Brussels, 14/07/2010 (Agence Europe) - The members of the European Union reiterated their overwhelming support for ITER in their emergency adoption, on Monday 12 July, of a virtual threefold increase of the European contribution to the costs of the construction of ITER, the experimental nuclear reactor based in Cadarache, in southern France. The European Union will have to find €1.4 billion for its contribution to the project in 2012 and 2013. The conclusions adopted without debate on 12 July, by the Agriculture and Fisheries Council, provide for the funds of the current framework programme (2007-2013) to be redeployed for research and development. In order to plug the funding gap, “the Commission will present a proposal respecting the global upper limit provided for by the current multi-annual financial framework and based mostly on redeployment of assets within heading 1A (growth and competitiveness)” the Council conclusions state. This redeployment of funds will be based mainly on unused funds, then by applying a flat-rate basis and making the appropriate adjustments. “The possibility of bringing the costs down for the period 2012-2013, whilst fully respecting the reference basis of the project, could also be looked into”, it is further stipulated. The Council also stressed the political need to control and limit the costs of continuing with the ITER project. To this end, the joint company “Fusion for Energy” (F4E) will create a plan to limit costs, taking account of inevitable contingencies, and for increased savings wherever possible, the conclusions stress. This plan will be presented as soon as possible to the Competitiveness Council for its approval, no later than the session of 26 November 2010. The Green MEP, Michèle Rivasi (France), was critical of this decision. “With the financial crisis, the ITER project has become unrealistic. The States do not wish to pay to fund this project but, paradoxically, they remain highly attached to it”. She feels that “the only solution is therefore to halt this economically disastrous project, which could be technically dangerous and which does not correspond to the energy needs of the EU”. In mid-June, the seven partners of the ITER project (European Atomic Energy Community [Euratom], Russia, Japan, China, India, South Korea and the United States) decided, at the meeting of the ITER Council in Suzhou, China, to meet again for an extraordinary meeting on 27 and 28 July in Cadarache, as they failed to resolve the issue of European funding. At this meeting, the perimeter of the project, its timetable and its revised costs are to be approved by the partners. (B.C./transl.fl)