The Joint Research Centre (JRC) was established under the Euratom Treaty to provide access to the peaceful use of nuclear energy to European citizens. Today, JRC activities cover a wide range of areas and after 60 years of European nuclear research, the time has come to address the nuclear legacy of unused nuclear facilities at the four historical sites of Ispra (Italy), Karlsruhe (Germany), Geel (Belgium) and Petten (the Netherlands).
The Nuclear Decommissioning and Waste Management Programme started in 1999 has a legal basis and a budget of €348 million spanning the 2022-2027 long term EU budget.
It includes in particular provisions combining decommissioning and waste management activities while initiating the discussions with the host Member States regarding a potential transfer of the nuclear liabilities in the case of mutual agreements in order to satisfy requirements stemming from point (f) of Article 5(1) and Article 7 of Directive 2011/70/Euratom.
In addition, the JRC has initiated an ambitious knowledge management programme to share experience and feedback from European on-going decommissioning activities amongst interested stakeholders. It is complemented by efforts in training and education, provided in particular through the annual Summer School on decommissioning organised at the Ispra site.
The Joint Research Centre will restart the European Learning Initiatives for Nuclear Decommissioning and Environmental Remediation (ELINDER), an initiative formerly led by the JRC and carried out with 14 partners to train the experts needed for nuclear decommissioning.
