COM(2025) 598

EN EN

EUROPEAN COMMISSION

Brussels, 3.9.2025

COM(2025) 598 final

2025/0265 (CNS)

Proposal for a

COUNCIL REGULATION

establishing the Instrument for Nuclear Safety Cooperation and Decommissioning for

the period 2028-2034 and repealing Regulations (Euratom) 2021/100 and (Euratom)

2021/948

{SWD(2025) 254 final}

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EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM

1. CONTEXT OF THE PROPOSAL

• Reasons for and objectives of the proposal

This explanatory memorandum accompanies the Commission proposal for a Council

Regulation (Euratomestablishing the Instrument for Nuclear Safety Cooperation and

Decommissioning for the period 2028-2034 (‘INSC-D’) 1. The proposal is made in the

context of the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), as outlined in The Road to the

next Multiannual Financial Framework2. This instrument is planned to enter into force in

2028 with the start of the next MFF3.

Reasons behind the proposal

In an effort to streamline the commitments of the Euratom Community and to reduce the

administrative burden for the adoption of the new proposal, this regulation merges the current

following external and internal instruments:

(1) the Council regulation establishing the European Instrument for International

Nuclear Safety Cooperation (INSC)4, which targets EU nuclear and radiation safety

cooperation with partner countries;

(2) the financial programmes for decommissioning of nuclear facilities and the

management of radioactive waste56, which target decommissioning activities in

Bulgaria and Slovakia7, as well as at the JRC sites in Geel, Ispra, Karlsruhe and

Petten.6

The INSC-D proposal is motivated by two main factors: 1) the Commission’s firm intention

to continue the current INSC during the next MFF; 2) legal obligations to continue the

ongoing JRC decommissioning works. In line with this, the planned activities of the new

instrument continue those practised in the current INSC and in the JRC nuclear

decommissioning and waste management programme (NDWMP). Some small changes have

also been introduced to leverage the lessons learned during implementation of the 2021-2027

MFF, to follow recent developments in nuclear technology, and to better accommodate

possible changes in future context and EU priorities.

The external and internal components remain distinctive where necessary to allow clarity in

allocation of resources and to consider the different needs. The Instrument’s external

component of the Instrument will complement Global Europe, and its internal component will

pursue the objectives of the JRC’s current NDWMP.

Problems the proposal is expected to tackle

1 Proposal for a Council (Euratom) Regulation establishing the Instrument for Nuclear Safety

Cooperation and Decommissioning for the period 2028-X, 16.5.2025. 2 The road to next multiannual financial framework, Strasbourg, 11.2.2025, COM(2025) 46 final. 3 Communication COM(2025) 570: A dynamic EU Budget for the priorities of the future – The

Multiannual Financial Framework 2028-2034: 26ff3426-b1db-44d5-ad9c-a646febb3222_en. 4 Council Regulation (Euratom) 2021/948 of 27 May 2021 – European Instrument for International

Nuclear Safety Cooperation complementing the NDICI – GE on the basis of the Euratom Treaty. 5 Council Regulation (Euratom) 2021/100 of 25 January 2021 establishing a dedicated financial

programme for the decommissioning of nuclear facilities and the management of radioactive waste. 6 Council Regulation (EU) 2021/101 of 25 January 2021 establishing the nuclear decommissioning

assistance programme of the Ignalina nuclear power plant in Lithuania. 7 For these decommissioning programmes there are no new Commitment Appropriations foreseen but

only Payment Appropriations.

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Ensuring high-level nuclear safety, as well as adequate radiation protection of the public and

the personnel exposed to occupational radiation has always been a priority for the European

Union. Since large-scale nuclear accidents may have transboundary impacts, and radioactive

contamination may disperse over several countries, Euratom has consistently pursued nuclear

safety cooperation with partner countries, especially with those located in the geographical

proximity but also beyond.

The instrument for nuclear safety cooperation and decommissioning contributes to enhancing

nuclear and radiation safety in partner countries to ensure nuclear safety for EU citizens and

to protect the environment. It is of direct interest to the Community, as reducing the potential

threat of nuclear or radiation accidents in non-EU countries increases nuclear safety and

security in the EU and global reassurance on the peaceful uses of nuclear energy.

The Euratom Treaty established the Joint Nuclear Research Centre (which has now become

the JRC) as a research institute responsible for implementing nuclear research programmes

and other tasks assigned by the Commission. The JRC currently owns nuclear research

facilities in four Member States, namely in Geel (Belgium), Karlsruhe (Germany), Ispra

(Italy) and Petten (The Netherlands). Some of these facilities are permanently shut down,

while others are still in operation. The JRC is responsible for the safe management of spent

nuclear fuel and radioactive waste in these facilities in line with the corresponding European

Directive8 and with the relevant regulations in the host countries.

The European Commission is liable for decommissioning the disused nuclear installations in

line with decommissioning plans submitted to the nuclear safety authorities of the respective

host Member States. This work is in progress and the instrument’s internal component aims to

continue and advance the activities and to disseminate valuable knowledge acquired during

the process of decommissioning and handling radioactive waste, both at JRC sites and under

Nuclear Decommissioning Assistance Programmes (NDAP)9, to all EU Member States.

Thus, the new instrument seeks to fulfil two-fold requirements under the legal basis of the

Euratom Community.

Main objectives

External component: to promote high levels of nuclear safety, radiation protection, safe

management of spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste and the application of efficient and

effective safeguards in partner countries. This objective will be achieved by transferring EU-

related expertise and best practice to the key stakeholders in partner countries, including by

building partnerships with nuclear regulatory authorities and their technical support

organisations.

Internal component: to pursue the decommissioning of the Commission’s nuclear installations

at the relevant JRC sites, in line with the needs identified in the respective decommissioning

plans, and to safely manage the associated spent fuel, nuclear material and radioactive waste.

Institutional background

European engagement to support international nuclear safety cooperation started between

1991-2006, after the Chernobyl accident with the ‘Technical Assistance to the

Commonwealth of Independent States’. Over more than three decades, considerable expertise

8 Council Directive 2011/70/Euratom of 19.7.2011 establishing a Community framework for the

responsible and safe management of spent fuel and radioactive waste. (OJ L 199, 2.8.2011, p. 48, ELI:

http://data.europa.eu/eli/dir/2011/70/oj). 9 OJ L 236, 23.9.2003, p. 944; OJ L 157, 21.6.2005, p. 29. OJ L 157, 21.6.2005, p. 11. OJ L 236,

23.9.2003, p. 33.

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and experience encompassing the complete field of nuclear safety has been accumulated at

various EC institutions and in expert organisations within the Euratom Community.

With regard to the case of the Instrument’s internal component, the European Commission

established a decommissioning programme in 1999 to address the legacy from past and

ongoing nuclear research activities. Since then, a dedicated directorate with a specific

programme coordinates the decommissioning activities at all the JRC sites. This proposal

envisages making good and effective use of the relevant institutional knowledge in the next

MFF period. The JRC has initiated a knowledge management programme under the current

MFF to share experience and know-how accumulated during ongoing decommissioning

activities financed by the EU at JRC sites, in Lithuania, Slovakia and Bulgaria.

• Consistency with existing policy provisions in the policy area

Relevant existing policy provisions

The external component provides an enabling framework through which external action

policies and international obligations concerning nuclear and radiation safety can be

implemented in cooperation with partner countries. In this sense, it is an adapted continuation

of the European Instrument for International Nuclear Safety Cooperation (INSC) under

Regulation (Euratom) 2021/948. The external component will therefore complement the

‘Global Europe’ neighbourhood, development and international cooperation instrument and

continue to pursue the following objectives:

• promotion of a high level of nuclear safety and radiation protection;

• promotion of the safe management of spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste;

• promotion of efficient and effective safeguards of nuclear materials.

The proposal for the external component includes the following enhancements compared to

the current INSC:

• ensuring support for the safe use of innovative technologies (such as small modular

reactors) following possible and predicted developments in applications of nuclear

technology;

• providing a fast and proper response in exceptional cases (including war situations);

• extending the scope of support to nuclear power plant operators;

• increasing support for enhancing emergency preparedness and response capabilities;

• increasing support for environmental remediation activities, to contribute more to the

global efforts to protect the environment;

• enabling a more comprehensive implementation approach, including in the selection

of aid procedures and beneficiaries of cooperation.

The INSC-D’s internal component aims to continue and advance the JRC’s ongoing

decommissioning activities. In this sense, it can also be considered as the direct continuation

of the JRC’s current NDWMP under Regulations (Euratom) 2021/100. Therefore, it will

pursue objectives similar to those of the current NDWMP, including the dissemination of

obtained know-how on decommissioning to the EU Member States.

• The proposal also contains a new item for the internal component: a concrete

timeline for the negotiations with the Member States concerned on the potential

transfer of nuclear liability from the JRC to the host Member State.

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Timing of the proposal

The external component will replace the INSC in 2028, to ensure a seamless continuation of

related activities.

The internal component of the INSC-D will replace the JRC’s NDWMP, to ensure the

seamless continuation of JRC decommissioning activities.

• Consistency with other EU policies

When implementing this Regulation, consistency with other areas of external action and with

other relevant EU policies will be ensured. As reflected in the United Nations 2030 Agenda

for Sustainable Development10 and consolidated by the European Green Deal11, this includes

taking into account the impact of all policies on sustainable development at all levels –

nationally, within the EU, in other countries, and at a global level.

