Considerations on COM(2020)108 - Adoption of the 2020-2023 high flux reactor supplementary research programme at Petten to be implemented by the Joint Research Centre for Euratom

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dossier COM(2020)108 - Adoption of the 2020-2023 high flux reactor supplementary research programme at Petten to be implemented by the Joint ...
document COM(2020)108 EN
date June 29, 2020
 
table>(1)The high flux reactor at Petten (‘HFR’) has been an important resource for Community research on materials sciences and testing, on nuclear medicine and on nuclear reactor safety.
(2)The operation of the HFR has been supported by a series of supplementary research programmes. The last supplementary research programme, which was established under Council Decision (Euratom) 2017/956 (1) for a four year term, expired on 31 December 2019.

(3)Considering its continued importance as an irreplaceable infrastructure for Community research in the fields of improvement of nuclear reactors safety, health (including the development of medical isotopes for medical research), nuclear fusion, fundamental research, training, and waste management (including the possibility to study the safety behaviour of nuclear fuels for reactor systems of interest to Europe), the HFR should continue to be supported by a supplementary research programme until the end of 2023.

(4)Due to their special interest in the irradiation capabilities of the HFR, the NRG: Nuclear Research and consultancy Group V.O.F (‘NRG’) and the Commissariat à l’énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (‘CEA’), as implementing agents for the Netherlands and France, respectively, have agreed to finance the entire 2020-2023 HFR supplementary research programme through contributions to the general budget of the Union by way of assigned revenue.

(5)Those contributions should finance the operation of the HFR in order to support a research programme and the regular operation and maintenance of the HFR. An official notification of definitive shutdown by the operator NRG to the Dutch national regulatory authority prior to the declaration of a safe conservation state should result in the suspension of payments that remain to be effected and in the suspension of any calls for funds by the Commission.

(6)In order to ensure continuity between the supplementary research programmes and the smooth operation of the 2020-2023 HFR supplementary research programme, this Decision should apply from 1 January 2020. Part of the contributions under the 2020-2023 HFR supplementary research programme should be permitted to cover expenditure made during the year 2020.

(7)The Board of Governors of the Joint Research Centre provided its prior opinion (2) pursuant to Article 4(2) of Commission Decision 96/282/Euratom (3),