Organization:European Atomic Energy Community

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The European Atomic Energy Community (EAEC or Euratom) is an international organisation established by the Euratom Treaty on 25 March 1957 with the original purpose of creating a specialist market for nuclear power in Europe, by developing nuclear energy and distributing it to its member states while selling the surplus to non-member states. However, over the years its scope has been considerably increased to cover a large variety of areas associated with nuclear power and ionising radiation as diverse as safeguarding of nuclear materials, radiation protection and construction of the International Fusion Reactor ITER.[1]

It is legally distinct from the European Union (EU) although it has the same membership, and is governed by many of the EU's institutions; but it is the only remaining community organisation that is independent of the EU and therefore outside the regulatory control of the European Parliament. Since 2014, Switzerland has also participated in Euratom programmes as an associated state.[2]

The United Kingdom ceased to be a member of the organisation on 31 January 2020.[3][4] However, under the terms of the UK–EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement, the United Kingdom participates in Euratom as an associated state following the end of the transition period on 31 December 2020.[5]

History

1 April 1957, Konrad Adenauer, Walter Hallstein and Antonio Segni, signing the European customs union and Euratom in Rome, Italy.

The Common Assembly proposed extending the powers of the European Coal and Steel Community to cover other sources of energy. However, Jean Monnet, ECSC architect and President, wanted a separate community to cover nuclear power. Louis Armand was put in charge of a study into the prospects of nuclear energy use in Europe; his report concluded that further nuclear development was needed to fill the deficit left by the exhaustion of coal deposits and to reduce dependence on oil producers. However, the Benelux states and Germany were also keen on creating a general single market, although it was opposed by France due to its protectionism, and Jean Monnet thought it too large and difficult a task. In the end, Monnet proposed the creation of separate atomic energy and economic communities to reconcile both groups.[6]

The Intergovernmental Conference on the Common Market and Euratom at the Château of Val-Duchesse in 1956 drew up the essentials of the new treaties. Euratom would foster co-operation in the nuclear field, at the time a very popular area, and would, along with the EEC, share the Common Assembly and Court of Justice of the ECSC, but not its executives. Euratom would have its own Council and Commission, with fewer powers than the High Authority of the European Coal and Steel Community. On 25 March 1957, the Treaties of Rome (the Euratom Treaty and the EEC Treaty) were signed by the ECSC members and on 1 January 1958 they came into force.[7][8][9]

To save on resources, these separate executives created by the Rome Treaties were merged in 1965 by the Merger Treaty. The institutions of the EEC would take over responsibilities for the running of the ECSC and Euratom, with all three then becoming known as the European Communities even if each legally existed separately. In 1993, the Maastricht Treaty created the European Union, which absorbed the Communities into the European Community pillar, yet Euratom still maintained a distinct legal personality.

The European Constitution was intended to consolidate all previous treaties and increase democratic accountability in them. The Euratom treaty had not been amended as the other treaties had, so the European Parliament had been granted few powers over it. However, the reason it had gone unamended was the same reason the Constitution left it to remain separate from the rest of the EU: anti-nuclear sentiment among the European electorate, which may unnecessarily turn voters against the treaty.[10][11][12] The Euratom treaty thus remains in force relatively unamended from its original signing.

EU evolution timeline

This overall timeline includes the establishment and development of Euratom, and shows that currently it is the only former EC body that has not been incorporated into the EU.


Cooperation

Withdrawal of the United Kingdom

The United Kingdom announced its intention to withdraw from the EAEC on 26 January 2017, following on from its decision to withdraw from the European Union.[13][24][25][26] Formal notice to withdraw from the EAEC was provided in March 2017, within the Article 50 notification letter, where the withdrawal was made explicit.[27] Withdrawal only became effective following negotiations on the terms of the exit, which lasted two years and ten months.

