Brussels, 01/12/2011 (Agence Europe) - In a press release issued on Thursday 1 December, Alain Lamassoure (EPP, France), chair of the European Parliament's budgets committee, welcomed the agreement negotiated by the Polish Presidency of the Council of the EU and the European Parliament delegation on the financing of the huge surcharges for the international nuclear fusion research programme ITER. He said agreement had been reached on the funding of the European section of the cost overshoot, some €1.3 billion, by making savings in other areas without undermining the EP's research priorities. The EU budget for 2012, which has now been approved (see below), foresees €100 million for ITER. A unique research centre is being built in Cadarache, France, under the ITER deal, in which the United States, Japan and Russia are involved. (LC/transl.fl)