COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT Ex-ante evaluation of a new instrument combining the current European Instrument for International Nuclear Safety Cooperation with the JRC decommissioning activities Accompanying the document Council Regulation (Euratom) Establishing the Instrument for Nuclear Safety Cooperation and Decommissioning for the period 2028-2034
Date: 2025-09-03
Institutions: European Commission, Joint Research Centre
Subjects: EU financial instrument, decommissioning of power stations, international cooperation, nuclear power station, nuclear safety, peaceful use of energy, radioactive materials, radioactive waste, storage of waste

EN 

  EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 3.9.2025  SWD(2025) 254 final  COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT Ex-ante evaluation of a new instrument combining the current European Instrument for International Nuclear Safety Cooperation with the JRC decommissioning activities Accompanying the document Council Regulation (Euratom) Establishing the Instrument for Nuclear Safety Cooperation and Decommissioning for the period 2028-2034    {COM(2025) 598 final}  
 
 
TABLE OF CONTENTS 

LIST OF ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS .............................................................................. ….3 

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .................................................................................................................. 5 

1. 

INTRODUCTION: SCOPE, POLITICAL AND LEGAL CONTEXT ................................................ 10 

1.1.  Scope of the report ................................................................................................... 10 
1.2.  Political context ....................................................................................................... 11 
Political context of the new Regulation (Euratom) INSC-D ............................... 11 
1.2.1. 
Political context of the external component – INSC ........................................... 11 
1.2.2. 
1.2.3. 
Political context of the internal component – JRC decommissioning ................. 13 
1.3.  Legal context ........................................................................................................... 13 
Legal context of the ex-ante evaluation ............................................................... 14 
1.3.1. 
Legal context of the external component – INSC ............................................... 14 
1.3.2. 
Legal context of the internal component – JRC decommissioning ..................... 15 
1.3.3. 

2. 

SUMMARY OF THE CURRENT INSTRUMENT AND LESSONS LEARNT, INCLUDING EVIDENCE 
ON THE PERFORMANCE OF RELATED PROGRAMMES ........................................................... 15 

2.1.  External component - INSC ..................................................................................... 15 
2.1.1.  Rationale of the current instrument ..................................................................... 15 
2.1.2.  Main elements of the current instrument ............................................................. 16 
Ex-post evaluation of the 2014-2020 INSC period ............................................. 17 
2.1.3. 
Ex-ante impact assessment for the 2021-2027 INSC period ............................... 18 
2.1.4. 
2.1.5.  Mid-term review of the 2021-2027 INSC period ................................................ 19 
2.2. 
Internal component – JRC decommissioning .......................................................... 20 
2.2.1.  Rationale of the current Nuclear Decommissioning and Waste Management 
Programme (NDWMP)....................................................................................................... 20 
2.2.2.  Main elements of the current NDWMP............................................................... 21 
2.2.3.  Mid-term Review of the 2021-2027 NDWMP .................................................... 21 
Internal Audit of the NDWMP ............................................................................ 22 
2.2.4. 

3. 

ISSUES TO BE ADDRESSED AND THE ADDED VALUE OF EU INVOLVEMENT ........................ 23 

3.1. 
Issues and challenges to be addressed ..................................................................... 23 
3.2.  The added value of EU involvement ....................................................................... 28 

4.  OBJECTIVES, SYNERGIES, CHANGES ................................................................................... 29 

4.1.  Objectives ................................................................................................................ 29 
4.1.1.  General objectives ............................................................................................... 29 
Specific objectives ............................................................................................... 30 
4.1.2. 
4.2. 
synergies .................................................................................................................. 31 
Synergies with other programmes and organisations .......................................... 31 
4.2.1. 
4.2.2.  Contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals .......................................... 32 
4.3.  Analysis of changes and new elements .................................................................... 32 

5.  EFFECTS OF DIFFERENT POLICY OPTIONS ........................................................................... 33 

6. 

IMPACT OF PAST PROGRAMMES .......................................................................................... 35 

6.1.  External component – INSC .................................................................................... 35 
Internal component – JRC decommissioning .......................................................... 36 
6.2. 

 
 
7.  MONITORING AND EVALUATION......................................................................................... 36 

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LIST OF ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS 

AAP 
AFCONE  
ASEAN  
BR 
BSS 
CDA 
CEZ  
CNS  
DG BUDG 
DG ENER 
DG INTPA 
DOAG 

D&WM 

EBRD  

EC  
EEAS  
EFI  
EIA  
EIB  
ENEN 
ENSREG  
EP 
EPC  

EU  
Euratom 
EVM 
FARO  
FR 
FPI 
HFR 
IAEA  
INSC 

IPA  
ISTC 
JCPoA 

JRC 
KM  
KPI 
LCSR 
LLW 

Annual Action Programme 
African Commission on Nuclear Energy 
Association of Southeast Asian Nations 
Better Regulations  
Basic Safety Standards 
Commission Delegated Act 
Chornobyl Exclusion Zone  
Convention on Nuclear Safety 
Directorate-General for Budget 
Directorate-General for Energy 
Directorate-General for International Partnerships 
Decision on the Overseas Association, including 
Greenland 
Decommissioning and radioactive waste 
management 
European Bank for Reconstruction and 
Development 
European Commission  
European External Action Service  
External Financing Instrument  
Environmental Impact Assessment  
European Investment Bank 
European Nuclear Education Network 
European Nuclear Safety Regulators Group  
European Parliament 
Engineering, Procurement and Construction 
(contract) 
European Union  
European Atomic Energy Community 
Earned Value Management 
Fuel Assembly and Release Oven (Ispra) 
Financial Regulation 
Foreign Policy Instrument 
High Flux Reactor (Petten) 
International Atomic Energy Agency  
Instrument for Nuclear Safety Cooperation or 
European Instrument for International Nuclear 
Safety Cooperation 
Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance 
International Science and Technology Centre 
Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (“the Iran 
nuclear deal”) 
Joint Research Centre  
Knowledge Management 
Key Performance Indicator 
Laboratory for Studies and Research (Ispra) 
Low-level waste (radioactive) 

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MAP 
M&E  
MFF  
MIP  
MTR 
NDAP 
NDICI  

NDWMP  

NPP  
NPT 
NSD 
NSSG 
OECD  

PPS 
R&T 
RCF  
ROM  
RWD  

Multiannual Action Plan 
Monitoring and Evaluation  
Multiannual Financial Framework  
Multiannual Indicative Programme  
Mid-Term Review  
Nuclear Decommissioning Assistance Programme 
Neighbourhood, Development and International 
Cooperation Instrument 
Nuclear Decommissioning and Waste 
Management Programme 
Nuclear Power Plant  
Non-Proliferation Treaty 
Nuclear Safety Directive 
Nuclear Safety and Security Group (of G7) 
Organization for Economic Co-operation and 
Development 
Program Performance Statement 
Research and Training 
Regulatory Cooperation Forum  
Results-Oriented Monitoring  
Radioactive Waste Directive 

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 

This  report  contains  the  ex-ante  evaluation  of  the  Commission’s  proposal  for  a  new 
Regulation  establishing 
for  Nuclear  Safety  Cooperation  and 
Decommissioning (INSC-D) for the period 2028-2034. The proposed new regulation puts 
forward the seamless continuation of two current instruments, namely the 

Instrument 

the 

•  European  Instrument  for  Nuclear  Safety  Cooperation  (INSC)  –  Regulation 

(Euratom) No 2021/948, and the 

•  JRC Nuclear Decommissioning and Waste Management Programme (NDWMP) – 

Regulation (Euratom) No 2021/100. 

Following  the  findings  of  the  following  comprehensive  evaluations,  the  Commission’s 
proposal seeks to build on the successful implementation of the previous instruments, to 
progress on EU policies in 2028-2034: 

•  ex-post evaluation of INSC for the 2014-2020 period 
•  ex-ante impact assessment of INSC for the 2021-2027 period  
•  mid-term evaluation of INSC for the 2021-2027 period (until 2024) 
•  mid-term evaluation of JRC NDWMP for the 2021-2027 period (until 2024) 

Rationale for the merger  
The  proposed  new  Regulation  formally  merges  the  above  two  regulations  into  a  single 
Instrument.  

The merger of the INSC and Decommissioning Programme (under Euratom) is justified 
by  multiple  strategic  and  regulatory  factors.  Driven  by  the  EU’s  Multiannual  Financial 
Framework  (MFF) simplification goals  and the "Better Regulation" agenda, the merger 
aims  to  reduce  administrative  complexity,  eliminate  redundancies,  and  streamline 
coordination  among  stakeholders.  A  shared  legal  basis  under  Euratom  facilitates  this 
consolidation.  Post-pandemic  fiscal  pressures  further  motivate  the  rationalization  of 
smaller  programs  to  reduce  administrative  burden.  The  merger  aligns  with  the  New 
European Innovation Agenda’s "joined-up governance" principle, promoting cross-agency 
collaboration over fragmented ("siloed") approaches. While requiring upfront coordination 
and  stakeholder  engagement,  this  move  is  expected  to  enhance  the  EU’s  efficiency  in 
addressing interconnected challenges during the next MFF. 
The Instrument will have two components: an external component complementing Global 
Europe  and  pursuing  the  objectives  of  the  current  INSC,  and  an  internal  component 
pursuing the objectives of the current JRC Decommissioning Programme. 

Conclusions of the evaluation 

In  the  new  MFF  period,  the  main  objectives  and  priorities  of  related  activities  remain 
largely  the  same.  The  external  component  of  the  INSC-D,  pursuing  the  objectives  and 
activities of the current European Instrument for International Nuclear Safety Cooperation 
(INSC) will continue the provision of support to third countries to be able to achieve and 
maintain a high level of nuclear safety and radiation protection; to implement a responsible 
and safe management of spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste and to establish efficient 
and  effective  safeguards  for  nuclear  material.  Predicted  and  possible  technical 
developments,  such as  an  increased  application  of  small  modular  reactors (SMRs) may 

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impact the implementation of the external cooperation, but do not affect the scope of the 
instrument. 

The internal component of INSC-D, pursuing the objectives and activities of the current 
JRC NDWMP also continues carrying out the safe decommissioning of the Commission's 
nuclear  installations  at  the  following  JRC  sites:  Geel  (Belgium),  Karlsruhe  (Germany), 
Ispra (Italy) and Petten (Netherlands). Safe management of associated spent fuel, nuclear 
materials  and  radioactive  waste  is  also  an  integral  part  of  the  programme,  as  well  as 
dissemination  of  knowledge  acquired  during  the  process  of  decommissioning  and 
radioactive waste handling to all EU Member States. 

The evaluation has found that the implementation of the proposed Instrument is feasible and 
based  on  the  achievements  of  the  previous  and  current  Instruments  allows  achieving  the 
envisaged impacts and outcomes.  

Improvements and changes incorporated into the new Instrument 

• 

• 

In line with the Commission’s efforts to streamline and simplify the EU regulation 
system, two previously separate instruments were regrouped into a single one. 
•  Provisions of the new, unified Instrument ensure advanced flexibility in terms of 
programming  approach,  including  the  selection  of  aid  modalities  and  eligibility 
criteria in alignment with Global Europe . 
In the case of the external component (INSC) with the aim 
- 

to  follow  recent  developments  in  nuclear  technology,  it  is  ensured  that 
supporting the safety aspects of the utilization of innovative nuclear reactors 
(such as SMRs) is included in the scope. 
to be able to provide a fast and proper response in exceptional cases (including 
war situations), the scope of support to  nuclear power plant (NPP) operators 
was  extended,  while  keeping  the  general  restrictions  to  avoid  unfair 
competition 

- 

and  as  further  contribution  to  the  global  efforts  to  protect  the  environment,  an  explicit 
reference to enhancing emergency preparedness and response capabilities, as well as for 
environmental remediation activities is included. 
The internal component for JRC decommissioning introduces a concrete timeline for the 
negotiations with the involved Member States on the potential transfer of nuclear liability 
from the JRC to the host MS. 