Synergies with actions under other EU programmes will be sought to maximise the impact of

the interventions. Actions funded under the external component of this proposal should be

consistent and complementary to those carried out under Global Europe12, the Decision on the

Overseas Association, including Greenland13, as well as the common foreign and security

policy.

The internal component intends to seek potential synergies at EU and international level in

knowledge management and dissemination of valuable information obtained while

implementing the JRC’s NDWMP and nuclear decommissioning assistance programme in

Lithuania, Slovakia and Bulgaria (NDAP). This will include active knowledge transfer to EU

nuclear safety authorities, decommissioning operators and radioactive waste management

organisations and cooperation with international organisations (e.g. the International Atomic

Energy Agency and the OECD’s Nuclear Energy Agency).

2. LEGAL BASIS, SUBSIDIARITY AND PROPORTIONALITY

• Legal basis

The legal basis of this proposal is Article 203 of the Treaty14 establishing the European

Atomic Energy Community (‘the Community’).

Article 203 of the Euratom Treaty15 is the basis of the procedure for the antecedent legal

instruments covering both the internal and the external component. It empowers the Council,

acting on a proposal from the Commission and after consulting the European Parliament, is to

take appropriate measures to pursue the objectives of the Euratom Community.

• Subsidiarity (for non-exclusive competence)

The EU does not have exclusive competence for nuclear safety cooperation with non-EU

10 https://sdgs.un.org/2030agenda 11 The European Green Deal, COM(2019) 640 final, European Commission, Brussels, 11.12.2019. 12 Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing Global Europe,

2025/551, 16/07/2025. Global Europe - European Commission 13 Proposal for a Council (EU) Decision on the Overseas Association, including Greenland, DG XXX,

xx.x.2025 (to be filled in when the proposal is ready). 14 Consolidated version of the treaty establishing the European Atomic Energy Community (2016/C

203/01), Official Journal of the European Union, 17.6.2016, C 203., p. 1, ELI:

http://data.europa.eu/eli/treaty/euratom_2016/oj). 15 If action by the Community should prove necessary to attain one of the objectives of the Community and

this Treaty has not provided the necessary powers, the Council shall, acting unanimously on a proposal

from the Commission and after consulting the European Parliament, take the appropriate measures.

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countries. Many EU Member States are not only signatories to relevant multilateral treaties

under the umbrella of international organisations (e.g. the International Atomic Energy

Agency, the UN or the OECD’s NEA), but also have bilateral agreements with other countries

on the peaceful use of nuclear energy. These agreements can comprise joint research and

development activities or providing professional assistance in selected areas of nuclear

technology. National nuclear safety regulators often have bilateral cooperation agreements

with regulators in partner countries to promote regulatory information exchange and share

experiences. Besides the World Association of Nuclear Operators, nuclear power plant

operators usually cooperate with each other by means of international ‘users’ clubs’ grouping

the operators of a certain type of nuclear power plant to share operating experience and good

practice.

• Despite this rich palette of multilateral and bilateral cooperation possibilities

available to EU Member States, nuclear safety cooperation with partner countries

under the EU and Euratom Community umbrella offers significant advantages and

can provide added value. The EURATOM’s status as a supranational community

brings political influence, access to multilateral treaties aimed to address global

challenges, and consequent leverage.

• A global presence is provided through the EU delegations, which ensure a network

for obtaining first-hand and reliable information on developments affecting countries

worldwide.

• The Community complements Member States activities in dealing with potentially

dangerous situations or handling particularly expensive interventions.

• The Community can carry out interventions at larger scale, through coordinated

efforts and beyond the possible contributions of individual Member States or other

single donors. For large-scale, ambitious projects like remediation of uranium mining

legacy sites in Central Asia, or actions to continue addressing the effects of the 1986

Chernobyl accident, common EU action creates efficiencies in coordinating funds.

• The Community can leverage the significant joint expertise and reputation of all its

Member States combined.

• The Community makes it possible to fulfil EU legal obligations efficiently by

decommissioning permanently shut down nuclear facilities at the JRC.

For the internal component, bilateral agreements may still play a special role. The European

Commission will conduct bilateral negotiations with each affected host Member State (i.e.

Belgium, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands) to determine whether the Member State would

be prepared to voluntarily take over the involved JRC nuclear facility and continue

implementing the decommissioning programme according to plans. If a host Member State

were willing to enter into such an agreement, the European Commission would still fully

finance the relevant decommissioning programme.

• Proportionality

Compliance with the proportionality principle

Under thethe proportionality principle, any Union action should not go beyond what is

necessary to address the issue in question or meet the objectives outlined in the Treaties. In

this respect, based on the results of various evaluations and available evidence, the INSC and

the NDWMP in the current and previous MFF periods have proven to be efficient tools to

cover the needs of partner countries and the European Commission, as well as the objectives

of the EU in the area of international nuclear safety cooperation and decommissioning.

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In line with the principle of proportionality, the proposed Regulation does not go beyond what

is necessary to achieve its objectives as reflected in the prioritisation of activities and the

budget allocated.

• Choice of the instrument

One of the objectives of the Euratom Treaty is to attain a high level of nuclear safety in the

EU. This should also be achieved outside of the EU. Since the Euratom Treaty has not

provided the necessary powers, appropriate measures must be taken on the basis of

Article 203. The proposed instrument takes the form of a Regulation, ensuring its uniform

application, binding nature in its entirety and direct applicability.

3. RESULTS OF EX POST EVALUATIONS, STAKEHOLDER

CONSULTATIONS AND IMPACT ASSESSMENTS

• Ex post evaluations/fitness checks of existing legislation

Evaluations for the previous and current instruments that will be covered by the INSC-D’s

external component for the MFF 2028-2034 included:

• an external mid-term review evaluating nine EU External Financing Instruments

(EFIs) over the period from 2014 to mid-2017;16

• an independent ex post evaluation of INSC for the 2014-2020 period;17

• the ex-ante impact assessment of the INSC proposal for the 2021-2027 period;18

• the mid-term review of the INSC for the 2021-2027 period19.

The most recent report on the mid-term review of the 2021-2027 external financial

instruments was issued in March 2024. It summarises the results of two distinct procedures: 1)

the final evaluation of the EFIs under the MFF 2014-2020 and 2) the mid-term review of the

EFIs under the 2021-2027 MFF. The following descriptions focus on the results of the mid-

term review for the 2021-2027 MFF period and the previous mid-term review performed in

2017.

All the above reports concluded that the external financing instruments were fit for purpose

and the achievement of objectives was on track. The instruments set the scope, objectives and

procedures for implementing the policies. The reports have also shown that the enabling

nature of the EFIs allows covering most needs and goals of the EU external action.

• The regulation corresponding to the ongoing INSC20 has slightly adjusted the scope

and objectives of the instrument to emphasise transparency and cooperation with

partner countries.

• There is a strong continuity between the INSC regulations corresponding to the

previous and current MFF periods. Despite some new aspects introduced for the

2021-2027 period (e.g. striving for greater nuclear transparency in the partner

countries), the basic logic of the instrument and the modes of operation remained

practically unchanged.

16 External evaluation of the INSC (2014 - mid 2017), GDSI Consortium, June 2017. 17 Evaluation of the INSC 2014-2020, Expert Facility for the INSC, Contract No 2020/419-010, LDK

Consultants Global EEIG, December 2021. 18 Impact assessment accompanying the ‘Proposal for a Regulation (EU) establishing a European

Instrument for Nuclear Safety complementing the NDICI, SWD (2018) 337 final, Brussels, 14.6.2018. 19 Evaluation of the European Union’s External Financing Instruments (2014-2020 and 2021-2027),

Volume I: Synthesis Report and Volume II: Annexes, Particip GmbH Consortium, March 2024.

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• Considering its main objectives (e.g. promoting nuclear safety culture in partner

countries, etc.), the INSC is fully aligned with EU political principles and priorities.

• The ability to set common objectives with the partner countries was identified as an

area of weakness.

• There is a discernible trend to plan and implement fewer, but larger actions and

projects. It is also discernible for the INSC because the number of contracts has been

steadily decreasing since 2014.

• The INSC results framework remained mainly output-oriented, in spite of repeated

efforts to introduce an outcome- and impact-oriented framework.

• The INSC has repeatedly proven its high flexibility through rapidly initiated,

adjusted, stepped-up or suspended cooperation with Belarus, Iran, and especially

Ukraine, thanks to fast budget allocations, and agile coordination.

The report states that there could be possibilities for bringing the INSC more into alignment

with the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance and the Neighbourhood, Development And

International Cooperation Instrument – Global Europe (NDICI-GE), and vice versa.

Evaluation findings and the proposed new programme

Evaluation findings Proposed INSC-D

As a worldwide instrument with a global

outreach, the INSC positions the EU as a

leading actor in nuclear safety and

safeguards cooperation, both through

bilateral partnerships and as part of the

international architecture.

Enabling instrument: Based on lessons learned

from the INSC, improvements are proposed to

allow more flexibility and enable the EU to

intervene in future unforeseen circumstances.

These changes were motivated by the feedback

provided during the mid-term review, recent

technological developments in the peaceful use

of nuclear energy, geopolitical changes in the

past years and by efforts to improve the

management and implementation of the

instrument.

The INSC allows the EU to engage in

policy-level dialogue with partner

countries, particularly in the EU

neighbourhood region, where nuclear

safety issues may potentially have

significant implications for the EU

Member States and the security of

European citizens.

Streamlining instruments resulted in a

simplified EFI structure and more unified

programming processes, using unified

multiannual indicative programme

templates, etc.

