Source: EURLEX
Language: en
Format: md

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| CALL FOR EVIDENCE  FOR AN EVALUATION AND IMPACT ASSESSMENT RUN IN PARALLEL | |
| Title of the initiative | Interim Evaluation of the Euratom Research and Training Programme 2021-2025  Extension of Euratom Research and Training Programme for 2026-2027 |
| Lead DG – responsible unit | DG Research & Innovation, Unit C.4 – Euratom research |
| Likely type of initiative | Commission Report on the Interim evaluation of Euratom Research and Training Programme 2021-2025  Commission Proposal for Council Decision on the Euratom Research and Training Programme 2026-2027 |
| Indicative Planning | Q3 2024 – Q1 2025 |
| Additional information | https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/funding/funding-opportunities/funding-programmes-and-open-calls/horizon-europe/euratom-research-and-training-programme\_en |
| A. Political context, evaluation, problem definition & subsidiarity check | |
| Political context | |
| The Euratom Research and Training Programme 2021–2025 (the ‘Programme’) is the EU’s main funding programme for nuclear research with a budget of nearly EUR 1.4 billion. The Programme is focused on maintaining the highest nuclear safety standards and Europe’s skills in the nuclear domain. The Programme also funds the development of fusion energy, a long-term option for large‑scale, low‑carbon electricity production, which could help address energy demand in future.  While the MFF covers the period 2021-2027, the Programme has a duration of only five years (2021-2025) due to the limit set in Article 7 of the Euratom Treaty. To continue supporting nuclear research for the remaining two years (2026-2027), the Commission needs to present a new proposal (the ‘extension’). | |
| Evaluation | |
| The interim evaluation will analyse the Programme’s design, implementation and first results achieved during 2021-2023. It will address the Programme’s relevance, coherence, efficiency, effectiveness and EU value added. It fulfils the Commission’s legal obligation in Article 14 of the Regulation establishing the Programme. As a related Programme, it will also provide evidence required for the ex-ante assessment of the extension.  On its part, the ex-ante evaluation will identify and analyse the issues to be addressed, the added value of EU involvement, objectives, expected effects of different options and monitoring and evaluation. | |
| Problem the initiative aims to tackle | |
| Nuclear technologies play an important role in the EU’s and its Member States’ energy and climate policies. For Member States which don’t use nuclear power, nuclear science also remains important in non-power applications in fields such as medicine, industry, agriculture, environment and space.  The secure and safe use of these technologies remains paramount: from the safety of existing and future power plants to protection from ionising radiation, from the safe management of radioactive waste management to decommissioning.  Europe is also at a risk of losing its know-how and skills in this area. Young people were put off studying for careers in fission. In fusion, the increased interest and investment outside the EU risks attracting talent away from the EU and the EU losing its leadership position. | |
| Basis for EU action (legal basis and subsidiarity check) | |
| The Euratom Treaty states that the Commission is responsible for promoting and facilitating nuclear research in the Member States and for complementing it by conducting a Community research and training programme (Art. 4). This programme is to be adopted by the Council, acting unanimously on a proposal from the Commission (Art. 7).  Nuclear safety and security issues transcend borders and developing fusion energy calls for research efforts on a very large scale. The matter is of interest not only to Member States operating nuclear power plants (around half of EU Member States) but those who also operate research reactors (also for radioisotope production). Finally, all Member States use radiation for non-power purposes, particularly medical.  Research investment by individual Member States, especially the ones with a lower research intensity, are unlikely to achieve the critical mass required given the level of investment needed. There are also the risks of duplication, fragmentation and unaddressed research gaps. For this reason, an EU-level Programme is necessary. | |
| Legal basis | |
| Article 7 of the Euratom Treaty | |
| Practical need for EU action | |
| Euratom-funded research supports Member States’, safety authorities’ and industry’s efforts to ensure that current and future nuclear installations are designed, constructed, operated and decommissioned to the highest standards of safety, security, radioactive waste management and non-proliferation. The Programme and its extension would, in no way, be able to support major work or the development of new systems or technology demonstrators. For the development of fusion energy, the Euratom Programme funds implementation of the fusion roadmap supporting the exploitation of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) and the design and technologies for a first fusion power plant. | |