These  changes  were  motivated  by  the  feedback  provided  during  the  Mid-term  review, 
recent  technological  developments  in  peaceful  use  of  nuclear  energy,  recent  and 
geopolitical  changes  in  the  past  years  and  by  efforts  to  improve  the  management  and 
implementation  of  the  Instrument  by  taking  into  account  former  recommendations  and 
lessons learned. 

Recommendations 

The following recommendations were partly derived from the review of the proposal and 
partly from the synthesis of proposals formulated by the previous assessments. They aim 
to improve project implementation and monitoring activities. 

External component - INSC 

•  Currently supporting NPP operators in third countries is allowed only in very special 
cases. A careful analysis of possible assistance options and potential benefits that may 

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result from a limited extension of the objectives, scope and technical support areas of 
INSC cooperation with nuclear power plant operators is advised. 

Internal component – JRC decommissioning 

• 

In  the  case  of  the  internal  component,  Art.  2  3.2  of  the  proposal  lists  as one  of  the 
specific  objectives  “the  preparation  of  the  optional  transfer  of  the  related  nuclear 
liabilities from the JRC to the host Member States”. The realization of this objective 
depends on the willingness of the Member States hosting the JRC sites involved, i.e. 
Belgium, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands.  In case of successful negotiation, the 
European Commission (EC) clearly expressed its financial commitment to fully cover 
the decommissioning costs occurring after the takeover by JRC. 

•  Art. 2 of the proposal states that “negotiation between the Commission and the host 
Member State shall  be concluded within  the two first years” of the next  MFF. This 
means end of 2029 as deadline to reach an agreement with the involved Member States 
to consider the transfer of nuclear liability from the JRC. 

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Intervention logic 

Instrument for International Nuclear Safety Cooperation and Decommissioning 

External component (current INSC) 

Internal component (current JRC Decommissioning Programme) 

Current 
context 
Overall  

1.  Overlapping funding instruments 
2.  Limited synergies 
3.  A rigid implementation framework with limited flexibility 
4.  Administrative burdens 

Specific 

1.  Current unwarranted exposure of the general public and the environment to 

1.  Addressing the historical European Commission nuclear liabilities and implementing 

radiation  

2.  Need for higher and effective nuclear safety and radioactive waste 

management standards among countries all over the world, especially given 
the growing interest in nuclear energy 

2. 

the decommissioning programme of obsolete facilities according to the best 
international practices and highest nuclear safety standards. 
Initiating negotiations with host Member State on potential transfer of nuclear 
liabilities. 

3.  Continuous monitoring and reporting needs under international treaties  

3.  Producing, collecting and managing knowledge related to the European 

decommissioning programmes and disseminating to the EU stakeholders and beyond. 

Objective of 
the proposal 
(overall) 

1.  To optimise resources 
2.  To streamline management of complex cross-cutting objectives and challenges 
3.  To rationalise expenditures  
4.  To simplify and reduce administrative burdens  
5.  To increase flexibility 

Per 
component 

Specific 
objectives 

To support the promotion of the highest level of nuclear safety, radiation 
protection, safe management of spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste and the 
application of efficient and effective safeguards of nuclear materials in partner 
countries 
1.  Effective nuclear safety culture and standards for radiation protection in non-

EU countries and regions, comparable with those in the EU 

2.  Safe management of spent fuel and radioactive waste according to the best 

international standards 

3.  efficient and effective safeguards for nuclear material in partner countries. 

1.  To protect the people and the environment against radioactive hazards. 
2.  To safely store radioactive wastes. 
3.  To produce and share knowledge management related to decommissioning of nuclear 

installations. 

1.  Safe dismantling of obsolete and disused nuclear facilities. 
2.  Proper management of spent nuclear fuels and radioactive wastes. 
3.  Knowledge product exchange platform with international stakeholders. 

General 
Outputs 
Outputs  

Risks 

Thanks to the same legal basis and common objectives, the current instrument for international nuclear safety cooperation (INSC) managed by DG INTPA and the 
decommissioning programme managed by JRC are merged. 

Nuclear safety infrastructure, spent fuel and radioactive waste management in 
partner countries are restored and strengthened.  

Strengthened nuclear safety and protection of people and the environment. 

Inadequate upfront coordination  

1. 
2.  Lack of stakeholders buy-in  
3.  Confusion and difficulties in applying specificities of each component 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
1.  Unforeseen changes in the geopolitical situation of partner countries  
2.  Political or economic tensions with the EU  
3.  Change in energy policy of partner countries with lost interest in nuclear  
4.  Lack of sufficient human and technical resources  

1.  Delays in obtaining decommissioning license delivered by the host Member State 

nuclear regulatory authority. 

2.  Lack of experienced and knowledgeable human resources to implement the programme. 
3.  Lack of appropriate financial means. 
4.  No time flexibility for the commitment of the budget (annuality principle). 

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1. 

INTRODUCTION: SCOPE, POLITICAL AND LEGAL CONTEXT 

1.1. 

SCOPE OF THE REPORT 

The  current  report  contains  the  ex-ante  evaluation  of  a  Commission  proposal  for  the 
following new regulation1: 

Proposal for a Regulation of the Council establishing the Instrument for Nuclear Safety 
Cooperation and Decommissioning for the period 2028-2034, DG INTPA and DG JRC, 3 
September 2025. 

The new regulation is planned to enter into force in 2028 with the start of the next MFF, 
and it will be referred to as Regulation (Euratom) INSC-D in the current report. 

The  new  regulation  proposes  the  improved  continuation  of  the  current  European 
Instrument for International Nuclear Safety Cooperation (INSC), in combination with the 
decommissioning activities of JRC. 

The proposed Regulation (Euratom) INSC-D formally merges the EC activities carried out 
in the field of international nuclear safety cooperation with the JRC decommissioning work 
into  a  single  Instrument.  This  merged  proposal  replaces  Regulations  (Euratom)  No 
2021/948 and 2021/100 by a single Regulation. 

The European Commission in the framework of the next Multiannual Financial Framework 
and  following  the  Better  Regulation  wishes  to  undertake  an  exercise  of  simplification 
which  would  eliminate  overlapping  processes  and  potential  administrative  burdens  by 
bringing  together  Programmes  which  may  require  similar  technical  and/or  logistical 
support. The merger is made possible thanks to the same legal basis shared by the INSC 
and the Decommissioning programme (Euratom), differently from other instruments for 
which  a  potential  merger  could  have  been  instead  envisaged.    The  current  MFF 
simplification efforts would aim at achieving reduced complexity both within the Union 
(for better transparency and coordination) as well as for stakeholders (agencies, Member 
States, contractors) which would face a simpler regulatory and financial framework. In a 
post-pandemic context with competing priorities, the Commission also seeks to rationalize 
expenditures by consolidating smaller programs. Finally, merging should ensure resource 
optimisation  against  a  "siloed"  approach  across  agencies,  aligning  with  the  principle  of 
joined-up  governance  advocated  in  the  New  European  Innovation  Agenda.  Despite 
requiring  significant  upfront  coordination  and  stakeholder  buy-in,  such  a  move  should 
strengthen the EU’s ability to manage complex, cross-cutting challenges efficiently during 
the next Multiannual Financial Framework. 

The  external  activities  constituting  the  external  component  of  the  Instrument  will  be 
complementary to the proposed Global Europe Instrument2, referred to as Regulation (EU) 
GEI in the present report.  The JRC decommissioning activities constituting the internal 
component  of  the  Instrument  are  related  to  activities  under  direct  responsibility  of  the 
Commission and inside the Euratom Community. 

1  Proposal for a Council (Euratom) Regulation establishing the Instrument for Nuclear Safety Cooperation 
and Decommissioning for the period 2028-X, DG INTPA and DG JRC, 3.09.2025 
2  Proposal for a) Regulation establishing Global Europe 16.07.2025, COM(2025) 551 final 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The present evaluation report is based on evidence on the performance of related previous 
and ongoing instruments / activities. In particular, the evaluation report compares the new 
instrument  with  the  previous  ones  and  addresses  specific  changes,  their  intended 
improvements and added value. Due to the different nature of the two components, the 
external and internal components are discussed separately, in dedicated subchapters. 

1.2. 

POLITICAL CONTEXT 

1.2.1.  Political context of the new Regulation (Euratom) INSC-D 

On  July  16,  2025,  the  European  Commission  adopted  its  proposal  for  the  2028-20348 
Multiannual Financial Framework3. Ahead of the proposal, the Commission has consulted 
with the various EU stakeholders and EU Member States. The Communication outlines 
the  basic  principles  of  the  next  MFF  and  exposes  currently  discernible  policy  and 
budgetary challenges potentially influencing its contents. Some of these challenges result 
from global political or economic developments, but many of them originate from internal 
EU expectations and political debates.  

Programme evaluations have shown that the complex EU funding architecture is a factor 
hindering  the  impact  of  the  EU  budget  due  to  administrative  burden.  This  initiated  a 
simplification leading to a simplified INSC-D, where the activities related to international 
nuclear  safety  cooperation  and  JRC  decommissioning  are  to  be  merged  into  a  single 
Instrument. 
The Better Regulation  (BR) Toolbox4 provides guidelines for burden  reduction without 
jeopardizing benefits which translates in the next MFF exercise into the rationalisation of 
EU  instruments,  in  order  to  reduce  their  number  and  to  streamline  their  performance. 
Simplification of the two instruments, is aimed at reducing burden for EU administrations, 
enhancing synergy and communication of Euratom activities with EU member states. In 
addition to this rationalisation intention of the BR, the EC proposed a significant structural 
reform of the new MFF by merging funds to simplify their management and to better link 
the spending with the achievement of specific objectives. 

The subject of the present report, the Regulation (Euratom) INSC-D has been formulated 
in line with the above considerations, as it merges two previously detached instruments 
into a single one. 

1.2.2.  Political context of the external component – INSC 

The international cooperation in the area of nuclear safety, radioactive waste management, 
radiation protection and nuclear safeguards is technical in nature but has several political 
implications.  The  prime  benefit  of  international  cooperation  in  nuclear  safety  is  the 
increase in safety of the beneficiary partner country, for the workers, the environment and 
the population in general. Proper radioactive waste management ensures that radioactive 
material remains under (regulatory) control as long as it can harm the environment and the 
public.  A  benefit  of  international  cooperation  in  the  area  of  nuclear  safeguards  is  the 

3  Proposal for a Council Regulation laying down the multiannual financial framework for the years 2028 to 
2034, COM(2025) 571 final of 16.7.2025 
4  Better  regulation  toolbox  –  July  2023  Edition,  European  Commission,  Tool  2  “REFIT:  Reviews  of 
existing legislation (meaning both the evaluation and any subsequent revisions) should seek opportunities to 
simplify and reduce administrative burden for people, businesses and administrations” 

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prevention of uncontrolled dissemination of sensitive technology which reduces the risk 
of  malicious  use  of  nuclear  and  radioactive  material  and  technology.  In  addition,  the 
general  context  of  any  external  cooperation  activity  leads  to  easier  connections  and 
cooperation  at  all  commercial  and  political  levels.  The  export  of  European  values  and 
regulation  systems  as  embedded  in  the Euratom Acquis  helps  to  ensure  a level  playing 
field in commercial transactions that are impacted by those regulations. 

The  continued  improvement  of  living  standards  in  many  partner  countries  will  be 
accompanied with advanced technological expertise, including the peaceful use of nuclear 
energy for medical and industrial purposes. 

Further considerations include:  

•  The basic objectives of the current European Instrument for International Nuclear 
Safety Cooperation (INSC) are supporting third countries to achieve and maintain 
a high level of nuclear safety, radiation protection, radioactive waste and spent fuel 
management  and  the  application  of  efficient  and  effective  safeguards.  Those 
objectives  remain  valid,  throughout the external  component of the new  INSC-D 
Instrument for the next MFF. 