The transition between the previous and

currently ongoing EFIs was not seamless,

because time pressure in 2021 and

capacity constraints meant the EU

prioritised progress in programming and

delivery over introducing internal

institutional changes. External

Further streamlining of the external financing

instruments: In the 2014-2020 MFF several

independent EFIs operated under the Global

Europe heading. When designing the 2021-

2027 MFF, the Commission streamlined the

EFIs to ensure better recognition of changed

geopolitical realities and better management of

related programmes. As the result of this

simplification, 11 previously separate

instruments were placed under the NDICI-GE.

The INSC, as a special-purpose instrument with

Euratom legal basis, stayed separate from

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circumstances (e.g. final phase of

COVID-19) further compounded the

situation already stressed by high staff

turn-over and lack of sufficient resources.

NDICI-GE.

Further streamlining of EFIs is proposed in the

next 2028-2034 MFF as Global Europe will

build on NDICI-Global Europe, the IPA III

instrument for pre-accession assistance, the

Ukraine Facility, the Reform and Growth

Facility for the Western Balkans, and the

Reform and Growth Facility for the Republic of

Moldova.

The evaluation confirmed that keeping

the INSC as a separate instrument – due

to its very specialised, technical nature

and its different legal basis – was an

adequate decision.

Merging INSC with JRC decommissioning: The

INSC is merged with JRC decommissioning.

The proposed INSC-D merges two regulations

into a single instrument.

An external component will complement

Global Europe and pursue similar objectives to

the current INSC.

An internal component will pursue the

objectives of the JRC’s nuclear

decommissioning and waste management

programme (NDWMP).

More consistency is needed between

parts of a specific instrument, between

different instruments, as well as with

donors.

Recent evaluations performed for the JRC decommissioning programme

The JRC’s internal audit service audited the NDWMP in 2024 and made six recommendations

to improve the programme’s implementation. The JRC submitted an action plan that was

agreed and implemented to address all issues:

• JRC oversight arrangements (important);

• JRC internal organisation of NDWMP responsibilities (very important);

• decommissioning plans for the JRC sites (very important);

• cost estimates for decommissioning the JRC nuclear sites (very important);

• NDWMP budget flexibility needs (very important);

• human resources planning and allocation (important).

Stakeholder consultations

Open public consultation

In line with the respective rules, the Commission has carried out an open public consultation

on the EU funding for external action under next MFF20. The results of this consultation for

the INSC were as follows:

About 50% of the respondents were positive about the objectives of the INSC and agreed to a

large extent or somewhat with the INSC objectives21. Only 13% of the respondents were

completely against it and 27% did not have a definite (either positive or negative) opinion.

20 Open Public Consultation, EU’s next long-term budget (MFF) – EU funding for external action, 2025.

https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/better-regulation/have-your-say/initiatives/14522-EUs-next-long-term-

budget-MFF-EU-funding-for-external-action_en

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The above results indicate that most of the respondents support providing EU assistance to

partner countries in the area of nuclear and radiation safety and safeguards.

Consultations with other stakeholders

Results synthesised from stakeholder consultations were used to complement the conclusions

subtracted from documentary evidence. When drafting evaluation documents that constituted

the basis of the 2021-2024 mid-term review report assessing EFIs, the following types of

consultations with stakeholders were held:

• In-person and remote semi-structured interviews with about 350 key stakeholders,

including staff from the European Commission (working in its Secretariat-General

and Directorates-General such as International Partnerships, Neighbourhood and

Enlargement Negotiations, Foreign Policy Instruments, etc.), from the European

External Action Service, and from EU Delegations.

• External stakeholders such as representatives from UN agencies, EU Member States

and partner country governments were also interviewed.

• The Commission organised targeted consultations with specific stakeholder groups,

constituted by experts from EU Member States and representatives of relevant UN

agencies and international financial institutions, among others.

• Three e-Surveys supplemented the above consultations, providing voluntary

additional contributions mainly from the EU Delegations.

The main messages communicated by the stakeholders consulted are summarised in Annex III

of Volume II of the mid-term review report. The details are not repeated here and for the sake

of brevity only the most important points are quoted.

Stakeholders agreed that the EFIs should be more flexible in responding to crises and sudden

changes in the geopolitical situation. It was also emphasised that a greater consistency must

be ensured between the internal and external policies of the EU and between the EFIs

themselves. The substantial contribution of the EFIs to the Sustainable Development Goals of

the 2030 Agenda was generally acknowledged and it was pointed out that organising activities

around the SDGs tend to increase consistency between internal and external policies.

The introduction of the new broad instrument (NDICI-Global Europe) in the current MFF was

generally welcomed and further simplification of the overall architecture of the EFIs was

encouraged. Addressing thematic dimensions in geographic programmes was also positively

received and there was a general agreement that the combination of geographic and thematic

programmes tends to bring positive results.

Consistency and complementarity of the INSC-D proposal with Global Europe will be

ensured, primarily by implementing international cooperation activities related to the peaceful

use of nuclear energy in areas that are ancillary to the broader objectives of Global Europe, in

line with the development and international cooperation policy for health, agriculture,

industry and social projects.

• Collection and use of expertise for the INSC

The three evaluation reports referred to before were prepared as part of independent

assessments conducted between 2017 and 2024 by selected consortia consisting of

distinguished external expert companies. In addition to documentary evidence, the

21 These objectives were: support the strengthening of nuclear safety, radiation protection, radioactive

waste management and nuclear safeguards with beneficiary countries located across the EU

neighbourhood region and beyond.

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assessments relied on extensive in-person and remote consultations, which also included a

large number of European Commission staff members. Even though a considerable part of the

information included in the evaluation reports directly from Commission employees, the

reports reflect the conclusions of independent external experts and by no means be considered

as Commission self-assessment reports.

All the above-mentioned assessment reports are publicly available.

As far as the opinion of relevant international professional organisations on the EU nuclear

safety cooperation with partner countries is concerned, the 7th IAEA Convention on Nuclear

Safety Review Meeting in 2017 officially acknowledged the outstanding added value of the

INSC by declaring that ‘the implementation of the instrument for nuclear safety cooperation

programme for assisting non-EU countries was identified as a good practice’22.

During the past three decades, the Euratom Community systematically applied the INSC as an

efficient tool to achieve and maintain a high level of nuclear safety, radiation protection and

efficient safeguards in partner countries. The role of the INSC in transferring regulations and

best practices of the Community has also been recognised by the European Nuclear Safety

Regulators Group (ENSREG) in its position paper23 on the INSC. The ENSREG also created

a working group to comment on the INSC multiannual indicative programmes, review mid-

term reports of the instrument, and make proposals on the necessity and feasibility of potential

projects assisting partner countries.

Use of external expertise for the JRC decommissioning programme

The JRC’s nuclear decommissioning and waste management programme underwent a mid-

term evaluation in 2024. Its findings and recommendations24 are as follows:

Findings

• Significant progress in stakeholder management has been seen at JRC sites.

• Safe retrieval, treatment and storage of historical wastes has progressed at JRC Ispra

and Petten.

• Due to the time-dependent nature of many costs, project delays are synonymous with

cost increases, although the ‘earned value management’ monitoring indicators show

that the programme is overall financially efficient.

• The governance framework is fit for purpose and adapted to the objectives of the

NDWMP.

• The implementation of the NDWMP is in line with the EU acquis and EU and

national legislation and policies.

• Knowledge products have been produced in line with targets across all NPP sites.

• The knowledge management has encouraged the collaboration and the sharing of

information among the three nuclear decommissioning assistance programmes.

22 Rapporteur’s Report for Euratom of 29 March 2017 in the 7th Review Meeting under the Convention on

Nuclear Safety. 23 ENSREG – INSC Position paper (2014-26)_133, https://www.ensreg.eu/international-cooperation.

24 Interim evaluation of the programmes for the decommissioning of nuclear facilities and the

management of radioactive waste, European Commission Directorate-General for Energy, Revised Final Report

and Annexes, April 2025.

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Recommendations

• Anticipate and prepare the licensing demands through early engagement of the

regulator to limit their impact on the programme’s delivery.

• Improve the procurement organisational capacities.

• Develop and implement monitoring indicators to measure the impact of the use of the

knowledge products developed within the NDWMP and NDAP.

• Ex ante evaluation

The Better Regulation Tool #9 states that ‘programmes that provide continuity as regards their

broad content and structure and are small’ require only an ex-ante evaluation. As a result,

comprehensive ex ante evaluation report25 was prepared to accompany the INSC-D proposal

analysing the effects of different policy options.

The analysis has shown that only one option26 is able to satisfy all the relevant requirements.

The impacts of past and ongoing nuclear safety cooperation components and the expected

impact of the INSC-D in the partner countries can be summarised as follows:

• enhanced regulatory capacities and capabilities of the national nuclear

regulator;

• creation or further development of a competent technical support organisation

assisting the nuclear regulator;

• implementation of a national nuclear emergency response centre equipped with

state-of-the-art accident diagnosis, prognosis and decision support tools;

• creation or further development of a national radiation monitoring system with

early warning capabilities;

• provision of comprehensive training and tutoring to regulators and technical

support organisation experts;

• participation in the EU stress-tests and the following ENSREG peer-review;

• remediation of legacy sites contaminated with radioactive material.

For JRC decommissioning activities, the implementation of the NDWMP effectively

improved the nuclear and radiation safety at the JRC sites involved for the benefit of EU

citizens and the environment.

