Reply to the First Report of the European Nuclear Energy Agency of the O.E.E.C. to the Consultative Assembly

Motion for a recommendation | Doc. 907 | 16 October 1958

Committee

Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy

Signatories:

Mr Gerard de GEER, Sweden ; Mr Natale SANTERO, Italy

Thesaurus

The Assembly

A

Congratulating the Council of O.E.E.C. on the promptness with which it has created the European Nuclear Energy Agency,

Thanks the Council of O.E.E.C. for the transmission of the First Report of the European Nuclear Energy Agency ;

Notes with satisfaction that the Euratom Commission and the OEEG Council have considered and partially accepted the suggestions put forward in Resolution 139 (1957) with regard to security control and a control service for the protection of t h e health of workers in the nuclear sector and the population generally ;

B

Stressing again the importance it attaches to the peaceful character of European co-operation in t h e field of nuclear energy and t h e necessity of rapidly developing this vital source of power and factor of industrial evolution ;

Reaffirming its belief in the usefulness of joint undertakings as a means of co-operation in the field of nuclear energy,

Welcomes t h e conclusion of the Convention on the constitution of the European Company for the Chemical Processing of Irradiated Fuels (Eurochemic), of the agreement for the joint operation of the boiling water reactor at Halden, of facilities at Winfrith Heath for a high-temperature gas-cooled reactor project ; and notes with satisfaction that preparatory work on other joint experimental reactor projects is well advanced ;

C

Recommends the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe and the Council of O.E.E.C. to ensure that:

a the Member Governments of O.E.E.C. speed up their ratification of the Convention on the Establishment of a Security Control ;

b the Steering Committee of the European Nuclear Energy Agency and the Commission of Euratom speed up the conclusion of the agreement mentioned in Article 16 of the Convention on the Establishment of a Security control in the field of Nuclear Energy and to consider the possibility of putting into effect the proposals made in Resolution 139 ;

c close contact is established also with the International Atomic Energy Agency in order to facilitate the setting up of a world system of security control ;

d an agreement is concluded as soon as possible on uniform health and safety standards in close liaison with the Euratom Commission and the International Atomic Energy Agency ;

the work now in progress in E.N.E.A. on a draft convention on third-party liability of the operators of nuclear installations is brought to an early conclusion ;

the ratification of the Eurochemic Convention is proceeded with ;

further experimental reactor projects are undertaken by joint effort and arrangements are examined with the Euratom Commission whereby all interested OEEC countries could contribute to and benefit from the research and training programmes relating to power reactors to be set up jointly by Euratom and the United States Government ;

future ENEA reports regularly review the national nuclear power programmes of member countries against the background of up-to- date forecasts of requirements and availabilities of all kinds of energy for Western Europe;

particular attention is given to the possible utilisation of Iceland's geo-thermal resources and the desirability of assisting industrial development in t h a t country ;

D

Recommends, moreover, that an agreement between the Council of Europe and O.E.E.C. should specify the terms on which:

a the annual report on the activities of the European Nuclear Energy Agency will be transmitted to the Consultative Assembly; and

b the texts adopted by the Assembly after discussion of this report will be transmitted to t h e Council of O.E.E.C. and in t u rn by the latter to the Steering Committee of the Agency;

Recommends, finally, that the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe establish with the Commission of Euratom the desired relations between the Council of Europe and Euratom.