•  The  INSC  formulation is  based on more than 30  years’  experience  in  providing 

nuclear safety assistance with sustainable results to many partner countries. 
•  The work by the Community through the INSC in the nuclear safety cooperation 

• 

arena is acknowledged internationally. 
In 2017, the 7th IAEA Convention on Nuclear Safety Review Meeting officially 
acknowledged the added value of INSC by stating that "the implementation of the 
Instrument for Nuclear Safety Cooperation Program for assisting non-EU 
countries was identified as a good practice”5. 

•  The continued Russian war of aggression against Ukraine creates situations rarely 
experienced  before,  such  as  military  actions  directed  against  civilian  nuclear 
facilities. These situations threaten nuclear and radiation safety, and the mitigation 
of their consequences needs IAEA-coordinated international actions with the EU 
as potential main donor and service provider.  

•  A hypothetical discontinuation of the INSC would create a significant hiatus in the 
international arena of nuclear safety assistance to third countries, as the European 
Union via INSC significantly contributes to increasing nuclear safety in line with 
Community best practice. 

•  Citizen  and  the  environment  in  present  and  potential  future  partner  countries 
benefit  from  a  continued  instrument  as  for  many  of  them  INSC  is  an  important 
channel to obtain professional assistance in nuclear and radiation safety, as well as 
safeguards issues in line with Euratom Acquis. 

In  conclusion,  the  continuation  of  the  INSC  is  motivated  by  several  important  political 
factors, while tangible, justified contraindications do not seem to be available. 

5  Rapporteur's Report for Euratom of 29 March 2017 in the 7th Review Meeting under the Convention on 
Nuclear Safety  

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The  Commission  has  concluded  an  Open  Public  Consultation  on  the  EU  funding  for 
external action under next MFF6. As far as the INSC is concerned, the results of the Open 
Public Consultation7 were the following: 

About 50% of the respondents of the OPC were positive about the objectives of the INSC, 
i.e.  agreed  to  a  large  extent  or  somewhat  with  the  INSC  objectives8.  Only  13%  of  the 
respondents were completely against it and 27% did not have a definite (either positive or 
negative) opinion.  

The above results indicate that a majority of the respondents support the provision of EU 
assistance to third countries in the area of nuclear and radiation safety and safeguards. 

1.2.3.  Political context of the internal component – JRC decommissioning 
The Euratom Treaty9, under its Article 8, establishes the Joint Nuclear Research Centre 
(now  Joint  Research  Centre  –  JRC)  responsible  for  implementing  nuclear  research 
programmes and other tasks assigned by the Commission.  

The Joint Research Centre owns nuclear research facilities in four Member States in Geel 
(Belgium), Karlsruhe (Germany), Ispra (Italy) and Petten (The Netherlands). Some of the 
facilities are shut down while others still operate.  

The JRC is responsible for the safe radioactive waste and spent fuel management aligning 
to  the  corresponding  European  Directive10.  The  European  Commission  is  liable  for  the 
decommissioning of the disused nuclear installations according to decommissioning plans 
submitted to the nuclear safety authorities of the host Member States. 

1.3. 

LEGAL CONTEXT 

The legal basis of the external component of Regulation (Euratom) INSC-D stems from 
Article 203 of the Treaty establishing the European Atomic Energy Community11. Article 
203  is  a  generic  provision  of  the  Treaty,  specifying  the  course  of  required  legal  and 
administrative  actions  in  those  cases  when  the  Euratom  Treaty  does  not  have  all  the 
necessary powers, but an appropriate Community action was deemed necessary. 

6  Open  Public  Consultation,  EU’s  next  long-term budget  (MFF)  –  EU funding  for  external  action,  2025. 
https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/better-regulation/have-your-say/initiatives/14522-EUs-next-long-term-
budget-MFF-EU-funding-for-external-action_en  
7 Impact Assessment Report accompanying the document Proposal for a Regulation of the European 
Parliament and of the Council establishing Global Europe. 16.7.2025, SWD (2025) 552 final 
8 These objectives were: support the strengthening of nuclear safety, radiation protection, radioactive waste 
management and nuclear safeguards with beneficiary countries located across the EU neighbourhood region 
and beyond. 
9  Consolidated version of the treaty establishing the European Atomic Energy Community (2016/C 203/01), 
Official Journal of the European Union, 17.6.2016, C 203 
10  Council  Directive  2011/70/Euratom  of  19.7.2011  establishing  a  Community  framework  for  the 
responsible and safe management of spent fuel and radioactive waste 
11  Consolidated version of the treaty establishing the European Atomic Energy Community (2016/C 203/01), 
Official Journal of the European Union, 17.6.2016, C 203 

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1.3.1.  Legal context of the ex-ante evaluation 

By  definition  an  ex-ante  evaluation  is  a  staff  working  document  of  the  Commission 
services  that  is  linked  to  a  Commission  proposal.  The  current  report  accompanies  the 
proposal for the new Regulation (Euratom) INSC-D. 

The basic aim of the present ex-ante evaluation is to present the different policy options 
and  assess  the  new  merger  proposed  through  the  Regulation  (Euratom)  INSC-D, 
combining the current European Instrument for Nuclear Safety Cooperation (INSC)12 and 
the decommissioning activities13 presently carried out at several nuclear installations of the 
European  Commission.  In  the  current  MFF  the  INSC  is  managed  by  DG  International 
Partnerships (INTPA), while decommissioning of EC nuclear facilities is performed under 
the management of Joint Research Centre (JRC). 

The current assessment report was written with the aim to satisfy the requirements of the 
Financial Regulation  and the BR Toolbox  and to present  the ex-ante  evaluation  for the 
Regulation (Euratom) INSC-D proposed by the EC for the MFF period 2028-2034. 

1.3.2.  Legal context of the external component – INSC 

In addition to IAEA Fundamental Safety Principles and the associated Safety Standards, 
the global legal framework for nuclear and radiation safety is provided by high level IAEA 
conventions (CNS14, the Joint Convention15 and the Vienna Declaration16), signed by all 
EU Member States, as well as Euratom. At the Community level the elements of the above 
framework are consistently enforced by legally binding Directives, in particular the Basic 
Safety Standards (BSS)17, the Nuclear Safety Directive (NSD)18, and the directive for the 
responsible and safe management of spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste19. 

the  preceding  MFF  periods), 

According  to  periodically  renewed  Commission  decisions  (cf.  the  Council  Regulations 
the  Euratom  Community 
establishing  INSC  for 
systematically  applies  INSC  as  an  efficient  tool  to  support  this  global  framework  in 
achieving and maintaining a high level of nuclear safety, radiation protection and efficient 
safeguards worldwide. This role of INSC in transferring the Euratom regulation and best 
practices  has  also  been  confirmed  by  the  European  Nuclear  Safety  Regulators  Group 
(ENSREG) in its Position Paper20 on the INSC.  

The continued operation of the INSC can be considered as a commitment undertaken by 
the  Euratom  Community.  The  commitment  is  deductible  from  the  global  and  the 

12  Council Regulation (Euratom) 2021/948 of 27 May 2021 – European Instrument for International Nuclear 
Safety Cooperation complementing the NDICI – GE on the basis of the Euratom Treaty 
13  Council Regulation (Euratom) 2021/100 of 25 January 2021 establishing a dedicated financial programme 
for the decommissioning of nuclear facilities and the management of radioactive waste 
14  Convention on Nuclear Safety, INFCIRC/449, IAEA, 5.7.1994 
15  Joint  Convention  on  the  safety  of  spent  fuel  management  and  on  the  safety  of  radioactive  waste 
management, INFCIRC/546, IAEA, 24.12.1997 
16  Vienna Declaration on nuclear safety, INFCIRC/872, IAEA, 18.2.2015 
17  Council  Directive  2013/59/Euratom  of  5.12.2013  laying  down  basic  safety  standards  for  protection 
against the dangers arising from exposure to ionising radiation 
18  Council Directive 2009/71/Euratom of 25.6.2009 establishing a Community framework for the nuclear 
safety of nuclear installations and its amendment Council Directive 2014/87/Euratom of 8.7.2014 
19  Council  Directive  2011/70/Euratom  of  19.7.2011  establishing  a  Community  framework  for  the 
responsible and safe management of spent fuel and radioactive waste 
20  ENSREG – INSC Position paper (2014-26)133, https://www.ensreg.eu/international-cooperation  

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Community’s legal framework, and it plays an important role in spreading the high level 
nuclear and radiation safety culture prevalent in the EU worldwide. The continuation of 
INSC  during  the  next  MFF  is  therefore  equivalent  to  continuing  the  fulfilment  of  EU 
commitments stemming from the above international legal framework. 

1.3.3.  Legal context of the internal component – JRC decommissioning 

(NDAP) 

supporting 

In January 2021, the European Commission tabled a follow-up Council Regulation to the 
Nuclear  Decommissioning  Assistance  Programme 
the 
decommissioning of Soviet-designed nuclear reactors in Bulgaria, Lithuania and Slovakia. 
Two Council Regulations (Euratom) 2021/10021 and 2021/10122 established a dedicated 
financial programme for the decommissioning of nuclear facilities and the management of 
radioactive  waste  for  the  Kozloduy  Programme,  Ignalina  Programme,  Bohunice 
Programme and JRC Programme of decommissioning and radioactive waste management 
(D&WM),  which,  until  2021,  was  funded  separately,  according  to  sites.  Both  establish 
knowledge  sharing  as  a  core  component  of  the  NDAP-s.  The  aspect  of  the  two  NDAP 
Regulations  (the  Regulations)  is  their  provision  of  financial  support  not  only  for  the 
Kozloduy  (BG),  Bohunice  (SK)  and  Ignalina  (LT)  programmes  but  also  for  the  Joint 
Research Centre’s (JRC).   

2.  SUMMARY  OF  THE  CURRENT  INSTRUMENT  AND  LESSONS  LEARNT,  INCLUDING 

EVIDENCE ON THE PERFORMANCE OF RELATED PROGRAMMES  

EXTERNAL COMPONENT - INSC 

2.1. 
2.1.1.  Rationale of the current instrument 

Maintaining a high-level nuclear safety, as well as ensuring adequate radiation protection 
of the environment,  the  public and the personnel exposed to  occupational radiation  has 
always been a priority for the Euratom Community.  

History has shown that major nuclear accidents may have transboundary impacts and the 
radioactive  contamination  may  disperse  over  several  countries.  Therefore,  Euratom 
consistently pursued nuclear safety cooperation with third countries, especially with those 
located in the European Neighbourhood Area, but also without geographical limits. 

The EU nuclear safety assistance to non-EU countries began in 1991, when the TACIS 
programme was established with the aim to help the Soviet successor states manage their 
nuclear  legacy  and  improve  the  safety  of  their  nuclear  installations.  Since  2007  the 
fundamental  tool  for  this  international  assistance  is  the  Instrument  for  Nuclear  Safety 
Cooperation (INSC). After more than 30 years of successful operation, today the INSC can 
be  considered  as  the  primary  EU  instrument  for  nuclear  safety  cooperation  with  third 
countries.  INSC  activities  and  projects  are  well  aligned  with  those  managed  by  other 
important  actors  of  the  international  nuclear  safety  assistance  arena.  INSC  has  close 
cooperation  with  the  IAEA  and  harmonizes  its  work  with  several  EU  institutions, 
directorates and other organisations (e.g. EEAS, DG ENER, JRC, ENSREG and EBRD), 
as well as the EU Member States. 