It is expected that by continuing the NDWMP:

• the legal obligations and commitments of the EC will be duly fulfilled;

• the nuclear and radiation hazards at the involved JRC sites will be further

reduced;

• the complete release of involved facilities from regulatory control will be

achieved in the final programme implementation phase;

25 Ex ante evaluation of a new instrument combining the current European Instrument for International

Nuclear Safety Cooperation with the JRC decommissioning activities, SWD (2025) XXX, Brussels,

June 2025. 26 Option d) = merging with another EC instrument under the same legal basis.

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• considerable technological know-how and practical knowledge will be created

and shared with EU stakeholders involved in decommissioning and waste

management.

For the internal component implementing the nuclear decommissioning and waste

management programme, the JRC has started investigating the option of transferring the

nuclear liability to the host Member States (Italy and the Netherlands). This has not yet been

decided, but the option to negotiate this is included in the new basic act with a proposed

deadline of two years after the entry into force of the Instrument.

The NDWMP gives the local economy opportunities to contribute to the implementation of

the programme through participation in open call for tenders in the multi-faceted areas of

expertise entailed by decommissioning and waste management. The opportunities that

decommissioning activities offer help both skills development and social development.

Moreover, decommissioning obsolete nuclear facilities and addressing radioactive waste

management issues by applying the best international standards using state-of-the-art

methodologies contributes to a safer and cleaner environment. The programme helps protect

people and the environment from radioactivity-related hazards.

Explanation of policy choices

When developing the INSC-D proposal, several policy options were investigated.

Option A - the baseline (keep two separate instruments). This was rejected as contradicting

the Commission’s simplification goals.

Option B - ending the programme. This was rejected due to its high risk of diminishing EU

influence in global nuclear safety cooperation and conflicting with Euratom’s legal and

political obligations.

Option C - full integration with another EU instrument. This was rejected due to legal barriers

stemming from the Euratom Treaty, which prevented merging nuclear safety activities with,

for instance, Global Europe.

Option D - merging the two Euratom instruments. This was selected as the preferred solution.

It met all the requirements: aligning with the Euratom Treaty’s legal framework, adhering to

EU external action procedures, and advancing the Commission’s simplification agenda. By

consolidating international nuclear safety cooperation and JRC decommissioning obligations

into a single instrument, this option ensured feasibility, consistency, and regulatory efficiency,

making it the optimal choice for the INSC-D proposal.

• Simplification

The proposed INSC-D formally merges two previously separate regulations into a single

instrument. This merger is motivated and justified by multiple strategic and regulatory factors,

e.g. by the regulation simplification goals of the Commission and the Better Regulation

agenda. According to the simplification principles for the next MFF, overlapping processes

and potential administrative burdens should be eliminated by bringing together programmes

which may require similar technical and/or logistical support.

This merger is made possible by the same legal basis (Euratom). The MFF simplification

efforts aim at reducing complexity within the EU for better transparency and coordination and

for creating a simpler regulatory and financial framework for stakeholders (agencies, Member

States, contractors). The merger also aligns with the ‘joined-up governance’ principle of the

EN 12 EN

new European innovation agenda, promoting cross-agency collaboration over fragmented

approaches.

Merging an instrument (the INSC) and a programme (NDWMP) that were initially separate,

but which belong to the same legal basis and share common objectives, contributes to the

simplification promoted by the European Commission.

• Fundamental rights

The instrument has no impact on fundamental rights.

4. BUDGETARY IMPLICATIONS

In its Communication of 16 June July 202527, the European Commission proposed to allocate

EUR 966.000.000 to the INSC-D Instrument.

5. OTHER ASPECTS

• Implementation plans and monitoring, evaluation and reporting arrangements

The implementation of the INSC-D will be monitored by means of the performance

framework for the post-2027 budget. This framework provides for an implementation report

during the implementation phase and a retrospective evaluation to be performed in accordance

with Article 34(3) of Regulation 2024/250928. The evaluation willmust be conducted in

accordance with the Better Regulation Guidelines29 and will be based on indicators relevant to

the instrument’s objectives.

The methodological rationale behind the use of a common performance framework is that

applying performance indicators aggregated across programmes can considerably simplify the

various reporting obligations for all future MFF programmes. It is anticipated that this

approach will make it possible to significantly reduce the administrative burden by reducing

the number of indicators and by attributing indicators to each intervention field.

• Geographic scope

The geographic scope of the external component of the proposed INSC-D is worldwide.

However, priority will be given to persons and entities from acceding countries, candidate

countries, including Ukraine, potential candidate countries, and European Neighbourhood

Policy countries.

The geographic scope of the internal component is limited to the JRC sites involved in the

JRC decommissioning activities, i.e. Geel in Belgium, Ispra in Italy, Karlsruhe in Germany

and Petten in the Netherlands.

27 A dynamic EU Budget for the priorities of the future - The Multiannual Financial Framework 2028-

2034, COM(2025) 570 final. 28 Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2024/2509 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 September

2024 on the financial rules applicable to the general budget of the Union (recast), Brussels, 26.9.2024. 29 Better Regulation Guidelines, SWD (2021) 305 final, Brussels, 3.11.2021.

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2025/0265 (CNS)

Proposal for a

COUNCIL REGULATION

establishing the Instrument for Nuclear Safety Cooperation and Decommissioning for

the period 2028-2034 and repealing Regulations (Euratom) 2021/100 and (Euratom)

2021/948

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Atomic Energy Community, and in

particular Article 203 thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the European Commission,

Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament30,

Whereas:

(1) The purpose of this Regulation is to establish the rules and the procedures for the

nuclear safety cooperation and decommissioning activities carried out by the European

Atomic Energy Community (‘the Community’) under the Instrument for Nuclear

Safety Cooperation and Decommissioning (the ‘Instrument’).

(1) In order to maintain and promote the continuous improvement of nuclear safety and

the regulation thereof, the Council adopted Directive 2009/71/Euratom31. That

Directive and the high standards of nuclear safety, radiation protection, and radioactive

waste and spent fuel management implemented in the Community are examples to be

used in order to encourage partner countries to adopt similar high standards.

(2) The Community and its Member States are contracting parties to the Convention on

Nuclear Safety adopted on 17 June 199432 and the Joint Convention on the Safety of

Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management adopted

on 5 September 199733.

(3) The Member States are parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear

Weapons (NPT)34, concluded a Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement and signed an

Additional Protocol to that agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency35.

30 Opinion of …, OJ ….

31 Council Directive 2009/71/ Euratom of 25 June 2009 establishing a Community framework for the

nuclear safety of nuclear installations (OJ L 172 2.7.2009, p. 18, ELI:

http://data.europa.eu/eli/dir/2009/71/oj). 32 OJ L 318, 11.12.1999, p. 21, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/convention/1999/819/oj. 33 International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel

Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management, adopted 5 September 1997, entered

into force 18 June 2001. Available at: https://www.iaea.org/topics/nuclear-safety-conventions/joint-

convention-safety-spent-fuel-management-and-safety-radioactive-waste 34 Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), opened for signature 1 July 1968, entered

into force 5 March 1970, 729 U.N.T.S. 161. Available at:

https://www.un.org/disarmament/wmd/nuclear/npt/.

EN 14 EN

(4) Since the Treaty establishing the European Atomic Energy Community (‘the Euratom

Treaty’) covers both internal and external policies and provides for synergies between

the two, this Instrument has two components addressing respectively external and

internal activities.

(5) The Instrument’s external component should support activities in international nuclear

safety cooperation, building on the actions previously supported under Council

Regulation (Euratom) 2021/94836. The external component is consistent with and

complements the external action supported under Regulation (EU) 202X/XXXX

[Global Europe]. 37

(6) The Instrument’s internal component should support activities in the area of the

Commission’s decommissioning and management of radioactive waste (the JRC

decommissioning and waste management programme), addressing the Commission’s

nuclear liabilities coming from past nuclear research performed at the Joint Research

Centre (JRC) sites, namely JRC-Geel in Belgium, JRC-Karlsruhe in Germany, JRC-

Ispra in Italy and JRC-Petten in the Netherlands, building on the actions previously

supported under Council Regulation (Euratom) 2021/10038.

(7) Programme evaluations have shown that the complex Union funding architecture is a

factor hindering the impact of the Union budget, due to administrative burden.

Therefore, the activities carried out in the field of international nuclear safety

cooperation and decommissioning of JRC nuclear research facilities under Regulations

(Euratom) 2021/100 and (Euratom) 2021/948 should be regrouped to be governed by a

single legal act.

(8) The general objective of the Instrument is to contribute to a high level of nuclear

safety, radiation protection, safe management of spent fuel and radioactive waste,

decommissioning and the application of efficient and effective safeguards of nuclear

materials.

(9) This Regulation also aims to provide increased flexibility in the programming

approach, including among aid modalities and eligible entities, to respond to

unpredicted needs as identified across evaluations and consultations under Regulation

(Euratom) 2021/948.

(10) Cooperation provided by the Community under this Regulation is not aimed at

promoting nuclear energy in partner countries39.

