Nuclear Politics

Foratom Calls For ‘Rapid Establishment’ Of Brexit Cooperation Agreement For Nuclear Industry

By David Dalton
12 October 2017

12 Oct (NucNet): The European nuclear trade association Foratom has called for the “rapid establishment” of a nuclear cooperation agreement between the EU and the UK, including arrangements for free trade in the nuclear sector. In a position paper published on 12 October 2017 outlining the European nuclear industry’s priorities for the Brexit negotiations in relation to the nuclear industry, Brussels-based Foratom said an agreement would help ensure a smooth transition from the current European atomic energy community (Euratom) safeguards arrangement to a new UK regime. It said the EU and the UK should immediately start negotiating the post-Brexit relationship and – if necessary – transitional arrangements in order to avoid any disruption of the nuclear fuel cycle. Last month the UK government announced it would establish a domestic nuclear safeguards regime which will meet existing Euratom standards and exceed the standards that the international community would require from the UK as a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency. The government said the regime will ensure that the UK continues to maintain its position as a responsible nuclear state and that withdrawal from Euratom, which oversees the movement of nuclear materials across Europe, will not result in the weakening of its future safeguards standards and oversight. In the position paper, Foratom said the free movement of nuclear skills to and from the EU and the UK should be preserved. In terms of Euratom R&D programmes, a new agreement needs to be negotiated to maintain cooperation between the EU and the UK. Foratom also called for the validity of contracts already approved by the European Commission and the Euratom Supply Agency for the supply of nuclear materials between EU suppliers and the UK to be confirmed. The position paper is online: http://bit.ly/2yc6FAm

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