21  Council Regulation (Euratom) 2021/100 of 25 January 2021 establishing a dedicated financial programme 
for  the  decommissioning  of  nuclear  facilities  and  the  management  of  radioactive  waste,  and  repealing 
Regulation (Euratom) No 1368/2013 
22  Council  Regulation  (EU)  2021/101  of  25  January  2021  establishing  the  nuclear  decommissioning 
assistance programme of the Ignalina nuclear power plant in Lithuania and repealing Regulation (EU) No 
1369/201 

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In  2017,  the  7th  IAEA  Convention  on  Nuclear  Safety  Review  Meeting  officially 
acknowledged  the  added  value  of  INSC  by  stating  that  "the  implementation  of  the 
Instrument for Nuclear Safety Cooperation Program for assisting non-EU countries” was 
identified as a “good practice”23. 

2.1.2.  Main elements of the current instrument 

A  major  element  of  INSC  cooperation  with  non-EU  countries  is  the  development  of 
effective  regulatory  frameworks  via  technical  support  to  regulatory  bodies  and  their 
technical safety organisations (TSOs), especially in countries embarking on new nuclear 
build. In addition to enhancing nuclear safety, the main technical areas comprise the safe 
management of spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste, nuclear safeguards and radiation 
emergency  preparedness.  INSC  cooperation  projects  aim  to  accomplish  sustainable 
knowledge transfer to recipient countries by promoting EU safety standards, state-of-the-
art procedures and methods, as well as EU good practice. 

In addition to worldwide activities carried out partly in cooperation with the IAEA, current 
INSC projects mainly focus on the following regions and countries: candidate countries, 
Eastern- and Southern EU Neighbourhood, Africa, Middle East, Central Asia, the ASEAN, 
Western Balkan countries24. 

Countries  currently  involved  in  nuclear  safety  and  radiation  protection  cooperation 
projects  are:  Armenia,  the  ASEAN  countries25,  Egypt,  Iran,  Jordan,  Morocco,  Nigeria, 
Türkiye, South Africa and Ukraine.  

Countries currently involved in radioactive waste management and remediation projects 
are:  Armenia,  Georgia,  Iran,  Iraq,  Kyrgyz  Republic,  Tajikistan,  Türkiye,  Ukraine, 
Uzbekistan and Western Balkans26. 

Countries  currently  involved  in  safeguards  assistance  projects  are:  African  countries 
through AFCONE, Iran and candidate countries. 

In addition to implementing projects in the above three main technical areas, the INSC also 
supports  related  education  with  the  European  Nuclear  Education  Network  (ENEN)  and 
European universities (e.g. Milan Politecnico, Université Côte d’Azur) 

The current INSC programme can be considered as a direct continuation of the previous 
one, although some new developments are observable. 

The  most  important  change  is  manifested  in  the  scope  of  activities  related  to  Ukraine, 
where  INSC  had to  deal  urgently  with consequences of the Russian  war of  aggression. 
These consequences affected mainly the Zaporizhzhia NPP and the Chornobyl Exclusion 
Zone, where military actions caused considerable damages and losses in the facilities. The 
Community had to react rapidly and resiliently, to be able to provide help to the Ukrainian 
partner organizations to restore nuclear and radiation safety in the facilities affected. These 
actions  were  coordinated  with  the  IAEA,  the  organisation  continuously  monitoring  the 
nuclear safety status of the potentially affected Ukrainian nuclear installations. 

23  Rapporteur's Report for Euratom of 29 March 2017 in the 7th Review Meeting under the Convention on 
Nuclear Safety  
24 Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo*, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia 
25  Indonesia, Vietnam, Laos, Brunei, Thailand, Myanmar, the Philippines, Cambodia, Singapore, Malaysia 
and Timor-Leste  
26  Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia  

- 16 - 

 
 
 
 
Another feature of the INSC2021-2027 is the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive 
Plan of Action (JCPoA) which was signed in 2015 by China, France, Germany, Russia, 
the UK, the USA and the European Union. The basic aim of the JCPoA was to ensure the 
exclusively peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear programme by international monitoring and 
control. After the JCPoA took effect in 2016, the European Commission implement part 
of the Annex III, which covers civil nuclear cooperation through funding of the INSC.  

Another  development  in  the  INSC  programme  is  the  moderate  but  steady  inclusion  of 
African countries into the INSC scope, with focus on nuclear safety and safeguards. It is 
likely that the number of INSC projects with African countries will further increase in the 
future,  as  nuclear  energy  with  a  key 
through 
modularisation/SMRs, is one of the candidates to solve the energy supply problems of the 
continent.    The  application  of  radiological  technology  for  industrial  and  medical 
applications  is  expected  to  continue  to  rise  with  the  related  development  in  necessary 
competences. 

in  cost-efficiency 

interest 

It can be finally stated that the current INSC programme is an organic continuation of the 
previous  activities,  building  on  positive  methodological  and  project  implementation 
experience, as well as effectively tackling new challenges. 

2.1.3.  Ex-post evaluation of the 2014-2020 INSC period 
In December 2021 an independent evaluation report27 was issued, containing a review of 
the status of cooperation carried out under the Instrument for Nuclear Safety Cooperation 
from the beginning of 2014 until the end of 2020. This report also used inputs from an 
external Mid-Term Review (MTR) of INSC2014-2020, performed as part of a common 
evaluation  of  nine  EU  External  Financing  Instruments  over  the  period28.  In  the  present 
report the details and conclusions of this MTR are not discussed, because they are mostly 
in line with those outlined in the ex-post evaluation. 

According to the evaluation, the implementation of the Instrument was successfully carried 
out in the investigated period. The objectives of the Instrument were well aligned with EU 
policies  and  priorities  and  were  relevant  to  the  needs  and  priorities  of  the  partners.  It 
effectively contributed to enhancing nuclear safety and radiation protection and improved 
safeguards  in  the  partner  countries.  The  Instrument  also  helped  the  Beneficiaries  to 
harmonize related national operations and practice with the state-of-the-art international 
standards and good European practice. INSC2014-2020 had established cooperation with 
a large number of partner countries in several world regions and the allocated budget had 
been fully committed.  

The  report  also  formulated  recommendations  for  improving  the  implementation  and 
outcomes of the nuclear safety cooperation with third countries. The most important ones 
were as follows: 

•  Time between a cooperation request and the implementation / completion of 
the related project must be reduced significantly. This time often exceeds 10 
years,  and such a long project  implementation  time is  obviously  not  compatible 
with the intention of the INSC Regulation calling for “timely” interventions 

27  Evaluation  of  the  INSC  2014-2020,  Expert  Facility  for  the  INSC,  Contract  No  2020/419-010,  LDK 
Consultants Global EEIG, December 2021  
28  External evaluation of the INSC (2014 - mid 2017), GDSI Consortium, June 2017  

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•  The implementation of INSC projects by the IAEA should be limited to those 
areas  where  the  IAEA  has  unique  expertise  and  competence.  Currently  the 
cooperation  with  the  IAEA  is  effective  and  institutionalized,  but  in  the  future 
outsourcing activities to the IAEA should focus on areas where the IAEA brings 
added value to the process or is able to implement the tasks in a more cost-effective 
manner.  

•  Assessment of potentials of cooperation with NPP operators. Legally the NPP 
operators have an overall and non-transferable responsibility for the nuclear safety 
of the plant they operate, therefore it would be sensible to increase the cooperation 
with  these  organizations  in  the  future.  The  basic  aim  of  cooperation  should  be 
enhancing nuclear safety culture.  

The indicators show that by the end of the MFF period the objectives of the Instrument 
were achieved and in all areas the targets were overachieved. 

2.1.4.  Ex-ante impact assessment for the 2021-2027 INSC period  

In  2018,  during  the  preparations  for  the  2021-2027  MFF  the  Commission  prepared  the 
impact assessment for four Regulation proposals, including the proposal for the European 
Instrument  for  Nuclear  Safety  (INSC2021-2027)29.  The  four  proposals  were  analyzed 
together, in order to provide a comprehensive picture of the planned EU external action. 
The  2021-2027  MFF  merged  several  external  instruments  into  a  broad  instrument 
(Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument, NDICI), but the 
INSC was kept as a separate, complementary instrument, because of its different legal basis 
under the Euratom Treaty. The INSC budget for the 2021-2027 MFF was set as EUR 300 
million, compared to the EUR 325 million allocated to the previous 2014-2020 period. 

With  respect  to  the  final  placement  of  the  INSC,  the  impact  assessment  explains  that 
nuclear activities are the competence of the Euratom Treaty, and the INSC has its legal 
basis in Article 203 of the Euratom Treaty30. 

Note:  One may ask  whether the above legal  situation  influences the current  Regulation 
(Euratom)  INSC-D  proposal  merging  INSC  with  JRC  decommissioning  activities.  The 
JRC was created by the Euratom Treaty (see Art 8 of the Treaty on the establishment of 
the Joint Nuclear Research Centre), therefore the nuclear facilities of the JRC are under 
Euratom jurisdiction, including permanently shut down, but not yet decontaminated and 
decommissioned facilities. Relevant national nuclear safety regulations – corresponding to 
the Member State where the specific JRC site is located – are also of legal force, but these 
are harmonized with the Euratom regulations. Therefore, in this respect no legal conflict 
can be identified in the new proposal, merging the two activities into a single Instrument 
will not violate Euratom regulations, on the contrary, it will contribute to simplification 
and rationalization efforts by the European Commission exploiting the same legal basis of 
the two components. 

A special value of INSC is that it allows the Community to constructively act at a global 
level in matters related to nuclear safety and radiation protection cooperation with third 
countries, after having consulted with G7 countries and EU Member States. This special 
position effectively helps keeping the EU as a world leader in nuclear safety and facilitates 

29  Impact assessment accompanying the “Proposal for a Regulation (EU) establishing a European Instrument 
for Nuclear Safety complementing the NDICI, SWD (2018) 337 final, Brussels, 14.6.2018  
30  Consolidated version of the treaty establishing the European Atomic Energy Community (2016/C 203/01), 
Official Journal of the European Union, 17.6.2016, C 203 

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the engagement in policy level dialogue with the potential beneficiaries. In specific cases 
it may even trigger a political dialogue in the wake of nuclear safety negotiations. 

The final conclusion of the evaluation is that INSC activities should continue also in the 
2021-2027 period, under the umbrella of a specific Instrument with a Euratom legal base. 

2.1.5.  Mid-term review of the 2021-2027 INSC period  

In March 2024 (about mid-term of the 2021-2027 MFF), commissioned by the European 
Commission, a comprehensive evaluation of the EU external financing instruments (EFIs) 
was prepared by a consortium led by Particip Gmbh31. The associated reports comprise the 
results of two distinct exercises: 1) final evaluation of the EFIs under the MFF covering 
the period 2014-2020 and 2) the mid-term review (MTR) of the Instrument under the MFF 
2021-2027.  

The EU external action provides assistance to non-EU partner countries in many areas and 
it is predominantly funded by means of dedicated EU budget headings in the MFFs. These 
so-called External Financing Instruments (EFIs) represent the prime method for financing 
of the EU external action. 

Under the MFF 2014-2020 period several independent EFIs functioned under the Global 
Europe  heading.  When  designing  the  MFF  covering  2021-2027,  the  EC  decided  that 
streamlining  of  the  instruments  was  necessary  in  order  to  ensure  better  recognition  of 
changed geopolitical realities and better management of related programmes (see Table 1 
in Chapter 4.1.3). 

When  embarking  on  the  MFF  2021-2027  period  the  EU  EFI  architecture  underwent  a 
significant simplification as seven previously separate instruments had been placed under 
the  Neighbourhood,  Development  and  International  Cooperation  Instrument  –  Global 
Europe  (NDICI-GE)32.  Beside  NDICI-GE,  only  the  Instrument  for  Pre-Accession 
Assistance III (IPA III) remained separate (covering the Western Balkans and Türkiye), 
together with  two  additional  special-purpose instruments:  the Decision on the Overseas 
Association, including Greenland (DOAG) and the European Instrument for International 
Nuclear Safety Cooperation (INSC). 