35 Model Additional Protocol to the Agreement(s) Between State(s) and the International Atomic Energy

Agency for the Application of Safeguards (INFCIRC/540), approved by the IAEA Board of Governors

15 May 1997. Available online in: INFCIRC/540 - Model Protocol Additional to the Agreement(s)

Between State(s) and the International Atomic Energy Agency for the Application of Safeguards 36 Council Regulation (Euratom) 2021/948 of 27 May 2021 establishing a European Instrument for

International Nuclear Safety Cooperation complementing the Neighbourhood, Development and

International Cooperation Instrument – Global Europe on the basis of the Treaty establishing the

European Atomic Energy Community, and repealing Regulation (Euratom) No 237/2014 (OJ L 209,

14.6.2021, p. 79, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2021/948/oj). 37 Regulation (EU) …/… [Global Europe] of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing the

Global Europe instrument (OJ, …, … ELI: …). 38 Council Regulation (Euratom) 2021/100 of 25 January 2021 establishing a dedicated financial

programme for the decommissioning of nuclear facilities and the management of radioactive waste, and

repealing Regulation (Euratom) No 1368/2013 (OJ L 34, 1.2.2021, p. 3, ELI:

http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2021/100/oj). 39 Council Regulation (Euratom) 2021/948 of 27 May 2021 establishing a European Instrument for

International Nuclear Safety Cooperation complementing the Neighbourhood, Development and

EN 15 EN

(11) This Regulation lays down an indicative financial envelope for the overall Instrument.

For the purpose of this Regulation, current prices are calculated by applying a fixed

2% deflator.

(12) In a rapidly changing economic, social and geopolitical environment, recent

experience has shown the need for a more flexible multiannual financial framework

and Union spending programmes. To that effect, and in line with the objectives of this

Regulation, the funding should duly consider the evolving policy needs and Union’s

priorities as identified in relevant documents published by the Commission, in Council

conclusions and European Parliament resolutions while ensuring sufficient

predictability for the budget implementation.

(13) Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2024/2509 of the European Parliament and of the Council40

applies to the Instrument. It lays down the rules on the establishment and the

implementation of the general budget of the Union, including the rules on grants,

prizes, non-financial donations, procurement, and indirect management in the form of

financial instruments and budgetary guarantees.

(14) The amount of the appropriations allocated to the Instrument as well as the

programming period and the distribution of funds among the various activities should

be reviewed based on the results of the evaluation carried out pursuant to Article 10 of

Regulation (EU, Euratom) 202X/XXXX of the European Parliament and of the

Council 41[Performance Regulation].

(15) In accordance with Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2024/2509, Regulation (EU, Euratom)

No 883/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council42, Council Regulations

(EC, Euratom) No 2988/9543, (Euratom, EC) No 2185/9644 and (EU) 2017/193945, the

financial interests of the Union are to be protected through proportionate measures,

including the prevention, detection, correction and investigation of irregularities and

fraud, the recovery of funds lost, wrongly paid or incorrectly used and, where

appropriate, the imposition of administrative sanctions. In particular, in accordance

with Regulations (EU, Euratom) No 883/2013 and (Euratom, EC) No 2185/96, the

European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) may carry out investigations, including on-the-

International Cooperation Instrument – Global Europe on the basis of the Treaty establishing the

European Atomic Energy Community, and repealing Regulation (Euratom) No 237/2014 (OJ L 209,

14.6.2021, p. 79, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2021/948/oj). 40 Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2024/2509 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 September

2024 on the financial rules applicable to the general budget of the Union (OJ L, 2024/2509, 26.9.2024,

ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/2509/OJ). 41 Regulation (EU) (EU, Euratom) …/… [Performance Regulation] (OJ, …, … ELI: …). 42 Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 883/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of

11 September 2013 concerning investigations conducted by the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF)

and repealing Regulation (EC) No 1073/1999 of the European Parliament and of the Council and

Council Regulation (Euratom) No 1074/1999 (OJ L 248, 18.9.2013, p. 1,

ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2013/883/oj). 43 Council Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 2988/95 of 18 December 1995 on the protection of the European

Communities financial interests (OJ L 312, 23.12.95,

p. 1,ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/1995/2988/oj).) 44 Council Regulation (Euratom, EC) No 2185/96 of 11 November 1996 concerning on-the-spot checks

and inspections carried out by the Commission in order to protect the European Communities’ financial

interests against fraud and other irregularities (OJ L 292., 15.11.96,

p. 2,ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/1996/2185/oj).). 45 Council Regulation (EU) 2017/1939 of 12 October 2017 implementing enhanced cooperation on the

establishment of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (‘the EPPO’) (OJ L 283, 31.10.2017, p. 1,

ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2017/1939/OJ).

EN 16 EN

spot checks and inspections, with a view to establishing whether there has been fraud,

corruption or any other illegal activity affecting the financial interests of the Union. In

accordance with Regulation (EU) 2017/1939, the European Public Prosecutor’s Office

(EPPO) may investigate and prosecute fraud and other illegal activities affecting the

financial interests of the Union as provided for in Directive (EU) 2017/1371 of the

European Parliament and of the Council46. In accordance with Regulation (EU,

Euratom) 2024/2509, any person or entity receiving Union funds is to fully cooperate

in the protection of the Union’s financial interests, to grant the necessary rights and

access to the Commission, OLAF, EPPO and the European Court of Auditors and to

ensure that any third parties involved in the implementation of Union funds grant

equivalent rights.

(16) The Instrument is to be implemented in accordance with Regulation (EU, Euratom)

202X/XXXX [Performance Regulation], which lays down rules for expenditure

tracking and the performance framework for the budget, including rules for ensuring a

uniform application of the principles of ‘do no significant harm’ and gender equality

referred to in Article 33(2), points (d) and (f), of Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2024/2509

respectively, rules for monitoring and reporting on the performance of Union

programmes and activities, rules for establishing a Union funding portal and rules for

the evaluation of the programmes, as well as other horizontal provisions applicable to

all Union programmes such as those on information, communication and visibility.

(17) The forms and methods of implementation of Union funding laid down in this

Regulation should be chosen on the basis of their ability to achieve the specific

objectives of the actions and to deliver results, taking into account, in particular, the

costs of controls, the administrative burden, and the expected risk of non-compliance.

That should include consideration of the use of lump sums, flat rates and unit costs, as

well as financing not linked to costs as referred to in Article 125(1), point (a), of

Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2024/2509.

(18) Coordination of the activities implemented under this Regulation should be achieved

via ongoing work and dialogue with Member States, partner countries and their

relevant authorities, in particular the competent regulatory authorities in the field of

nuclear safety, safeguards and decommissioning to avoid duplication.

(19) To ensure consistent external action implementation, the rules and procedures laid

down in Regulation (EU) 202X/XXXX [Global Europe] should apply to the

implementation of the Instrument’s external component, where appropriate, and the

implementing provisions under this Regulation should refer to the provisions provided

for in that Regulation.

(20) For the Instrument’s external component, annual or multiannual action plans and

measures referred to in this Regulation should constitute work programmes within the

meaning of Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2024/2509. Annual or multiannual action plans

should consist of a set of measures grouped into one document.

(21) The Commission should adopt multiannual indicative programmes that are consistent

with and complement the multiannual indicative programmes referred to in Chapter 1

of Regulation (EU) 202X/XXXX [Global Europe].

46 Directive (EU) 2017/1371 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 5 July 2017 on the fight

against fraud to the Union’s financial interests by means of criminal law (OJ L 198, 28.7.2017,

p. 29,ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dir/2017/1371/oj).

EN 17 EN

(22) The overall policy framework for the implementation of the external component of the

Instrument should be constituted by the policies as set out in association agreements,

partnership and cooperation agreements, multilateral agreements, nuclear cooperation

agreements, memoranda of understanding, and other agreements that establish a

relationship between the Community and its partner countries, as well as European

Council conclusions and Council conclusions, summit declarations, conclusions of

high-level meetings with partner countries, communications from the Commission and

joint communications from the Commission and the High Representative of the Union

for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.

(23) The external component of the Instrument may finance actions in any partner countries

in compliance with the criteria set out in this Regulation. Priority should be given to

persons and entities from acceding countries, candidate countries, including Ukraine,

potential candidate countries, and European Neighbourhood Policy countries.

(24) International Cooperation will be based on the Fundamental Safety Principles as

stipulated in the IAEA safety standards.

(25) Considering the continued need for safety improvement for the peaceful use of nuclear

energy in partner countries, the Instrument should pursue the objectives of promotion

of the highest level of nuclear safety, radiation protection, safe management of spent

fuel and radioactive waste and the application of efficient and effective nuclear

safeguards in partner countries. This includes remediation of radiologically

contaminated legacy sites and enhancing regulatory capacity.

(26) Considering that the peaceful uses of nuclear energy continue to develop, the

Instrument should be fit to carry out activities in emerging fields related to nuclear

safety and emergency preparedness and response, for instance by contributing to the

safety of small and modular reactors and radiological protection in new radiological

medical applications.

(27) Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine is causing damages to the Ukrainian

infrastructure, including to the country’s nuclear power facilities, as shown by the

drone attack on 14 February 2025 to the Chernobyl’s New Safe Confinement. As

regards Union support for Ukraine-related needs in the field of nuclear safety,

appropriations mobilised from the Ukraine Reserve referred to in Article 6 of Council

Regulation (EU, Euratom) 202X/XXXX [MFF Regulation] may be made available for

support provided under the external component of the Instrument in the form of non-

repayable support, financial instruments and provisioning of the budgetary guarantee.

Support provided to Ukraine under the external component of the Instrument of this

Regulation in the form of loans under Council decision 77/270/Euratom should be

provided within the amount established in Council decision 77/270/Euratom and

ceiling referred to in Article 6 (2), second sub-paragraph of the Global Europe

regulation. If those loans are to be provided to Ukraine as sovereign state, they should

be covered by the guarantee provided in accordance with Article 2(3), second

subparagraph of Council Regulation (EU, Euratom) 202X/XXXX [MFF Regulation].

