership 

3.2.2.2.  Estimated requirements of human resources in F4E 

2021 

2022 

2023 

2024 

2025 

2026 

2027 

Permanent 
staff 

Of which AD 

51 

40 

51 

40 

51 

40 

51 

40 

51 

40 

51 

40 

51 

40 

24 

25 

AC=  Contract  Staff;  AL  =  Local  Staff;  END  =  Seconded  National  Expert;  INT  =  agency  staff; 
JPD= Junior Professionals in Delegations.  
Sub-ceiling for external staff covered by operational appropriations (former ‘BA’ lines). 

EN 

23 

  EN 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
                                                 
Of which Ast 

11 

11 

11 

11 

11 

11 

11 

Of which Ast-
sc 

Temporary 
Agents 

229 

229 

229 

221 

213 

211 

211 

Of which AD 

202 

Of which Ast 

27 

202 

27 

202 

27 

194 

27 

186 

27 

184 

27 

184 

27 

Of which Ast-
sc 

Contract 
Agents 

172 

172 

172 

165 

159 

157 

157 

Total 

452 

452 

452 

437 

423 

419 

419 

3.2.2.3 – F4E JU – breakdown of function group of Contractual agents 2021-2027 

Contract 
agents 

Function 
group IV 

Function 
group III 

Function 
group II 

Function 
group I 

Total 

2021 

2022 

2023 

2024 

2025 

2026 

 2027 

98 

98 

55 

55 

19 

19 

98 

55 

19 

91 

55 

19 

85 

55 

19 

83 

55 

19 

83 

55 

19 

172 

172 

172 

165 

159 

157 

157 

EN 

24 

  EN 

 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
3.2.3.  Third-party contributions  

The proposal/initiative: 

–    does not provide for co-financing by third parties 

–    provides for the co-financing by third parties estimated below: 

Appropriations in EUR million (to three decimal places) 

Years 

2021 

2022 

2023 

2024 

2025 

2026 

2027 

TOTAL 

Specify  the  co-financing 
body26  

TOTAL appropriations 
co-financed  

p.m. 

p.m. 

p.m. 

p.m. 

p.m. 

p.m. 

p.m. 

p.m. 

p.m. 

p.m. 

p.m. 

p.m. 

p.m. 

p.m. 

p.m. 

p.m. 

3.3. 

Estimated impact on revenue  

–    The proposal/initiative has no financial impact on revenue. 

–    The proposal/initiative has the following financial impact: 

– 

– 

 

 

on own resources  

 on other revenue 

      please indicate, if the revenue is assigned to expenditure lines  

EUR million (to three decimal places) 

Impact of the proposal/initiative

27

Budget revenue line: 

2021 

2022 

2023 

2024 

Article 6XXX28 

p.m. 

p.m. 

p.m. 

p.m. 

2025 

p.m. 

2026 

p.m. 

2027 

p.m. 

For assigned revenue, specify the budget expenditure line(s) affected. 

Budget lines 01 01 04, 01 04 01 and 01 04 02 

Other  remarks  (e.g.  method/formula  used  for  calculating  the  impact  on  revenue  or  any  other 
information). 

Not yet known. It depends on a new agreement to be established with Switzerland for 
the  period  2021-2027.  In  case  Brexit  gets  confirmed  and  the  United  Kingdom  will 
remain as a partner of the ITER programme, its eventual contribution should also be 
recorded as earmarked revenue (from third countries). 

26 

27 

28 

In  addition  to the  funding  from  EU budget,  France  as  Host  State  of  the project  contributes  at present 
directly to F4E budget in about 20% of the Euratom contribution. Furthermore, each year F4E Members 
pay  a  membership  contribution  to  the  Joint  Undertaking.  These  co-financing  revenues  are  recorded 
directly in F4E accounts and are not included in the EU budget revenue and expenditure. 
As regards traditional own resources (customs duties, sugar levies), the amounts indicated must be net 
amounts, i.e. gross amounts after deduction of 20 % for collection costs. 
Switzerland and eventually the United Kingdom. 

EN 

25 

  EN