The  most  important  conclusions  of  the  report  on  the  INSC  2021-2027  (abbreviated  as 
INSC-III) MTR are as follows (note that “critical” remarks are written in framed text): 

•  The new INSC Regulation33 has slightly adjusted the scope and objectives of the 
Instrument to emphasise transparency and cooperation with partner countries.  
•  Considering  its  main  objectives  (e.g.  promoting  nuclear  safety  culture  in  third 
countries, etc.) INSC is fully aligned with EU political principles and priorities.  
•  The ability to define common objectives with the partner countries was identified 

as an area of weakness.  

31  Evaluation of the European Union’s External Financing Instruments (2014-2020 and 2021-2027), Volume 
I: Synthesis Report and Volume II: Annexes, Particip GmbH Consortium, March 2024 
32  European Union’s external financing instruments (2014-2020 and 2021-2027), EU  External Financing 
Instruments Evaluation, Factsheets, Particip GmbH Consortium, March 2024 
33  Council Regulation (Euratom) 2021/948 of 27 May 2021 – European Instrument for International Nuclear 
Safety Cooperation complementing the NDICI-Global Europe on the basis of the Euratom Treaty 

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•  The  streamlining  of  instruments  resulted  in  a  simplified  EFI  structure  and  more 

unified programming processes, using e.g. unified MIP templates.  

•  The transition between the previous and new EFIs was not seamless, because due 
to time pressure in 2021 and capacity constraints, the EU prioritised progress in 
programming and delivery over the introduction of internal institutional changes. 
External  circumstances  (e.g.  final  phase  of  COVID-19)  further  compounded  the 
situation already stressed by high staff turn-over and lack of sufficient resources. 
•  There  is  a  detectable  trend  to  plan  and  implement  fewer,  but  larger  actions  and 
projects. It is also traceable for INSC, because since 2014 the number of contracts 
steadily decreases. Often a large, well-defined assistance project with appropriate 
budget  can achieve more than several  small, frittered  actions, each with  a much 
smaller financial allocation. 

•  The  INSC  results  framework  remained  principally  output-oriented,  in  spite  of 

repeated efforts to introduce an outcome- and impact-oriented framework. 

•  The  INSC  has  repeatedly  proven  its  high  flexibility  through  rapidly  initiated, 
adjusted, stepped-up or suspended cooperation with Belarus, Iran, and especially 
Ukraine, thanks to fast budget allocations, and agile coordination. 

•  The report states that there could be possibilities for enhancing the coherence of 

INSC with IPA III, NDICI-GE and vice versa. 

Summary statements of the evaluation: 

• 

•  There is a strong continuity between the INSC-II and INSC-III Regulations: despite 
some new elements in INSC-III (e.g. striving for greater nuclear transparency in 
the partner countries), the basic logic of the Instrument and the modes of operation 
remained practically unchanged 
It was confirmed that keeping INSC-III as a separate instrument – due to its very 
specialised, technical nature and its different legal basis – was an adequate decision. 
•  As  a  worldwide  instrument  with  a  global  outreach,  INSC  positions  the EU  as  a 
leading actor in nuclear safety and safeguards cooperation, both through bilateral 
partnerships and as part of the international architecture.  
INSC  allows  the  EU  to  engage  in  policy-level  dialogue  with  partner  countries, 
particularly  in  the  Neighbourhood  region,  where  nuclear  safety  issues  may 
potentially have considerable implications for EU Member States and the security 
of European citizens. 

• 

Data between 2021 and 31 December 2024 show that pro-rata fulfilment of the indicators 
is “on track” and in some cases overachievement is observable. 

2.2. 

INTERNAL COMPONENT – JRC DECOMMISSIONING 

2.2.1.  Rationale of the current Nuclear Decommissioning and Waste Management 

Programme (NDWMP)  

The  Commission 
decommissioning of nuclear facilities and nuclear waste management.[1] 

is  committed 

implement 

the  EU 

to 

legislation  related 

to 

- 20 - 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The  Nuclear  Decommissioning  and  Waste  Management  Programme  of  the  European 
Commission implemented by the Joint Research Center (JRC) addresses the nuclear legacy 
of Commission’s past nuclear research to reduce radiological risk and protect people and 
the environment within the Union. 

[1]  Council  Directive  2011/70/Euratom  of  19.7.2011  establishing  a  Community 
framework for the responsible and safe management of spent fuel and radioactive waste  

2.2.2.  Main elements of the current NDWMP 

The NDWMP pursue the decommissioning of the Commission's nuclear installations at 
the  JRC  sites,  namely  JRC-Geel  in  Belgium,  JRC-Karlsruhe  in  Germany,  JRC-Ispra  in 
Italy and JRC‑Petten in the Netherlands, in line with the needs identified in the respective 
decommissioning plans and safely manages the associated spent fuel, nuclear material and 
radioactive waste. Activities are carried out in accordance with the national law of the host 
Member State. 

The NDWMP has a provision to negotiate the transfer of the related nuclear liabilities from 
the JRC to the host Member State. This optional transfer shall not be imposed on any host 
Member State and shall be subject to a mutual bilateral agreement concluded between the 
Commission and the host Member State. That mutual bilateral agreement shall stipulate 
that all costs of the decommissioning of the Commission's nuclear installations at the JRC 
sites and storage of the associated radioactive waste are to be paid by the Union and shall 
fully comply with Directive 2011/70/Euratom 

Finally, the JRC shall develop ties and exchanges among Union stakeholders on nuclear 
decommissioning, with a view to ensuring the dissemination of knowledge and the sharing 
of experience in all relevant areas, such as regulation and training, and developing potential 
Union synergies. 

2.2.3.  Mid-term Review of the 2021-2027 NDWMP  

The  JRC  Nuclear  Decommissioning  and  Waste  Management  Programme  (NDWMP) 
underwent  a  mid-term  evaluation  in  2024.  The  findings  and  recommendations  of  the 
study34 are as follows: 

Findings 

a.  Significant progress in stakeholder management has been seen at JRC sites; 

b.  Safe  retrieval,  treatment  and  storage  of  historical  wastes  has  progressed  at  JRC 

Ispra and Petten; 

c.  Due to the time-dependent nature of many costs, project delays are synonymous 
with  cost  increase  although  the  Earned  Value  Management  (EVM)  monitoring 
indicators show that the programme is overall financially efficient; 

34  Support to the interim evaluation of the programmes for the decommissioning of nuclear facilities and the 
management of radioactive waste, DG ENER, Revised Final Report and Annexes, April 2025 

- 21 - 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
d.  The governance framework is fit for purpose and adapted to the objectives of the 

NDWMP; 

e.  The implementation of the NDWMP is coherent with the EU acquis as well as EU 

and national legislation and policies; 

f.  Knowledge products have been produced in line with targets across all NPP sites; 

The  knowledge  Management  (KM)  has  encouraged  collaboration  and  the  sharing  of 
information among the three NDAP programmes. Recommendations:  

a.  Anticipate  and  prepare  the  licensing  demands  through  early  engagement  of  the 

regulator to limit eventual impact of the programme’s delivery; 

b.  Improve the procurement organisational capacities; 

c.  Develop and implement monitoring indicators to measure the impact of the use of 

the knowledge products developed within the NDWMP 

2.2.4.  Internal Audit of the NDWMP 

The Internal Audit Service of the JRC performed an audit of the NDWMP also in 2024 
and provided six recommendations to improve the implementation of the programme. The 
JRC submitted an Action Plan that was agreed and implemented to address all issues: 

1.  JRC oversight arrangements (important); 

2.  JRC internal organisation of NDWMP responsibilities (very important); 

3.  Decommissioning plans for the JRC sites (very important); 

4.  Cost estimates for decommissioning the JRC nuclear sites (very important); 

5.  NDWMP budget flexibility needs (very important); 

6.  Human resources planning and allocation (important). 

Since  the  inception  of  the  Programme  in  2021,  the  JRC  achieved  the  following  main 
practical results (non-exhaustive list): 

1.  Clean-up  of  bituminised  drums  retrieval  facility  work  yard  (these  are  metallic 
drums containing radioactive wastes stored underground since more than 40 years 
in poor conditions that must be retrieved, treated and finally safely stored); 

2.  Completion  of  the  clean-up  operations  in  LCSR  (Italian  acronym  for  Hot 
including  a  hot  cell  suite).  The 

Laboratory  for  Studies  and  Research 
decommissioning of the facility started in 2024 and is on-going; 

3.  Continuous production and sharing of decommissioning knowledge products from 

NDAP operators and JRC (a total of 43 produced by the end of 2024); 

4.  Completion of refurbishment of Interim Storage Facility and start of operation in 

2022 (state-of-the-art building to safely store radioactive waste packages); 

5.  Signature of a contract for the alienation of a significant fraction of the inventory 
of Ispra fresh nuclear material to Czech Republic (70% of the Ispra inventory); 

6.  Production of the necessary licensing documentation; 

7.  Donation of a significant fraction of the components of the cyclotron; 

8.  Treatment of a first batch of super-compactable radioactive waste; 

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9.  Completion  of  the  refurbishment  of  the  waste  characterisation  system  for 

radioactive waste; 

10. Amendment and restart of the contract for the recovery of the Roman Pits (these 
are  15  cylindrical  underground  concrete  structures  containing  about  350  tons  of 
radioactive  waste.  Some  of  them  are  partially  submerged  by  groundwater  and 
artificial radionuclides have been recently detected in the surrounding soil calling 
for the retrieval, treatment and safe storage of the Roman Pits); 

11. Commissioning of the retrieval facility for bituminised drums; 

12. Tender for the construction of the new grouting station that will be used for the 

reconditioning of radioactive wastes to be safely stored; 

13. Framework contract for the supply of qualified final waste package for low level 

radioactive waste; 

14. Refurbishment of the cold wing of the cyclotron to host site laboratories; 

15. Recovery,  treatment,  conditioning,  evacuation  and  storage  of  the  historical 

radioactive wastes at the four JRC sites. 

Before the completion of the current Multiannual Financial Framework in 2027, the JRC 
expects to finalise the following activities: 

1.  Delivery of Ispra non-irradiated nuclear materials to Czech Republic corresponding 
to the alienation of 70% (in mass) of the total Ispra nuclear material inventory; 

2.  Delivery  and  treatment  of  the  first  batches  of  bituminised  drums  and  metallic 

wastes; 

3.  Start of the building of the grouting station; 

4.  Start of the Gioconda project; 

5.  Start of the recovery of the remaining Roman Pits; 

6.  Start of the decommissioning of Building 10 and its technical annex at JRC Geel; 

7.  Assessment and update of the decommissioning plan for the four JRC sites; 

8.  Start of the discussion with Italy and the Netherlands on the potential transfer of 

the JRC nuclear liabilities. 

9.  Refurbishment of the 41i storage building 

10. Refurbishment of the FARO building 

11. Delivery of the cutting machine 

12. Start of the contract for the LLW liquid effluents treatment 

13. Start of the decommissioning of the former liquid effluent facilities 

3. 
3.1. 

ISSUES TO BE ADDRESSED AND THE ADDED VALUE OF EU INVOLVEMENT 

ISSUES AND CHALLENGES TO BE ADDRESSED   

In the current context, the European Commission has carefully analysed the economic and 
administrative burden of having many, disjoint and sometimes overlapping instruments. 
Programmes’ evaluations of current MFF’s instruments have highlighted inefficiencies, as 
well  as  limited  synergies,  limited  flexibility  and  a  rigid  implementation  framework  for 

- 23 - 

 
 
many instruments, pushing the Commission to reflect on strategies for simplification and 
red tape reduction as outlined in Von der Leyen Political Guidelines. In the case of the JRC 
Decommissioning Programme and the INSC, there is no overlap in terms of content as the 
activities  covered  by  these  current  Instruments  are  of  different  nature  (addressing 
respectively  internal  and  external),  yet  their  common  safety  objectives,  legal  basis  and 
technical work have motivated the merger. 