| B. Objectives and policy options | |
| The general and specific objectives of the extension would be the same as those of the Programme.  Policy options under consideration:  ·Option 1 (the ‘do-nothing/baseline scenario’) which would mean the end of EU-level support for nuclear research which will only continue to be pursued at the national and regional levels  ·Option 2 (the ‘business-as-usual scenario’) in which a proposal for a Regulation providing for an extension is presented with the same objectives, activities and mode of implementation as the current Programme (including making use of Horizon Europe’s definitions and rules of participation for the purpose of simplification)  ·Option 3 in which a proposal for a Regulation provides for an amended Programme to ensure its continued relevance for the remaining two-year period | |
| C. Likely impacts | |
| Research funded through the extension will help in:  ·improving safety for Long Term Operation of NPPs in Europe,  ·giving regulatory authorities the tools for safety assessment of current and future technologies whether of European design or imported from third countries.  ·providing the scientific basis for improved medical applications of radiation  ·providing solutions for safe long-term storage of radioactive waste  ·addressing bottlenecks in the design process of the first fusion power plant  ·improve access conditions for European researchers to unique, shared facilities while improving mobility across the EU | |
| D. Better Regulation instruments | |
| Impact assessment and evaluation | |
| The Commission services will carry out an interim evaluation of the Programme as required by the Regulation establishing the Programme. The evaluation report’s conclusions will serve as input, together with the conclusions of the ex-ante impact assessment, for a proposal for a Regulation establishing the extension to be adopted by the Commission in Q1.2025. | |
| Consultation strategy | |
| As they’re to take place at around the same time and as they address themselves to the same small research community, the Commission will carry out a single public consultation as part of both the interim evaluation of the Programme and the ex-ante assessment of the extension. The purpose of the public consultation will be to gather stakeholders’ views on key aspects of the Programme’s preparation, implementation and future evolution, to enable the Commission services to carry out an interim evaluation and an impact assessment. Main stakeholders identified include researchers in the nuclear field, businesses, academia, non-governmental organisations and public authorities and EU-wide ‘umbrella’ federations of these organisations.  Planned consultations:  ØA 12-week public consultation will be published in English, French and German on the Have Your Say website (https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/better-regulation/have-your-say\_en) in the first quarter of 2024. Responses may be submitted in any official EU language. The results will be presented in a synopsis report annexed to the Commission’s interim evaluation report.  ØTargeted consultations (e.g. interviews) will be carried out with the Programme’s participants as part of the external evaluation studies supporting the interim evaluation and preparation of EU’s fusion strategy.  ØA High-level European Fusion Innovation Roundtable, hosted by Commissioner Ivanova will be held in 2024 and include high-level stakeholders from the research and industry communities as part of the consultation process for the key elements of an EU fusion strategy.  In line with the European Commission’s Better regulation policy to develop initiatives informed by the best available knowledge, we will also invite scientific researchers, academic organisations, learned societies and scientific associations in the nuclear research to submit published and pre-print scientific research, analyses and data. We are particularly interested in submissions that synthesise the current state of knowledge in relevant fields. | |
| Why we are consulting? | |
| The Commission seeks stakeholders’ views on the Programme’s preparation, implementation and future evolution, allowing the Commission services to carry out the Programme’s evaluation and to prepare the proposal for the extension. | |
| Target audience | |
| This consultation is addressed mainly to researchers in the nuclear research (fission and fusion), radiation protection and radioactive waste management, businesses, academia, non-governmental organisations and public authorities and EU-wide ‘umbrella’ federations of these entities. | |

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