Member states’ ambassadors today reached a political agreement on the proposed regulation establishing the research and training programme of the European Atomic Energy Community for the period 1 January 2021 to 31 December 2025 (hereafter “the regulation”). The aim of the regulation is to pursue nuclear research and training activities with an emphasis on the continuous improvement of nuclear safety, security and radiation protection, as well as to complement the achievement of Horizon Europe’s objectives.
The total financial envelope for the implementation of the new Euratom programme for the period from 1 January 2021 to 31 December 2025 shall be €1.38 billion in current prices. The indicative break down of that envelope by field of activity shall be as follows:
(a) €583 million for indirect actions in fusion research and development;
(b) €266 million for indirect actions in nuclear fission, safety and radiation protection;
(c) €532 million for direct actions undertaken by the Joint Research Centre.
The new programme will pursue the current programme’s key research activities (nuclear safety, security, radioactive waste and spent fuel management, radiation protection and fusion energy), expand research into non-power applications of ionising radiation and make improvements in the areas of education, training and access to research infrastructures. Furthermore, it will support the mobility of researchers in the nuclear field in the framework of Horizon Europe‘s Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA).
The new Euratom programme will complement Horizon Europe using the same instruments and rules for participation. It will be limited to 5 years, to be extended in 2025 by 2 years in order to be aligned with the MFF 2021-2027.
Next steps
On the basis of today’s political agreement, the agreed text (following legal linguistic scrutiny) will be submitted to the Council for adoption in the first months of 2021.