The main issue addressed by the INSC 

If compared to previous INSC periods, the motivation of the Euratom Community for the 
establishment  and  operation  of  such  an  Instrument  remains  essentially  unchanged:  by 
promoting  a  high  level  of  nuclear  safety  and  radiation  protection  in  third  countries  – 
especially in the European Neighbourhood, but also globally – the Instrument ultimately 
contributes  to  ensuring  the  safety  and  security  of  EU  citizens  and  helps  to  protect  the 
environment from the detrimental effects of hypothetical nuclear accidents happening in 
non-Community  countries.  Naturally,  this  projected  positive  effect  also  comprises  the 
citizens and environment in the partner countries and their neighbours. 

Means to achieve main objectives 

The Community is one of the global leading actors in the safe utilization of nuclear energy 
and  it  has  ample  experience  in  operating  nuclear  facilities  for  electricity  production, 
research and medical isotope production purposes. In addition, the Union has a rigorous 
and  technically  well-founded  legal  system  for  regulating  nuclear  safety,  radiation 
protection and safeguards in the Community Member States that may serve as an example 
to be followed for the rest of the world. With these circumstances in mind, the INSC has 
focused  on  transferring  EU  and  Euratom  know-how,  experience  and  good  practice  to 
partner  countries  during  its  previous  and  current  periods.  Beyond  safety  impact,  the 
transfer  of  Euratom  standards  ensures  a  level  playing  field  in  affected  business  and 
facilitates trade between the Community and the partner countries. The continuation of this 
practice in the proposed instrument can only be encouraged. 
The main objectives35 of the proposed instrument can be achieved by various means, e.g. 
by equipment supply, software licence donation, construction of new facilities, provision 
of  training  services,  enhancing  the  capacities  and  capabilities  of  the  national  nuclear 
regulator and its TSO (technical support organisation), or simply by direct financing of 
targeted projects in partner countries. During its more than three decades of nuclear safety 
cooperation, the European Commission applied all the above-mentioned assistance forms 
with the help of the INSC and its predecessors. In the last decade, provision of support to 
the national nuclear regulators (and their TSOs) was dominant. In addition, several national 
organisations responsible for the management of spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste 
were given assistance to develop local infrastructure and expertise. 

Considering the positive results of the assessments dealing with the previous and current 
Instruments (see Chapter 2), the knowledge-transfer approach resulted successful and its 
continuation in the future can be recommended. 

Recent challenges and their handling 

Challenges of political and geopolitical nature 

35  i) promotion of nuclear safety and radiation protection; ii) promotion of the safe management of spent 
nuclear fuel and radioactive waste; iii) cooperation in nuclear safeguards to ensure non-proliferation 

- 24 - 

 
 
 
During  the  first  four  years  of  the  current  MFF  period  the  geopolitical  situation  in  the 
European Neighbourhood region  and globally  has deteriorated significantly,  e.g. due to 
Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, the Israel-Iran conflict, the war in Gaza and 
global trade disruptions caused by extra tariffs recently imposed by the USA government 
on  imported  goods.  This  adverse  geopolitical  situation  poses  serious  challenges  to  the 
ongoing  EU  EFIs  and  makes  continuous  adaptation  and  flexibility  necessary.  As  it  is 
pointed out in The Road to the next Multiannual Financial Framework36, it is certain that 
the  global  context  for  EU  external  action  will  not  become  less  complicated  in  the 
foreseeable future, therefore the inclusion of appropriate flexibility and adaptability into 
these instruments is a condition necessary for long-term success. The situation is further 
complicated by the fact that the EU plays a triple role in international partnerships: it has 
to be a credible partner, an important global player and an influential geopolitical actor 
simultaneously.  At  the  same  times,  these  three  roles  can  be  conflicting  and  are  highly 
influenced by the position and role played by counterparts.  

Ukraine 

Undoubtedly  the  most  important  challenge  in  the  current  period  was  the  series  of 
dangerous situations emerging around some Ukrainian nuclear facilities as a consequence 
of military operations taking place in the course of the Russia’s war of aggression against 
Ukraine. Not without reason, the topic of radiation and nuclear safety is the first point in 
the Zelensky 10-Point Peace Plan.37 The sternest situations evolved at the Zaporizhzhia 
NPP and the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone, where nuclear and radiation safety was threatened 
several times. INSC – in close cooperation with the IAEA – was able to act rapidly and 
provided help to the Ukrainian partner organizations to restore the safety of the facilities 
affected.  

Iran 

Another significant challenge in the current INSC period was to ensure the possibility to 
continue the nuclear safety cooperation with Iran. After the USA, one of the signatories of 
the JCPoA, unilaterally withdrew from the agreement in 2018, the EU decided to continue 
the cooperation with Iran in all three technical areas of INSC assistance (i.e. nuclear safety, 
management  of  radioactive  waste  and  safeguards).  The  provision  of  nuclear  safety  and 
safeguards can be impacted by geopolitical dynamics, a risk factor for the implementation 
of the Instrument.  

Africa 

The  increasing  global  influence  of  non-EU  actors  is  more  pronounced  in  Africa  than 
elsewhere in the world including when it comes to civilian nuclear export and regulatory 
support  as  demonstrated  by  a  considerable  increase  of  African  countries  that  have 
established  cooperation  agreements  with  Russia  on  the  peaceful  use  of  nuclear  energy 
(currently around 15 countries are on the list38) in recent years. 

Nevertheless,  in  line  with  EU  political  priorities  in  the  region,  cooperation  with  Africa 
should be pursued, for instance by reinforcing existing partnerships with Egypt, Ghana, 

36  The road to next multiannual financial framework, Strasbourg, 11.2.2025, COM(2025) 46 final 
37  On October 11, 2022, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced to the leaders of the Group 
of  Seven  (G7)  countries  a  “peace  formula”  to  overcome  the  Russian  threat  known  as  the  10-point  plan. 
https://war.ukraine.ua/faq/zelenskyys-10-point-peace-plan/ June 2, 2025. 
38  https://africa.businessinsider.com/local/lifestyle/list-of-african-countries-with-a-nuclear-cooperation-
agreement-with-russia/rp0jsh5  

- 25 - 

 
 
 
Nigeria, Morocco and South Africa. The 2022 project with AFCONE could be an example 
to follow, where safeguards cooperation was established with a whole African region in a 
single  action,  namely  with  41  countries  of  the  Pelindaba  Treaty.  Given  the  increasing 
interests  of  African  partners  in  new  technologies  including  SMRs,  cooperation  can  be 
extended via the INSC to support the safe and peaceful use of nuclear energy. 

Challenges related to recent developments in nuclear technology 

During  the  last  decade  the  EU’s  energy  landscape  has  undergone  significant  changes, 
driven by the EU’s decarbonisation agenda and increased emphasis on competitiveness, 
affordability39, security of supply, and innovation. 

After  years  of  preparatory  work,  in  2022  the  EC  submitted  a  Complementary  Climate 
Delegated Act40 (CDA) to the EU decision-makers. In line with the decarbonisation efforts 
of  the  Union,  the  CDA  introduced  nuclear  energy  into  the  so-called  EU  Green 
Taxonomy41, as an electricity generation technology with low CO2 emissions. The CDA 
went into effect on 1 January 2023 and the nuclear energy became part of the “supportable 
green investments” category in the EU, therefore accepted as a “proper” green investment 
option. This move has contributed to important energy policy changes in several Member 
States. 

During the past 5 years, parallel to the above EU developments, the declared interest in the 
application of nuclear energy significantly increased globally. The increased interest is due 
to several factors, for example: 

•  The  need  for  stable,  base-load  electricity  production  to  be  able  to  integrate 

intermittent (renewable) energy sources into the grid in a reliable manner; 

•  Ensuring  the  achievement  of  climate  change  mitigation  goals  by  changing  to 

electricity production technologies with low CO2 emission; 

•  Ensuring security of electricity supply by using a technology which can store its 

fuel for years ahead; 

•  The predicted development of Small Modular Reactor (SMR) technologies with a 
promise of faster and cheaper access to nuclear power also for remote and off-grid 
locations  

Consequently, the nuclear energy gained momentum in the world as demonstrated by the 
growing interest in building new nuclear power plants, possibly including various Small 
Modular Reactor (SMR) designs. Third countries will need international cooperation and 
assistance to cope in the areas of nuclear safety and regulatory capacity building. 

Internal (institutional) challenges 

Some of the challenges identified in Chapter 2 comprise institutional issues such as 

•  Occasionally lengthy project implementation time 
• 
•  The successful use of quantitative and qualitative indicators and measurements of 

long time between the definition of a project and its actual start 

outcomes and impact (beyond outputs only) 

39  Action plan for affordable energy, Brussels, 26.2.2025, COM(2025) 79 final 
40  Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2022/1214 of 9 March 2022 amending Delegated Regulation 
(EU) 2021/2139 as regards economic activities in certain energy sectors 
41  The EU Green Taxonomy is a classification system aimed to facilitate investments into environmentally 
sustainable economic activities 

- 26 - 

 
 
 
Under  the  proposal  for  INSC-D,  efforts  have  been  made  to  address  the  remaining 
challenges. For instance, the horizontal performance framework for the post-2027 budget 
will  guide  the  implementation  phase  of  the  programme  with  a  focus  on  improving 
monitoring and reporting. At the same time, the merger of the two programmes should also 
play a role in streamlining the implementation of the Instrument with an increased focus 
on shortening the implementation time. 

The main issue addressed by the NDWMP 

The NDWMP aims at protecting the European citizens and the environment against the 
hazards coming from the use of nuclear materials and facilities. 

The European Commission is liable for its past and on-going nuclear research at the four 
sites  in  the  Member  States.  Shut  down  facilities  must  be  decommissioned,  historical 
radioactive wastes safely managed for recovery, treatment, characterisation, packaging and 
storage according to the best international nuclear safety standards. 

The respective decommissioning plans are submitted to the nuclear regulatory authorities 
of  the  host  Member  States  who  deliver  the  necessary  authorisation  (licenses).  The 
European  Commission  will  continue  voluntary  discussion  with  the  host  Member  States 
willing to consider the transfer of the facilities for the implementation of the programme; 
the  financing  of  the  programme  will  nevertheless  remain  fully  with  the  European 
Commission. 

Means to achieve main objectives 

The decommissioning programme, implemented since 1999 by the Joint Research Center 
suffered from a clear separation from the Research and Training activities. In 2021, The 
European Commission  proposed to  include the JRC Decommissioning Programme into 
the overall Nuclear Decommissioning Assistance Programme supporting the dismantling 
of former Soviet nuclear reactors at Bohunice (Slovakia) and Kozloduy (Bulgaria). A clear 
and  dedicated  structure  (creation  of  a  specific  Directorate  at  the  JRC  managing  the 
decommissioning programme and its budget) is established, enhancing the implementation 
of the NDWMP. 

The JRC is advised by an Expert Group of independent specialists that meets twice per 
year. The 47th Expert Group meeting held in Ispra on 8 & 9 October 2024 found the storage 
of historical wastes at the site in poor condition and issued a strong recommendation to 
address the issue as a priority. 

Recent challenges and their handling 

The main challenge faced by the decommissioning programme is twofold: 

1.  The planning of activities is strongly depending on the release of corresponding 
authorisation by the regulatory of the host Member State with a detrimental on the 
budget management due to the rigid financial rules of the Commission (annuality 
principle). The JRC has improved its cooperation with the regulatory authorities, 
in particular in Italy, to closely work on the licensing process. Although progress 
has  been  achieved  and  delays  reduced,  the  need  for  more  flexibility  on  budget 
programming remains valid. 

2.  Decommissioning  is  a  complex  process  spanning  over  decades  and  entailing 
different  fields  of  expertise  (from  project  management  to  nuclear  expertise). 

