The Commission published on August 4th, 2008 a Communication to the Council on a negotiation mandate authorizing the Commission to negotiate an agreement between the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) and the Department of Energy of the United States of America (USDOE) in the field of nuclear security research and development. This negotiation aims to replace and strengthen the former agreement of 1995 between these two partners.

The European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) and the Department of the Energy of the United States of America (USDOE) have been cooperating together since 1982 in order to improve and strengthen the methodologies and technologies necessary for the implementation of nuclear safeguards.

The importance assumed by security matters in the broad sense and the strengthening of transatlantic cooperation give a political context particularly favourable to this widened collaboration.

In 1995, the agreement between those two entities was amended to include the commitment of the two partners to coordinate their respective activities in support for third countries. The main goal was then to ensure optimum collaboration between the programme of support for Russia and for other countries of the former Soviet Union carried out by the Joint Research Centre under the TACIS Programme and under similar programmes launched by the USDOE.

The development of the TACIS programme and the success of this collaboration led both partners to widen the field of their cooperation in numerous areas exceeding the context of nuclear safeguards, covering also activities related to research, development and training in the field of nuclear security.

In this scope, the Commission would be authorised by a Proposal of Council Decision to open and conduct negotiations with the USDOE, on a widening of the agreement of 1995, to include research, development and training in the field of nuclear security, by replacement of the previous Agreement, and following the proposed draft negotiating mandate.

This Agreement will amend and replace the agreement signed on 6 January 1995.

The cooperation under this agreement will cover research, development and training in the field of nuclear security, paying particular attention to training and to the coordination of the programmes that both partners implement in support for third countries.

Generally, the Commission will ensure close coordination with the active Member States in the field of nuclear security research and development. Moreover, the Member States which are willing to do so could be associated to the implementation of this agreement, in accordance with the following modalities:

• Any Member State or any organisation falling within the competence of a Member State which would wish to cooperate with the USDOE in the field of nuclear security research, development and training will be able, in agreement with the Commission, to use this agreement by respecting its implementation modalities;
• The training activities which will be organised under this agreement will be opened to any Member State or any organisation falling within the competence of a Member State which would make a motivated request to the Commission and following the modalities which will be defined on a case by case basis.