EU wil overeenkomst met Japan over vreedzaam gebruik nucleaire energie (en)

The Commission adopted today a recommendation to the Council to conclude an agreement on the peaceful uses of nuclear energy between Euratom and Japan. This agreement completes the series of agreements existing between the three main users of nuclear energy, namely Europe, the USA and Japan. The agreement will provide a stable framework for the development of nuclear trade between the two Parties and for reinforced co-operation in other areas of common interest, such as research into nuclear fission and radioprotection.

The cooperation agreement with Japan on the peaceful uses of nuclear energy is of particular interest for the EU since it is the first to be negotiated with a country that is one of the main clients of the European nuclear industry. Co-operation between the EU and Japan will take place in the strictest compliance with internationally recognised rules. From the outset, the mutual desire to conclude such an agreement was affirmed at the highest level, dating back from the EU/Japan Summit in 1998. The priority of the issue was reaffirmed in the ten-year EU-Japan Action Plan adopted in December 2001.

The agreement lays down the basis for a strong commercial relationship between the Parties, estimated at tens of billions of euros for the duration of the agreement. The agreement runs initially for 30 years (with the possibility of automatic extension for five-year periods), hence providing industry with the stable and predictable long-term framework needed to conclude and implement commercial arrangements in the nuclear field.

Moreover, the conclusion of the agreement reaffirms the commitment of Japan, the EU and its Member States to the strengthening and strict application of safeguards and export control. It is also an opportunity to recall the mutual commitment of the EU and Japan to a high level of nuclear safety which is a matter of major concern for public opinion.

The agreement is supplemented by a separate agreement for co-operation in the field of nuclear research and development to be concluded for an initial period of ten years. The list of areas for co-operation include nuclear science and technology, nuclear safety and radiation protection, management of radioactive waste and spent fuel, and nuclear safeguards. This co-operation may take the form, for example, of exchanges of information and experts, joint seminars, and the development of joint projects and programmes.

The Council will now examine the Commission recommendation in view of finalising the agreement.