- 27 - 

 
 
 
Availability of a skilled and experienced workforce remains a challenge that the 
JRC tries to overcome by Human Resources management. 

THE ADDED VALUE OF EU INVOLVEMENT   

3.2. 
External component  

Nuclear  accidents  and  risks  can  have  transboundary  and  international  impact  which  is 
relevant  for  more  than  one  country.  This  is  the  case  also  for  the  loss  of  control  of 
radioactive  material,  radioactive  waste  management  and  the  nuclear  safeguards.  As  a 
multi-country issue, it is proportionate and effective to give  it a multi-country solution. 
Thus, the pooling of Member State resources into a European Instrument permits greater 
outreach of EU member state funds with benefits to nuclear safety of shared benefit: 

•  The  INSC-D  is  able  to  support  interventions  beyond  the  actions  of  individual 
Member  States  or  other  single  donors.  For  large-scale,  ambitious  projects  like 
remediation of uranium mining legacy sites in Central Asia, or actions in continued 
addressing  of  the  effects  of  the  1986  Chornobyl  accident,  common  EU  action 
creates efficiencies in coordination of funds. 

•  The  INSC-D  allows  the  Community  to  be  an  important  actor  in  international 
nuclear safety cooperation and engage in high level policy dialogues with partner 
countries. 

•  The  Community  systematically  transfers  elements  of  established  Community 
nuclear safety and radiation protection culture to third countries and promotes best 
practices  in  the  management  of  spent  nuclear  fuel  and  radioactive  waste,  and 
safeguards. 

• 

•  Allows regular knowledge transfer and promotes EU expertise, through high-level 
training  and  tutoring,  provided  by  experts  of  top-level  European  institutions 
(including nuclear regulators) and universities, as well as specialized companies. 
It is able to coordinate with Member States and international actors such as IAEA, 
EBRD and other donors to provide assistance to partner countries. 
It  ensures  professional  project  supervision  and  monitoring  services  through 
dedicated  EC  administrative  and  engineering  units,  benefitting  from  decades  of 
experience. 

• 

•  The INSC-D helps staff members working at the nuclear regulators of the partner 
countries, as well as the experts of their TSOs, to actively participate at EU and 
IAEA technical meetings and other international conferences (such as Eurosafe), 
thus  connecting  them  to  leading  international  fora  of  technical  information 
exchange. The EU also contributes to making such links and networks sustainable; 
excellent  examples  are  the  Nuclear  and  Radiation  Safety  Centre  (NRSC)  in 
Armenia,  the  nuclear  regulator  of  Türkiye  (NDK)  and  State  Scientific  and 
Technical Center for Nuclear and Radiation Safety (SSTC NRS) in Ukraine. 

In conclusion, INSC-D’s key  added value  relies in  the ability to  create efficiencies and 
provide a substantiated platform for the EU to be an important actor in international nuclear 
safety cooperation. 

Internal component  

The  decommissioning  of  shut  down  nuclear  facilities  and  the  safe  management  of 
radioactive  waste  and  spent  nuclear  fuel  is  an  EU  liability  deriving  from  the  Euratom 

- 28 - 

 
 
 
 
 
Treaty that established the Joint Nuclear Research Centre under its Article 8. The European 
Commission  is  therefore  committed  to  finance  and  implement  the  decommissioning 
programme at its four nuclear sites. 

4.  OBJECTIVES, SYNERGIES, CHANGES  
Proposal for a Regulation of the Council establishing the Instrument for Nuclear Safety 
Cooperation and Decommissioning for the period 2028-2034, DG INTPA and DG JRC. 

4.1.  OBJECTIVES  
4.1.1.  General objectives 

The merger between the current INSC and the NDWMP is carried out on the basis of the 
common safety objectives: promoting nuclear safety in cooperation with third countries as 
well as in the decommissioning activities of the European Commission nuclear facilities. 
Promotion of nuclear safety, safe management of radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel 
and decommissioning of nuclear facilities according to the highest safety standards and 
good  international  practices  are  a  common  objective  of  the  former  instrument  and 
programme merged under the current proposal. 

The  Instrument  also  aims to  protect  the environment in  the territory of the EU, partner 
countries and their neighbours from the radiological effects of nuclear accidents potentially 
happening outside the EU.  

Further discussion of the general objectives can be found in Chapter 3.1.1. 

In particular, based on the experience with the ongoing activities, the general objective of 
the  external  component  reflect  the  same  general  objectives  of  Regulation  (Euratom) 
2021/948: by promoting the highest level of nuclear safety and radiation protection, as well 
as  safe  management  of  spent  nuclear  fuel  and  radioactive  waste  and  the  application  of 
efficient and effective safeguards in third countries, the main goal is to ensure the safety 
of EU citizens and citizens of the partner countries. This objective is meant to be achieved 
by transferring related Community expertise and best practices to the key stakeholders in 
the partner countries, in particular to the nuclear regulatory authorities and their technical 
support organisations. 

Related  activities  are  carried  out  in  complementarity  with  Global  Europe  instrument 
proposal. 

The general objective of the JRC decommissioning and waste management programme is 
to pursue the decommissioning of the Commission's nuclear installations at the JRC sites, 
namely JRC-Geel in Belgium, JRC-Karlsruhe in Germany, JRC-Ispra in Italy and JRC-
Petten  in  the  Netherlands,  and  to  safely  manage  the  spent  fuel,  nuclear  material  and 
radioactive  waste.  The  general  objective  of  the  JRC  decommissioning  and  waste 
management programme is complemented by the aim of enhancing the EU added value of 
that  programme  by  contributing 
the 
decommissioning  process  (thereby  generated)  to  all  Member  States.  The  proposal  will 
provide  funding  for  the  decommissioning  of  nuclear  facilities  and  the  management  of 
radioactive  waste  at  the  JRC  sites,  in  line  with  the  needs  identified  in  the  respective 
decommissioning plan. 

the  dissemination  of  knowledge  on 

to 

The  programme  will  in  addition  create  knowledge  deriving  from  the  nuclear 
decommissioning process and the management of radioactive waste resulting that will be 
shared with relevant EU stakeholders. 

- 29 - 

 
 
4.1.2.  Specific objectives  

The proposal for the external component keeps the three specific objectives of the previous 
and current Instruments: 

•  Promotion of a high level of nuclear safety and radiation protection 
•  Promotion of the safe management of spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste 
•  Promotion of applying efficient and effective safeguards of nuclear materials 

The  basic  motivation  of  pursuing  the  above  three  objectives  by  means  of  international 
nuclear  safety  cooperation  with  third  countries  and  justification  of  the  methods  and 
activities applied to achieve them is explained in detail in Chapter 3.1.1. 

The new Instrument foresees to expand its activities to achieve the three specific objectives 
by allowing for the design of interventions in those fields that are expected to gain more 
traction during the period of the next MFF (e.g. safety of SMRs and new technologies). 
Note that the inclusion of SMRs into the INSC portfolio is fully in line with objectives of 
the European Industrial Alliance on SMRs, fully supported by Euratom (see Chapter 3.1.1 
for details). 

In  line  with  the  objectives  of  the  Instrument  for  International  Nuclear  Safety  and 
Decommissioning expressed in the Regulation, the external component intends to continue 
capacitating nuclear and radiation protection regulatory authorities in third countries to be 
able to provide appropriate guidance to nuclear industry actors in the application of EU-
equivalent safety standards and requirements. This supports a level playing field between 
EU  and  non-EU  companies  investing  in  third  countries  and  it  is  in  line  with  the 
Competitiveness Compass for the EU42. 

Further discussion of the specific objectives can be found in Chapter 3.1.1. 

In view of the assessment results for the previous and current Instruments, as well as the 
considerations  outlined  in  Chapter  3.1.1,  the  specific  objectives  of  the  new  INSC  are 
adequate  and  will  contribute  to  ensuring  the  proper  protection  of  public  health  and  the 
environment in the EU and its neighbourhood. 

The  detailed  description  of  the  objectives  of  the  JRC  decommissioning  and  waste 
management programme during the next MFF is the following: 

In  the  financing  period  starting  as  of  2028,  the  JRC  decommissioning  and  waste 
management programme has to deliver the following: 

At all sites: 

(a)  Safely manage radioactive waste, nuclear material and spent fuel; 

(b)  Explore  and  develop  options  for  the  transfer  of  decommissioning  and  waste 
management  liabilities  to  the  host  Member  State,  based  on  the  mutual  bilateral 
agreement concluded between the Commission and the host Member State; 

(c)  Develop  ties  and  exchanges  among  Community  stakeholders  (e.g.  Member 
States, safety authorities, and utilities and decommissioning operators); 

(d)  Document  explicit  knowledge  and  make  it  available  through  multilateral 
knowledge transfers on decommissioning and waste management governance issues, 
managerial  best  practices,  and  technological  challenges  and  decommissioning 

42  A Competitiveness Compass for the EU, Brussels, 29.1.2025, COM(2025) 30 final 

- 30 - 

 
 
 
processes  at  both  operational  and  organisational  level,  with  a  view  to  developing 
potential Community synergies. 

SYNERGIES  

4.2. 
4.2.1.  Synergies with other programmes and organisations  

Synergy with the 2026-2027 Euratom Research and Training Programme 

Early 2025 the Commission submitted its proposal for the 2026-2027 Euratom Research 
and Training (R&T) Programme43. The programme focuses on the following R&T areas:  

• 

Improvement  and  support  of  nuclear  safety,  security,  safeguards  and  radiation 
protection 

•  Safe management of spent nuclear fuel, radioactive waste and decommissioning;  
•  Safe and secure use of nuclear power  
•  Safe and secure use of non-power applications of ionizing radiation 

The objectives of the new INSC-D are fully in line with the Euratom R&T programme 
proposed for the next two years and the technical areas where INSC assistance is offered 
to third countries cover those supported by the new programme.  

Synergy with the cooperation between the Euratom and the IAEA 

Globally,  the  International  Atomic  Energy  Agency  (IAEA)  provides  comprehensive 
assistance to UN Member States in the peaceful use of nuclear science and technology. 
The assistance is offered in various forms, e.g. by developing nuclear and radiation safety 
standards, providing safeguards inspection and other technical services and special expert 
missions. The European Atomic Energy Community and the IAEA have  built extensive 
scientific, technical and safeguards cooperation for a long time44 and they address selected 
issues in a coordinated manner, acting as partners45. Collaboration has touched upon many 
areas  of  work  such  as  the  Euratom  stress-tests,  environmental  remediation  activities  in 
Central Asia, and provision of tools for emergency diagnosis, prediction and management 
to the interested partner countries. The INSC has contributed significantly to the above-
mentioned joint projects and has regular meetings with the IAEA Regulatory Cooperation 
Forum (RCF) to discuss how to best share knowledge, experience and best practices of 
nuclear  regulators  through  international  cooperation.  The  INSC  complements  the 
cooperation  between  the  Euratom  and  the  IAEA  and  directly  contributes  to  the 
implementation of important joint projects (see e.g. environmental remediation activities). 

In the financing period starting as of 2028, in view of the contribution to the dissemination 
of knowledge on the decommissioning process (thereby generated) to all Member States, 
the JRC decommissioning and waste management programme will closely work with the 
IAEA  in  particular  ensuring  the  interconnection  and  compatibility  of  the  knowledge 
product interactive repositories. 