Accordingly, it is appropriate to provide for derogation from Article 214(1) of

Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2024/2509 and set no provisioning rate for those loans to

Ukraine as provided by Article 24 (3), last paragraph of the Global Europe Regulation.

(28) With a view to ensuring consistency, the budgetary guarantee and financial

instruments, including when combined with non-repayable support in blending

operations, under the external component of the Instrument should be implemented in

accordance with the applicable rules of Regulation (EU) 202X/XXXX [Global

EN 18 EN

Europe] through agreements concluded for that type of support under Global Europe

delivery mechanisms.

(29) For the external component, where Union support under the Instrument is to be

provided in the form of a budgetary guarantee or a financial instrument, including

where combined with non-repayable support in a blending operation, it is necessary

that such support is provided exclusively through the Global Europe delivery

mechanisms in accordance with the applicable rules of the Global Europe delivery

mechanisms.

(30) Close cooperation with international organisations pursuing objectives similar to those

of the Instrument, as referred to in Chapter 10 Title II of the Euratom Treaty, in

particular with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), is considered

necessary for a successful cooperation on nuclear safety.

(31) The most efficient use of available resources can be achieved through coherence and

complementarity between the Union’s external financing instruments, as well as

through the creation of synergies with other Union policies and programmes. In order

to maximise the impact of combined interventions to achieve a common objective, this

Regulation should allow for the combination of funding with other Community and

Union programmes, provided that the contributions do not cover the same costs.

(32) The previous financial programme under Regulation (Euratom) 2021/100

demonstrated the additional Community added value by the collection and the

dissemination of knowledge. On the basis of Article 8 of the Euratom Treaty, and

pursuant to Article 7 of Council Directive 2011/70/Euratom47, the JRC is responsible

for managing its historical nuclear liabilities and decommission its nuclear

installations that have been shut down in accordance with the relevant national

legislation. Accordingly, the Nuclear Decommissioning and Waste Management

Programme at the JRC was launched in 1999 with a communication to the European

Parliament and the Council48, and since then the Commission has provided regular

updates on the progress of that programme49

(33) The Commission has concluded that the best option to satisfy requirements stemming

from Article 5(1), point (f), and Article 7 of Council Directive 2011/70/Euratom is to

pursue a strategy combining decommissioning and radioactive waste management

activities while initiating the discussions between the JRC and host Member States

regarding a potential transfer of the decommissioning and spent fuel and radioactive

waste management liabilities in the case of mutual agreements between the

Commission and the host Member States. The JRC should provide for and maintain

adequate resources to fulfil its obligations with respect to decommissioning and the

safety of spent fuel and radioactive waste management.

(34) In order to ensure uniform conditions for the implementation of this Regulation,

implementing powers should be conferred on the Commission. Those powers should

47 Council Directive 2011/70/Euratom of 19 July 2011 establishing a Community framework for the

responsible and safe management of spent fuel and radioactive waste (OJ L 199, 2.8.2011, p. 48, ELI:

http://data.europa.eu/eli/dir/2011/70/oj).

. 48 Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council of 17 March 1999 on the

decommissioning of obsolete nuclear installations and waste management: Historical liabilities resulting from

nuclear activities carried out at the JRC under the Euratom Treaty (COM (1999) 114 final).

.

49 SEC(2004) 624, COM(2008) 903 and COM(2013) 734.

EN 19 EN

be exercised in accordance with Regulation (EU) No 182/2011 of the European

Parliament and of the Council50.

(35) The Commission should immediately adopt applicable implementing acts to adopt or

amend annual or multi-annual action plans and measures under the Instrument’s

external component where, in duly justified cases relating to the need of a swift

response by the Community, imperative grounds of urgency so require.

(36) In accordance with Article 9 of Council Decision 2010/427/EU, the High

Representative, in its capacity of Vice-President of the Commission, shall ensure the

overall political coordination of the Union’s external action, ensuring its unity,

consistency and effectiveness, in particular through the implementation of the present

Instrument.

(37) The references to external assistance instruments in Council Decision

2010/427/EU51 should be read as references to this Regulation and to the Regulations

referred to herein. The Commission should ensure that this Regulation is implemented

in accordance with the role of the European External Action Service as provided for in

that Decision.

(38) In order to ensure continuity in providing support to the relevant policy areas and to

allow implementation to start from the beginning of the multiannual financial

framework 2028-2034, this Regulation should apply from 1 January 2028.

(39) In the framework of the Union’s restrictive measures, adopted on the basis of Article

29 TEU and Article 215(2) TFEU, no funds or economic resources may be made

available, directly or indirectly, to or for the benefit of designated natural or legal

persons, entities or bodies. Therefore, such natural or legal persons, entities or bodies,

as well as legal persons, entities or bodies owned or controlled by them should not be

supported.

(40) Regulations (Euratom) 2021/100 and (Euratom) 2021/948 should therefore be

repealed,

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

CHAPTER I

GENERAL PROVISIONS

50 Regulation (EU) No 182/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 February 2011 laying down the

rules and general principles concerning mechanisms for control by Member States of the Commission’s exercise of

implementing powers (OJ L 55, 28.2.2011, p. 13, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2011/182/oj). . 51 Council Decision 2010/427/EU of 26 July 2010 establishing the organisation and functioning of the European

External Action Service (OJ L 201, 3.8.2010, p. 30, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec/2010/427/oj).

EN 20 EN

Article 1

Subject matter

This Regulation establishes the Instrument for Nuclear Safety Cooperation and

Decommissioning (the ‘Instrument’) and lays down the objectives of the Instrument, its

indicative budget for the period from 1 January 2028 to 31 December 2034, the forms of

Union funding and the rules for providing such funding under the Instrument. It also

addresses the specificities of each of the Instrument’s two components: the external

component and the internal component.

Article 2

Instrument objectives

1. The general objective of the Instrument’s external component is to contribute to a

high level of nuclear safety, radiation protection, safe management of spent fuel and

radioactive waste, decommissioning and the application of efficient and effective

safeguards of nuclear materials in partner countries, in complementarity with

Regulation (EU) 202X/XXXX [Global Europe], and building on the activities within

the Community including the relevant Euratom regulatory framework.

2. The general objective of the Instrument’s internal component is to support the

decommissioning of the Commission’s nuclear installations at the Joint Research

Centre (JRC) sites, in line with the needs identified in the respective

decommissioning plans and to safely manage the associated spent fuel, nuclear

material and radioactive waste. In addition, the Instrument shall support knowledge

deriving from the nuclear decommissioning process and the management of the

resulting radioactive waste that will be shared with the Community’s stakeholders.

3. The Instrument’s external component has the following specific objectives:

(a) to promote an effective nuclear safety and radiation protection culture, and the

implementation of the highest nuclear safety and radiation protection standards,

including for security of supplies, emergency preparedness and response,

capacity development and transparency in decision-making processes of the

authorities in partner countries;

(b) to support responsible and safe management of spent fuel and radioactive

waste and the decommissioning and remediation of former nuclear sites and

installations in partner countries;

(c) to strengthen efficient and effective safeguards for nuclear material in partner

countries.

4. The Instrument’s internal component has the following specific objectives:

(a) to support the decommissioning plan and to carry out the activities in

accordance with the national law of the host Member State for the dismantling

and decontamination of the Commission’s nuclear installations at the JRC

sites, to carry out the safe management of associated radioactive waste and,

where appropriate, to prepare the optional transfer of the related nuclear

liabilities from the JRC to the host Member State;

EN 21 EN

(b) for the JRC to continue developing ties and exchanges among Union

stakeholders on nuclear decommissioning, with a view to ensuring the

dissemination of knowledge and the sharing of experience in all relevant areas,

such as regulation and training, and developing potential Union synergies.

The transfer referred to in the first subparagraph, point (a), shall be voluntary for any host

Member State and subject to a bilateral agreement concluded between the Commission and

the host Member State. That bilateral agreement shall stipulate that all costs of the

decommissioning of the Commission’s nuclear installations at the JRC sites and storage of the

associated radioactive waste are to be paid by the Community and shall fully comply with

Directive 2011/70/Euratom. The nnegotiation between the Commission and the host Member

State shall be concluded within two years from the date of entry into force of this Regulation.

Article 3

Budget

1. The indicative financial envelope for the implementation of the Instrument for the

period from 1 January 2028 to 31 December 2034 shall be EUR 966 000 000 in

current prices.

2. Additionally, financial resources for Ukraine mobilised through article 6 (2) of

Regulation (EU) 202X/XXXX [Global Europe] from the Ukraine Reserve in

accordance with Article 6 of Regulation (EU, Euratom) 202X/XXXX [MFF

Regulation] may be used, where appropriate, to provide for Union support to Ukraine

under this Regulation.

3. Appropriations may be entered in the Union budget beyond 2034 to cover the

expenses necessary and to enable the management of actions not completed by the

end of the Instrument.

4. The financial envelope referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article, the financial

resources referred to in paragraph 2 of this Article and the amounts of additional

resources referred to in Article 3 may also be used for technical and administrative

assistance for the implementation of the Instrument, such as preparatory, monitoring,

control, audit and evaluation activities, corporate information technology systems

and platforms, information, visibility and communication activities, including

corporate communication on the political priorities of the Union and all other

technical and administrative assistance or staff-related expenses incurred by the

Commission for the management of the Instrument.