A report by the House of Commons Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee, published in May 2017, questioned the legal necessity of leaving Euratom and called for a temporary extension of membership to allow time for new arrangements to be made.[28]

In June 2017, the European Commission's negotiations task force published a Position paper transmitted to EU27 on nuclear materials and safeguard equipment (Euratom), titled "Essential Principles on nuclear materials and safeguard equipment".[29] The following month, a briefing paper from the House of Commons Library assessed the implications of leaving Euratom.[30]

In 2017, an article in The Independent questioned availability of nuclear fuel to the UK after 2019 if the UK were to withdraw, and the need for new treaties relating to the transportation of nuclear materials.[31] A 2017 article in the New Scientist stated that radioisotope supply for cancer treatments would also need to be considered in new treaties.[32]

UK politicians speculated that the UK could stay in Euratom. In 2017, some argued that this would require – beyond the consent of the EU27 – amendment or revocation of the Article 50 letter of March 2017.[33]

The Nuclear Safeguards Act 2018, making provision for safeguards after withdrawal from Euratom, received royal assent on 26 June 2018.[34]

The UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement, outlining the UK's relationship with the European Union from 1 January 2021, makes provision for the United Kingdom's participation "as an associated country of all parts of the Euratom programme".[5]

Achievements

In the history of European regulation, Article 37 of the Euratom Treaty represents pioneering legislation concerning binding transfrontier obligations with respect to environmental impact and protection of humans.[35][clarification needed]

President

The five-member Commission was led by only three presidents while it had independent executives (1958–1967), all from France:[citation needed]

N. Portrait President
(Born–Died) 		State Took office Left office Commission Party Group Electoral mandate Refs
1 European Union politic personality icon.svg Louis Armand
(1905–1971) 		 France 7 January 1958 2 February 1959 Armand Independent None –
1 year, 26 days
2 Étienne Hirsch - 1983 (cropped).png Étienne Hirsch
(1901–1994) 		 France 2 February 1959 10 January 1962 Hirsch Independent None –
3 years, 8 days
3 Portrait ministre de l'Intérieur Chatenet - Archives nationales (France).png Pierre Chatenet
(1917–1997) 		 France 10 January 1962 5 July 1967 Chatenet Independent None –
5 years, 176 days

See also

  • EU Directorate General Joint Research Centre – often incorrectly referred to as Euratom due to EURATOM being its origin.
  • Energy Community
  • Energy policy of the European Union
  • History of the European Union
  • Institutions of the European Union
  • International Atomic Energy Agency
  • Nuclear energy in the European Union
  • The nuclear part of the Seventh Framework Programme for research and technological development, the European Union's chief instrument for funding research.

