Brussels, 07/10/2004 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday, the European Commission adopted a recommendation for the conclusion of an agreement negotiated by the European Atomic Energy Community with Japan on peaceful uses of nuclear energy, to add to a series of existing agreements between the three main users of nuclear energy: Europe, the United States, and Japan. The agreement will provide a stable framework for the development of nuclear trade between both sides, and increased cooperation in other fields of common interest, such as research into nuclear fission and radioprotection.
The agreement with Japan is of particular interest to the EU in that it will be the first of its kind with a country which is one of the main clients of the European nuclear industry. The Commission stresses that "Cooperation between the EU and Japan will take place in the strictest compliance with internationally recognised rules". The agreement will create the foundations for a trade relationship estimated to be worth tens of billions of EUR. The planned duration is 30 years (with the possibility of extending it automatically in periods of five years), as it will give business a stable framework which is easy to predict in the long-term, and which is greatly needed. Furthermore, the agreement will reaffirm the commitment made by Japan, the EU and its Member States for the reinforcement and strict application of the guarantees and controls on exports, to the benefit of a high level of nuclear safety.
The agreement will be added to by a separate agreement on cooperation in the field of nuclear research and development, concluded for ten years initially. The list of fields of cooperation includes nuclear science and technology, nuclear safety and radioprotection, the management of nuclear waste and spent fuel, and nuclear guarantees. It will now be up to the Council to examine the Commission's recommendation with a view to finalising the agreement.