5. For the Instrument’s external component, the rules and procedures concerning carry

overs, annual instalments, repayments, revenue and recoveries from financial

instruments financed under this Instrument or its predecessors, and surpluses from

the budgetary guarantees and loans provisioned under this Instrument or its

predecessors, laid down in Article 22 of Regulation (EU) 202X/XXXX [Global

Europe] shall apply to the implementation of this Regulation.

EN 22 EN

Article 4

Additional resources

Member States, Union institutions, bodies and agencies, partner countries, international

organisations, international financial institutions, or other third parties, may make additional

financial or non-financial contributions to the Instrument. The additional financial

contributions shall constitute external assigned revenue within the meaning of Article 21(2),

points (a), (d), or (e) or Article 21(5) of Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2024/2509.

Article 5

Alternative, combined and cumulative funding

1. The Instrument shall be implemented in synergy with other Community and Union

programmes. An action that has received a Community and a Union contribution

from another programme may also receive a contribution. The rules of the relevant

Union programme shall apply to the corresponding contribution, or a single set of

rules may be applied to all contributions and a single legal commitment may be

concluded. If the Union contribution is based on eligible costs, the cumulative

support from the Union budget shall not exceed the total eligible costs of the action

and may be calculated on a pro-rata basis in accordance with the conditions for

support.

2. Award procedures under the Instrument may be jointly conducted under direct or

indirect management with Member States, Union institutions, bodies and agencies,

partner countries, international organisations, international financial institutions, or

other third parties (‘partners to the joint award procedure’), provided the protection

of the financial interests of the Union is ensured. Such procedures shall be subject to

a single set of rules and lead to the conclusion of single legal commitments. For that

purpose, the partners to the joint award procedure may make resources available to

the Instrument in accordance with Article [4] of this Regulation, or the partners may

be entrusted with the implementation of the award procedure, where applicable in

accordance with Article 62(1), point (c), of Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2024/2509. In

joint award procedures, representatives of the partners to the joint award procedure

may also be members of the evaluation committee referred to in Article 153(3) of

Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2024/2509.

Article 6

Implementation and forms of Union funding

1. The Instrument shall be implemented in accordance with Regulation (EU, Euratom)

2024/2509, under direct management or in indirect management with entities

referred to in Article 62(1), point (c) of that Regulation.

2. Union funding may be provided in any form in accordance with Regulation (EU,

Euratom) 2024/2509, in particular grants, prizes, procurement, non-financial

donations, budgetary guarantees, financial instruments and blending operations.

EN 23 EN

CHAPTER II

IMPLEMENTATION OF THE INSTRUMENT’S DIFFERENT COMPONENTS

SECTION 1: SPECIFIC PROVISIONS FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE

INSTRUMENT’S EXTERNAL COMPONENT

Article 7

Policy framework

The policies, as set out in association agreements, partnership and cooperation agreements,

including nuclear cooperation agreements, multilateral agreements, legally non-binding

instruments, such as memoranda of understanding, declarations and other agreements that

establish a relationship between the Union and/or the Community and its partner countries, as

well as European Council conclusions and Council conclusions, summit declarations,

conclusions of high-level meetings with partner countries, strategies and communications

from the Commission and joint communications from the Commission and the High

Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, shall constitute the

overall policy framework for the implementation of the Instrument.

Article 8

Implementation and eligibility in alignment with Global Europe

1. Unless otherwise specified in this Regulation, Union financing for the Instrument’s

external component shall be implemented in accordance with this Regulation,

Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2024/2509, and as appropriate Chapter II and Chapter III

of Title II of Regulation (EU) 202X/XXXX [Global Europe] with the exception of

Articles 19, 20(2) and (3) and 26 of that Regulation. The eligibility rules set out in

Articles 20(1) and (4) to (12) of Regulation (EU) 202X/XXXX [Global Europe] shall

apply to all actions financed under the external component.

2. Where Union support is provided in the form of a budgetary guarantee or a financial

instrument, including where combined with non-repayable support in a blending

operation, it shall be exclusively provided through the Global Europe delivery

mechanism and implemented in accordance with the applicable rules of the Global

Europe delivery mechanism through agreements concluded for that type of support

under the Global Europe delivery mechanisms.

3. Union support in the form of a budgetary guarantee shall be provided within the

maximum amount of the budgetary guarantee established by the Global Europe

Regulation.

4. Where the Instrument makes use of the Global Europe delivery mechanism, it shall

provide the provisioning for the budgetary guarantee and the financing to financial

instruments, including when combined with non-repayable support in the form of a

blending operation.

EN 24 EN

Article 9

Euratom loans

1. Union support to Ukraine in the form of loans under Council Decision

77/270/Euratom shall be provided within the maximum amount referred to in Article

6 (2), second sub-paragraph of Regulation (EU) 202X/XXXX [Global Europe]. The

provisions of the Article 24 (3), last paragraph of Regulation (EU) 202X/XXXX

[Global Europe] shall apply to loans to Ukraine under Council Decision

77/270/Euratom.

2. The provisioning rate for Union support in the form of loans to Armenia under

Council Decision 77/270/Euratom shall be the provisioning rate set out in Article 24

of Regulation (EU) 202X/XXXX [Global Europe].

Article 10

Multiannual indicative programmes

1. The implementation of the Instrument’s external component shall be carried out

through multiannual indicative programmes adopted by means of implementing acts

in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 17(3). Such

multiannual indicative programmes shall:

(a) aim to provide a coherent framework for cooperation between the Community and

partner countries or regions concerned, in a manner consistent with the overall

purpose and scope, objectives, principles and policy of the Community and based on

the policy framework referred to in Article 7 of this Regulation;

(b) constitute a general basis for the nuclear safety cooperation under the Instrument and

set out the Community’s goals for cooperation, having regard to the needs of the

countries concerned, the Community’s priorities, the international situation and the

activities of the partner countries concerned;

(c) indicate the added value of the cooperation referred to in point (b) and how to avoid

overlapping other programmes and initiatives, in particular those of international

organisations pursuing similar objectives and those of other major donors;

(d) set out the geographic and policy priorities selected for Union financing, the specific

objectives, and, where appropriate, the indicative financial allocations and the

methods of implementation.

(e) be based on dialogue with the partner countries or regions which involves relevant

stakeholders, especially the governmental and regulatory authorities and the

organisations designated by them, as well as, where appropriate, on consultations

with the European Nuclear Safety Regulators Group (‘ENSREG’) established by

Commission Decision 2007/530/Euratom52.

52 Commission Decision 2007/530/Euratom of 17 July 2007 on establishing the European High Level

Group on Nuclear Safety and Waste Management (OJ L 195, 27.7.2007, p. 44, ELI:

http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec/2007/530/oj).

EN 25 EN

2. The multiannual indicative programmes may be reviewed on an ad hoc basis as

necessary for their effective implementation, in particular where there are substantive

changes in the policy framework referred to in Article 6 or following a situation of

crisis or post-crisis. The examination procedure referred to in Article 17(3) shall also

apply to reviews, which have the effect of significantly amending the content of the

multiannual indicative programme.

Article 11

Adoption of action plans and measures

1. Annual or multiannual action plans and measures under the Instrument’s external

component shall constitute work programmes within the meaning of Regulation (EU,

Euratom) 2024/2509.

2. The Commission shall adopt, by means of implementing acts, the action plans and

measures referred to in paragraph 1. Those implementing acts shall be adopted in

accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 17(3).

3. The examination procedure referred to in paragraph 2 shall not be required for:

(a) special measures and support measures for which the Union funding does not

exceed EUR 10 million;

(b) technical amendments, provided that they do not substantially affect the

objectives of the action plan or measure concerned, such as:

(i) change of method of implementation;

(ii) reassignments of funds between actions contained in an action plan;

(iii) increase of the budget of action plans and measures by not more than

20% of that budget.

When adopted in accordance with this paragraph, special measures and support

measures as well as technical amendments shall be communicated to the Member

States through the committee referred to in Article 17(1), within one month of their

adoption. They shall also be communicated to the European Parliament.

4. On duly justified imperative grounds of urgency relating to the need for a swift

response from the Community, the Commission shall adopt or amend the action

plans or measures referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article by means of immediately

applicable implementing acts in accordance with the procedure referred to in

Article 17(4).

Article 12

Criteria for international cooperation

1. The external component of the Instrument may finance actions in partner countries in

compliance with the criteria set out in this article.

2. A common understanding or a reciprocal agreement between the partner country and

the Community shall be the basis for cooperation.

3. Partner countries seeking to cooperate with the Community on nuclear safeguards

shall be parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and shall

EN 26 EN

have concluded a Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement with the IAEA or shall

have the Additional Protocol with the IAEA in force.

4. Partner countries seeking to cooperate with the Community on nuclear safety, shall

be active parties to the Convention on Nuclear Safety and the Joint Convention on

the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste

Management or other relevant conventions or have taken steps demonstrating a firm

commitment to accede to such conventions.

5. Partner countries seeking to cooperate with the Community on emergency

preparedness and response, radiation protection or radioactive waste management

and not meeting criteria (3) or (4) should not have any nuclear installations on their

territory.

6. Cooperation with partner countries not fulfilling the criteria in Articles 12(3) to (5)

shall be of exceptional nature, upon direct request from the concerned partner

countries, and limited to support requested by them in case of a nuclear accident or

radiological emergency event as referred to in the Convention on Early Notification

of a Nuclear Accident and the Convention on Assistance in the Case of a Nuclear

Accident or Radiological Emergency.