References

  1. ↑ Energy, Fusion For. "Fusion For Energy - Bringing the power of the sun to earth". http://fusionforenergy.europa.eu/. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Document 32014D0954, Council of the European Union. Retrieved 26 October 2015.
  3. ↑ European Union (Notification of Withdrawal) Act 2017 (c. 9) EXPLANATORY NOTES, p. 4: "The power that is provided by section 1(1) applies to withdrawal from the EU. This includes the European Atomic Energy Community (‘Euratom’), as the European Union (Amendment) Act 2008 sets out that the term “EU” includes (as the context permits or requires) Euratom (section 3(2))."
  4. ↑ Hinson, Suzanna (8 January 2020). Commons Briefing papers CBP-8036. https://researchbriefings.parliament.uk/ResearchBriefing/Summary/CBP-8036. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 "Draft EU-UK Declarations". p. 21. https://ec.europa.eu/info/sites/info/files/draft_eu-uk_declarations.pdf. 
  6. ↑ 1957–1968 Successes and crises CVCE
  7. ↑ A European Atomic Energy Community CVCE
  8. ↑ The signing of the Rome Treaties CVCE
  9. ↑ Drafting of the Rome Treaties CVCE
  10. ↑ Euratom: nuking Europe's future Greenpeace International, 9 July 2003
  11. ↑ One hundred civil society groups say abolish Euratom! Friends of the Earth Europe, 3 March 2003
  12. ↑ "Euratom Loans". http://www.eu-energy.com/euratom-reform.htm. 
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Alex Barker, Arthur Beesley (26 January 2017). "UK confirms plan to leave European atomic energy community". Financial Times. https://www.ft.com/content/fe3b50a4-e3e1-11e6-8405-9e5580d6e5fb. 
  14. ↑ "Armenian president declares readiness to enhance cooperation with European Union". 19 April 2018. http://arka.am/en/news/politics/armenian_president_declares_readiness_to_enhance_cooperation_with_european_union/. 
  15. ↑ V., Knoerich (28 April 1981). "Cooperation between Euratom and Australia". Atw. Atomwirtschaft, Atomtechnik 26 (12). https://inis.iaea.org/search/search.aspx?orig_q=RN:13676122. 
  16. ↑ Union, Publications Office of the European (6 October 1959). "Agreement between the Government of Canada and the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) for cooperation in the peaceful uses of atomic energy, CELEX1". http://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/c6ca4fce-7c53-4573-b4b8-2c6bc813e6db/language-en. 
  17. ↑ "India, EU sign civil nuclear cooperation agreement on eve of Summit" (in en). 2020-07-14. https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/india-eu-sign-civil-nuclear-cooperation-agreement-on-eve-of-summit/story-EpPnbxaN92LTkYCIiFqnTM.html. 
  18. ↑ "Euratom signs fusion energy declaration with Japan : New Nuclear - World Nuclear News". https://world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Euratom-signs-fusion-energy-declaration-with-Japan. 
  19. ↑ "Agreement between the Government of Kazakhstan and the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) on cooperation in the sphere of peaceful use of nuclear energy | InforMEA". https://www.informea.org/en/treaties/agreement-between-government-kazakhstan-and-european-atomic-energy-community-euratom. 
  20. ↑ "Agreement between RSA & European Atomic Energy Community for Co-operation on the Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy | PMG". https://pmg.org.za/committee-meeting/31664/. 
  21. ↑ "UKRAINE JOINS "HORIZON EUROPE" AND "EURATOM" PROGRAMS – European Educational Scientific Technological Center". http://web.kpi.kharkov.ua/eestc/en/2021/10/25/ukraine-joins-horizon-europe-and-euratom-programs/. 
  22. ↑ https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:21996A0520(01)&rid=1 [bare URL]
  23. ↑ https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:22003A1021(01)&from=IT [bare URL]
  24. ↑ Gosden, Sam Coates, Emily (21 December 2017). "Britain quits European nuclear body". https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/britain-quits-european-nuclear-body-pgmq9m9fc. 
  25. ↑ Adam Vaughan (27 January 2017). "UK exit from EU atomic treaty under Brexit 'will delay power stations'". The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/business/2017/jan/27/uk-exit-eu-atomic-treaty-brexit-euratom-hinkley-point-c. 
  26. ↑ Gibney, Elizabeth (2017). "Researchers shocked at UK's plan to exit EU nuclear agency". Nature. doi:10.1038/nature.2017.21388. http://www.nature.com/news/researchers-shocked-at-uk-s-plan-to-exit-eu-nuclear-agency-1.21388. 
  27. ↑ "Prime Minister May's letter to EU". Government of the United Kingdom. 29 March 2017. https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/604079/Prime_Ministers_letter_to_European_Council_President_Donald_Tusk.pdf. 
  28. ↑ "Government must act urgently to end Brexit risk to nuclear industry" (in en). http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/business-energy-industrial-strategy/news-parliament-2015/leaving-eu-energy-climate-change-report-published-16-17/. 
  29. ↑ "Position paper transmitted to EU27 on nuclear materials and safeguard equipment (Euratom)" (in en). 23 June 2017. https://ec.europa.eu/commission/publications/position-paper-transmitted-eu27-nuclear-materials-and-safeguard-equipment-euratom_en. 
  30. ↑ Hinson, Suzanna (7 July 2017). "Briefing Paper CBP 8036: Euratom". http://researchbriefings.parliament.uk/ResearchBriefing/Summary/CBP-8036. 
  31. ↑ "Brexit will create 'an alarming mess' for UK nuclear industry, scientists warn". The Independent. 9 July 2017. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/brexit-nuclear-power-euratom-hinckley-point-risks-nuclear-fusion-energy-bills-a7832136.html. 
  32. ↑ "Brexiteers must not risk UK's nuclear future by leaving Euratom". The New Scientist. 12 July 2017. https://www.newscientist.com/article/2140607-brexiteers-must-not-risk-uks-nuclear-future-by-leaving-euratom/. 
  33. ↑ "Brexit: what happens to Article 50 in a U-turn on Euratom?". Financial Times. https://www.ft.com/content/0f57f69d-305d-3f9f-834f-90e43e3f2633. 
  34. ↑ "Bill stages — Nuclear Safeguards Act 2018 — UK Parliament" (in en). Parliament of the United Kingdom. https://services.parliament.uk/Bills/2017-19/nuclearsafeguards/stages.html. 
  35. ↑ "Heuel-Fabianek, B., Kümmerle, E., Möllmann-Coers, M., Lennartz, R. (2008): The relevance of Article 37 of the Euratom Treaty for the dismantling of nuclear reactors. atw – International Journal for Nuclear Power 6/2008". http://www.fz-juelich.de/portal/lw_resource/datapool/__pages/pdp_1407/atw-2008-06_HEUEL-FABIANEK.pdf. 

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