43  Proposal for a Council Regulation establishing the Research and Training Programme of the Euratom for 
the period 2026-2027 complementing Horizon Europe, Brussels, 28.2.2025, COM(2025) 60 final 
44  Cooperation agreement between the Euratom and IAEA, 1 January 1976 
45  Memorandum of Understanding for a partnership between the Euratom and the IAEA on nuclear safety 
cooperation, September 2022 

- 31 - 

 
 
 
 
4.2.2.  Contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals  

The new INSC-D continues contributing to the achievement of the following Sustainable 
Development Goals (SDGs) as defined by the United Nations (UN): 

•  SDG 3 – Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages 

Contribution: By means of environmental remediation activities 

•  SDG 4 – Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong 

learning opportunities for all 
Contribution: By means of training and tutoring programmes, education projects 
•  SDG 6 – Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation 

for all 
Contribution: By means of environmental remediation programmes 

•  SDG  11  –  Make  cities  and  human  settlements  inclusive,  safe,  resilient  and 

sustainable 
Contribution: by promoting high-level of nuclear safety  and radiation  protection 
INSC contributes to the disaster risk reduction sub-goal of SDG 11 

•  SDG 15 – Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, 
sustainably  manage  forests,  combat  desertification,  and  halt  and  reverse  land 
degradation and halt biodiversity loss 
Contribution: By means of environmental remediation programmes  

•  SDG 16 – Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, 
provide  access  to  justice  for  all  and  build  effective,  accountable  and  inclusive 
institutions at all levels 
Contribution:  by  means  of  establishing  a  competent  and  independent  national 
nuclear regulatory authority and by strengthening the non-proliferation regime 

4.3. 

ANALYSIS OF CHANGES AND NEW ELEMENTS  

Most  part  of  the  Instrument  remain  unchanged  compared  to  the  current  Regulations 
(Euratom)  2021/100  and  2021/948.  However,  the  new  Instrument  especially  intends  to 
allow  increased  flexibility  in  emergency  situations  or  when  responding  to  unforeseen 
needs. 

The  conditions  to  participate  in  an  INSC  cooperation  have  been  rephrased  to  allow  for 
more clarity and flexibility  depending  on the objectives pursued.  In the case of nuclear 
safeguards, for instance, the conditions remain that a potential partner country must be a 
signatory to the NPT and have a concluded a Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement with 
the IAEA or have the Additional Protocol in force. Maintaining the conditions outlined in 
article 12 (1-5) is strongly recommended, even if the proposal suggests overriding  such 
criteria in specific exceptional cases such as a nuclear accident or radiological emergency 
event.In  the  new  proposal,  flexibility  can  also  apply  specifically  when  working  with 
candidate and potential candidate countries to  enable the cooperation with  partners like 
Kosovo*46.  

In the current MFF the scope of INSC assistance has been broadened to align with Global 
Europe, allow for more flexibility and create an enabling regulation capable of intervening 
under unforeseen circumstances.  

46 Without prejudice to positions on status and in line with UNSCR 1244 and the ICJ opinion on Kosovo 
Declaration of Independence. 

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Another new element resides in the possibility for the external component to make use of 
the  Ukraine  Reserve  established  under  Regulation  202X/XXXX  [MFF  Regulation]  and 
outlined in article 6 of Global Europe for EU support to Ukraine.  

For the internal component, one change is included, which is related the proposal for a 
timeline  for  the  negotiations  with  Member  States  on  a  potential  transfer  of  the  nuclear 
liability.  

5.  EFFECTS OF DIFFERENT POLICY OPTIONS 

There  can  be  various  policy  options  to  implement  a  certain  instrument  and  achieve  the 
desired  objectives.  In  the  following  section  the  feasibility  and  limits  of  the  different, 
potentially applicable policy options are analysed for the new INSC-D proposal. 

Potential policy options 

Baseline option 

The  “baseline”  option  means  that  everything  is  continued  as  it  was  done  so  far  in  the 
present  2021-2027  period.  In  principle  the  application  of  this  policy  option  could  be 
feasible, because according to the evaluations (see Chapter 2) the implementation of the 
current INSC is going on successfully and in December 2024 the Instrument was reported 
“on  track”.  In  parallel  this  would  mean  a  second  standalone  JRC  decommissioning 
Programme. However, this option would result in two instead of one financial instruments/ 
programmes. 

Therefore,  in  light  of  the  simplification  intentions  of  the  Commission  following  the 
reasoning already outlined by this report (see chapter 1.1), the application of the “baseline” 
option is not preferred. 

Conclusion of the Instrument option 

The “conclusion of the Instrument” option means no INSC-D proposal is submitted for the 
2028-2034  period  and  this  type  of  international  cooperation  is  fully  stopped.  Activities 
ongoing in the present INSC and decommissioning programme are allowed to “run out” 
according to the contracts in effect and the last contracts can be signed till the end of 2027.  

As INSC had been operated successfully for more than three decades this option cannot be 
justified by negative evaluation results or by the lack of financial resources. Within the 
international arena of nuclear safety cooperation this EC decision would not be politically 
welcome at all, as present and potential partner countries rely on the long-term existence 
of this Instrument to a great extent and Member States have expressed their support on 
several occasions. 

For the internal component, conclusion of the instrument would mean that the European 
Commission would not be able to fulfil its commitments. 

The “conclusion of the Instrument” option therefore cannot be recommended. 

Full integration with another EC instrument option (e.g. Global Europe) 

The “full integration with another EC instrument” option was tried in 2018 between INSC 
and NDICI, but when scrutinizing related legal conditions, it turned out that INSC had to 
be kept as a separate instrument complementing NDICI-GE, due to its different legal basis 
(Euratom Treaty - see also Chapter 2.1.4). 

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Therefore,  in  light  of  the  legal  conditions  imposed  by  the  Euratom  Treaty,  the  “full 
integration with another EC instrument” option is legally not feasible. 

Merging with another EC instrument option under the same legal basis 

The “complementing  another EC  instrument” option corresponds  to  the situation  of the 
proposed INSC-D regulation and it ensures that a) special legal procedures of the Euratom 
Treaty can be followed and b) generic rules and procedures relevant for the EU external 
actions are also observed. It also fulfils the Commission’s simplification agenda aiming at 
resource  optimisation,  rationalisation  of  expenditures  by  consolidation  of  smaller 
programmes  into  a  single  bigger  instrument  and  streamlined  management  of  complex 
cross-cutting objectives and challenges. Note that in this option the merger of the current 
INSC and JRC decommissioning programmes into a single Instrument is a logical step, 
because both  components  contain activities that are subjected to  the Euratom Treaty as 
well as common nuclear safety objectives. 

The  new  INSC-D  proposal  put  forward  a  scheme  where  the  current  INSC  and  JRC 
decommissioning  are  parts  of  a  joint  Instrument  complementing  GE,  but  the  two  parts 
maintain their intrinsic characteristics under an external and an internal component of the 
Instrument: 

•  The  external  component  (INSC)  follows  recent  developments  in  nuclear 
technology,  ensuring  that  supporting  the  safety  aspects  of  the  utilization  of 
innovative nuclear reactors (such as SMRs) is included in the scope. It allows to 
provide a fast and proper response in exceptional cases (including war situations) 
and extends  the scope of support to  nuclear power plant (NPP) operators, while 
keeping the general restrictions to avoid unfair competition. As further contribution 
to the global efforts to protect the environment, an explicit reference to enhancing 
emergency  preparedness  and  response  capabilities,  as  well  as  for  environmental 
remediation activities is included. 

•  The internal component introduces a concrete timeline for the negotiations with the 
involved Member States on the potential transfer of nuclear liability from the JRC 
to the host MS. 

Therefore, in light of the intentions of the Commission and the legal conditions imposed 
by the Euratom Treaty, this option is feasible, and its implementation is recommended. 
The  provision  of  the  new,  unified  Instrument  ensures  advanced  flexibility  in  terms  of 
programming approach, including the selection of aid modalities and eligibility criteria, in 
alignment with Global Europe. 

Potential risks  

In light of the merger as the preferred policy option, a few risks can be identified. First, 
merging  two  separate  programmes  into  a  single  Instrument  requires  enhanced  upfront 
coordination. If such coordination is not carried out efficiently, implementation issues may 
arise.   

Regarding  the  external  component,  experience  shows  that  the  most  important  risks 
potentially influencing current INSC projects are of geopolitical or political origin, such 
as 

•  Unforeseen changes in the geopolitical situation of the partner country resulting in 

adverse or potentially dangerous implementation conditions (e.g. Ukraine) 

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•  Political, geopolitical or economic tensions hindering proper dialogue with partner 

countries’ governments). 

•  Change  in  the  energy  policy  of  the  partner  country  resulting  in  lost  interest  to 

cooperation on nuclear safety aspects (e.g. Vietnam in 2016). 

Potentially occurring other risks are e.g. lack of sufficient human or technical resources at 
the End User, loss of professional or economic interest in  the project, lack of financing 
from other potential donors, etc. 

Regarding  the  internal  component  on  the  decommissioning  programme,  the  main  risks 
emerging from experience are: 

•  The timely release of the necessary authorisation by the regulatory authorities to 

perform the decommissioning activities; 

•  The availability of a national radioactive waste repository; 

•  The  availability  of  knowledgeable  and  experienced  workforce  to  implement  the 

NDWMP. 

6. 

IMPACT OF PAST PROGRAMMES 

EXTERNAL COMPONENT – INSC  

6.1. 
Based on the comprehensive ex-post evaluation of the 2014-2020 period47 it can be stated 
that the planned results and impacts were fully achieved by INSC-II. This is also valid for 
the first 4 years of the 2021-2027 period of INSC-III, as the mid-term evaluation of the 
2021-2027 period48 established that all Key Monitoring Indicators were “on track”. The 
main INSC impacts exerted on the partner countries are as follow (see Chapter 2 for further 
details): 

•  Enhanced regulatory capacities and capabilities in several Beneficiary countries, 

•  Creation or further development of a competent TSO assisting the regulator, 

• 

Implementation  of  a  national  nuclear  emergency  response  centre  equipped  with 
state-of-the-art accident diagnosis, prognosis and decision support tools,  

•  Creation  or  further  development  of  a  national  radiation  monitoring  system  with 

early warning capabilities,  

•  Provision of comprehensive training & tutoring to regulators & TSO experts,  

•  Participation in the EU stress-tests and the following ENSREG peer-review,  

47  Evaluation  of  the  INSC  2014-2020,  Expert  Facility  for  the  INSC,  Contract  No  2020/419-010,  LDK 
Consultants Global EEIG, December 2021  
48  Evaluation of the European Union’s External Financing Instruments (2014-2020 and 2021-2027), Volume 
I: Synthesis Report and Volume II: Annexes, Particip GmbH Consortium, March 2024 

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•  Remediation of legacy sites with radioactive contamination. 

6.2. 

INTERNAL COMPONENT – JRC DECOMMISSIONING  

Since  2021,  the  Nuclear  Decommissioning  and  Waste  Management  Programme  of  the 
Joint Research Centre is financed under a specific legal basis. The programme that started 
in  1999  under  JRC  budget  has  benefitted  from  the  new  approach  and  enhanced  the 
efficiency for its implementation. The programme effectively improved the nuclear safety 
at the JRC sites for the benefit of the EU citizens and the environment. The continuation 
of  the  programme  is  needed  to  fulfil  the  European  Commission’s  legal  commitments, 
reduce the nuclear hazards towards a complete release of the facilities from the regulatory 
control  and  create  and  share  knowledge  with  the  EU  stakeholders  dealing  with  the 
decommissioning and waste management. 

7.  MONITORING AND EVALUATION 
This  initiative will be monitored  through the performance framework for the post-2027 
budget, which is examined in a dedicated impact assessment. The performance framework 
provides for an implementation report during the implementation phase of the programme, 
as well as a retrospective evaluation to be carried out in accordance with Article 34(3) of 
Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2024/2509. The evaluation shall be conducted in accordance 
with  the  Commission's  Better  Regulation  Guidelines  and  will  be  based  on  indicators 
relevant to the objectives of the programme. The methodological assumption in concerned 
impact  assessment  is  the  aggregation  of  performance  indicators  across  programmes  to 
simplify  reporting  obligations  for  all  future  MFF  programmes.  This  would  enable  a 
significant reduction of administrative burden by reducing the number of indicators five-
fold and by attributing indicators to each intervention field. The horizontal monitoring and 
performance framework would be embedded through a single legal act.  

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