3/3/2006
EU and Japan agree on cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy

The European Commission and Japan signed this week an Agreement for Cooperation in the Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy. The Agreement will provide a stable framework for the development of nuclear trade between the two parties and facilitate co-operation in areas of common interest, such as safeguards.

“Today’s event opens a new chapter in the successful relations between the EU and Japan. The agreement will provide industry with the stable and predictable long-term framework necessary for the implementation and conclusion of commercial arrangements in the nuclear field”, said Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs.

Co-operation between the EU and Japan will take place in strict compliance with international rules on non-proliferation, safeguards, safety and physical protection of nuclear material. It also takes into account the specific concerns for transparency with regard to sensitive nuclear material, in particular plutonium. Apart from its political dimension, the Agreement also includes a strong commercial component estimated at tens of billions of euros for the time of its duration.

The Agreement will initially run over a period of 30 years. Co-operation will take place in areas such as nuclear technology, nuclear reactors, nuclear safety and radiation protection, the nuclear fuel cycle and nuclear safeguards. A separate Agreement will be concluded to cover nuclear research at a later stage.

The initiative for the conclusion of an Agreement on the Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy came into being at the EU/Japan Summit in 1998. It was reaffirmed in the ten-year EU-Japan Action Plan adopted in December 2001 and follows upon the Japan-USA and Euratom-USA Agreements.