Euradwaste '08 - EU Bookshop - Europa

COMMUNITY RESEARCH in RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT – Partitioning
and transmutation and geological disposal: 6 th Euratom Framework Programme for nuclear
research and training activities (2002-2006)
Introductory keynote:
The Euratom Research and Training Programme in Radioactive Waste Management
Summary
Simon Webster
European Commission, Brussels, Belgium 3
EU support for R&D in nuclear science and technology is channelled principally through
multi-annual Euratom research Framework Programmes (FPs) covering all areas linked to the
peaceful uses of nuclear energy. Radioactive waste management, including both partitioning
& transmutation (P&T) and geological disposal, has been a priority area of research for many
years and remains so in the current programme FP7 (2007-2011). Over the years, FPs have
covered the full range of scientific topics, with a progression from more fundamental research
in the first programmes, to more applied R&D and demonstration in later programmes. In
FP6, €90M were earmarked for this research effort, funding primarily a small number of large
integrating projects grouping all research in key domains in the area of geological disposal
(near-field and engineered barriers, far-field, engineering systems and demonstration, performance
assessment) and P&T. Future support from the Euratom programme will seek to
maximise effectiveness by further enhancing co-ordination with respective efforts in EU
Member States. In the case of P&T this involves closer integration with the research on advanced
nuclear systems and fuel cycles. In the case of geological disposal, though important
research and investigation is still required on a number of key issues, future efforts are increasingly
related to local site conditions and linked to the licensing of a particular repository.
1. Introduction – Euratom Research
The European Commission (EC) is responsible for the planning and implementation of the EU research
programme. For more than three decades, the principle method of providing this support has
been the Framework Programme (FP). This is a shared-cost grant-based programme (projects are
partly funded by the participating organisations), each FP having a duration of at least four years.
These programmes are implemented via calls for proposals published at regular intervals in the
EU’s Official Journal, with the proposals being evaluated by independent experts.
Ever since the start of European integration back in the 1950s there has been a separate Treaty covering
nuclear issues. The Euratom Treaty [1], short for Treaty establishing the European Atomic
Energy Community, was one of the original Treaties of Rome at the inaugural signing in 1957. At
that time, one of the main objectives was to contribute to the formation and development of
3
The views expressed in this paper are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Commission
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