7. Cooperation with candidates or potential candidates, who are not in a position to

meet the criteria in Articles 12(3) to (6) due to their country status, is an exception.

8. In order to ensure and monitor compliance with the cooperation-related objectives of

the Instrument, the partner country concerned shall accept the evaluation of the

actions undertaken. That evaluation shall allow the monitoring and verification of

compliance with the objectives and shall be a condition for continued payment of the

Community contribution.

Article 13

EUROPEAN EXTERNAL ACTION SERVICE (EEAS)

The Instrument’s external component shall be implemented taking into account the role of the

EEAS as provided for in Council Decision 2010/427/EU, in particular Articles 3 and 9

thereof.

SECTION 2: SPECIFIC PROVISIONS FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE

INSTRUMENT’S INTERNAL COMPONENT

Article 14

Work programmes

1. The implementation of the Instrument’s internal component shall be carried out by

work programmes referred to in Article 110 of Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2024/2509.

The work programme for the Instrument’s internal component shall:

(a) aim to provide an overview of the activities planned over the period covered by

the multiannual work programme;

EN 27 EN

(b) constitute a general basis for the implementation of the activities covered by

this Regulation and be based on the highest nuclear safety standards and best

practices in addressing the Community’s nuclear liabilities.

Article 15

Implementation and forms of Union funding and eligibility criteria for the implementation

of the Instrument’s internal component

Unless otherwise specified in this Regulation, Union financing for the Instrument’s internal

component shall be implemented in accordance with this Regulation, Regulation (EU,

Euratom) 2024/2509.

Only the following activities shall be eligible for Union funding under the Instrument’s

internal component:

(a) safe conservation and operation of shutdown nuclear facilities;

(b) dismantling of obsolete or unused nuclear installations, or both;

(c) safe management of radioactive waste and spent fuel, including collection,

characterisation, treatment, transport and storage;

(d) reduction of the nuclear material inventory at the JRC sites;

(e) development and construction of radioactive wastes management facilities;

(f) production and update of decommissioning plans, technical studies and licensing

files;

(g) external support for project design, evaluation, management;

(h) operational support, including radiation protection, equipment and facilities

maintenance;

(i) negotiation with host Member States in view of the transfer of the Commission’s

nuclear liabilities;

(j) communication and cooperation with external stakeholders;

(k) collection, production, assessment and dissemination of nuclear decommissioning

knowledge, including training activities;

(l) any other activity supporting the achievement of the decommissioning of the

Commission’s nuclear installations at the JRC sites and nuclear decommissioning

and waste management knowledge as referred to in Article 2.

Article 16

Knowledge-sharing provision

1. Knowledge created in the implementation process of the JRC Decommissioning and

Waste management programme shall be disseminated at the Community level.

2. Activities for accomplishing the activity referred to in paragraph 1 shall be financed

under the Instrument. The JRC shall coordinate the structuring and dissemination of

knowledge to Member States.

EN 28 EN

3. The process of dissemination of knowledge shall be included and defined in the work

programmes referred to in Article 16.

CHAPTER III

IMPLEMENTING POWERS, TRANSITIONAL AND FINAL PROVISIONS

Article 17

Committee procedure

1. The Commission shall be assisted by a committee for the Instrument’s external

component. That committee shall be a committee within the meaning of Regulation

(EU) No 182/2011.

2. The committee shall meet in different configurations depending on the topic or

subject matter.

3. Where reference is made to this paragraph, Article 5 of Regulation (EU) 182/2011

shall apply.

4. Where reference is made to this paragraph, Article 8 of Regulation (EU) No

182/2011, in conjunction with Article 5 thereof, shall apply.

5. Where the opinion of the committee is to be obtained by written procedure, that

procedure shall be terminated without result when, within the time-limit for delivery

of the opinion, the chair of the committee so decides or a simple majority of

committee members so request.

6. In accordance with international agreements concluded by the Union, representatives

of partner countries or international organisations may be invited as observers in the

meetings of the committee under the conditions laid down in its rules of procedure,

taking into account the security and public order of the Union or its Member States.

Representatives of partner countries or international organisations shall not be

present in deliberations on matters related to eligibility criteria as per article 8 of this

Regulation.

Article 18

Repeal

Regulations (Euratom) 2021/100 and (Euratom) 2021/948 are repealed with effect from

1 January 2028.

EN 29 EN

Article 19

Transitional provisions

1. This Regulation shall not affect the continuation or modification of the actions

concerned, until their closure, under Regulations (Euratom) 2021/100 and (Euratom)

2021/948, which shall continue to apply to those actions until their closure.

2. The financial envelope for the Instrument may also cover the technical and

administrative assistance expenses necessary to ensure the transition between the

Instrument and the measures adopted under Regulations (Euratom) 2021/100 and

(Euratom) 2021/948.

Article 20

Entry into force and application

This Regulation shall enter into force on the twentieth day following that of its publication in

the Official Journal of the European Union.

It shall apply from 1 January 2028.

This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.

Done at Brussels,

For the Council

The President

EN 1 EN

LEGISLATIVE FINANCIAL AND DIGITAL STATEMENT

1. FRAMEWORK OF THE PROPOSAL/INITATIVE ................................................ 3

1.1. Title of the proposal/initiative ...................................................................................... 3

1.2. Policy area(s) concerned .............................................................................................. 3

1.3. Objective(s) .................................................................................................................. 3

1.3.1. General objective(s) ..................................................................................................... 3

1.3.2. Specific objective(s) ..................................................................................................... 3

1.3.3. Expected result(s) and impact ...................................................................................... 3

1.3.4. Indicators of performance ............................................................................................ 3

1.4. The proposal/initiative relates to: ................................................................................. 4

1.5. Grounds for the proposal/initiative .............................................................................. 4

1.5.1. Requirement(s) to be met in the short or long term including a detailed timeline for

roll-out of the implementation of the initiative ............................................................ 4

1.5.2. Added value of EU involvement (it may result from different factors, e.g.

coordination gains, legal certainty, greater effectiveness or complementarities). For

the purposes of this section ‘added value of EU involvement’ is the value resulting

from EU action, that is additional to the value that would have been otherwise

created by Member States alone. ................................................................................. 4

1.5.3. Lessons learned from similar experiences in the past .................................................. 4

1.5.4. Compatibility with the multiannual financial framework and possible synergies with

other appropriate instruments ....................................................................................... 5

1.5.5. Assessment of the different available financing options, including scope for

redeployment ................................................................................................................ 5

1.6. Duration of the proposal/initiative and of its financial impact .................................... 6

1.7. Method(s) of budget implementation planned ............................................................. 6

2. MANAGEMENT MEASURES................................................................................... 8

2.1. Monitoring and reporting rules .................................................................................... 8

2.2. Management and control system(s) ............................................................................. 8

2.2.1. Justification of the budget implementation method(s), the funding implementation

mechanism(s), the payment modalities and the control strategy proposed .................. 8

2.2.2. Information concerning the risks identified and the internal control system(s) set up

to mitigate them............................................................................................................ 8

2.2.3. Estimation and justification of the cost-effectiveness of the controls (ratio between

the control costs and the value of the related funds managed), and assessment of the

expected levels of risk of error (at payment & at closure) ........................................... 8

2.3. Measures to prevent fraud and irregularities ................................................................ 9

3. ESTIMATED FINANCIAL IMPACT OF THE PROPOSAL/INITIATIVE .......... 10

EN 2 EN

3.1. Heading(s) of the multiannual financial framework and expenditure budget line(s)

affected ....................................................................................................................... 10

3.2. Estimated financial impact of the proposal on appropriations ................................... 12

3.2.1. Summary of estimated impact on operational appropriations.................................... 12

3.2.1.1. Appropriations from voted budget ............................................................................. 12

3.2.1.2. Appropriations from external assigned revenues ....................................................... 17

3.2.2. Estimated output funded from operational appropriations......................................... 22

3.2.3. Summary of estimated impact on administrative appropriations ............................... 24

3.2.3.1. Appropriations from voted budget .............................................................................. 24

3.2.3.2. Appropriations from external assigned revenues ....................................................... 24

3.2.3.3. Total appropriations ................................................................................................. 24

3.2.4. Estimated requirements of human resources.............................................................. 25

3.2.4.1. Financed from voted budget....................................................................................... 25

3.2.4.2. Financed from external assigned revenues ................................................................ 26

3.2.4.3. Total requirements of human resources ................................................................... 26

3.2.5. Overview of estimated impact on digital technology-related investments ................ 28

3.2.6. Compatibility with the current multiannual financial framework.............................. 28

3.2.7. Third-party contributions ........................................................................................... 28

3.3. Estimated impact on revenue ..................................................................................... 29

4. DIGITAL DIMENSIONS ........................................................................................ 29

4.1. Requirements of digital relevance .............................................................................. 30

4.2. Data ............................................................................................................................ 30

4.3. Digital solutions ......................................................................................................... 31

4.4. Interoperability assessment ........................................................................................ 31

4.5. Measures to support digital implementation .............................................................. 32

EN 3 EN

1. FRAMEWORK OF THE PROPOSAL/INITIATIVE

1.1. Title of the proposal/initiative

Council Regulation (Euratom) establishing the Instrument for Nuclear Safety

Cooperation and Decommissioning for the period 2028-2034.

1.2. Policy area(s) concerned

Nuclear Safety

1.3. Objective(s)

1.3.1. General objective(s)

The Instrument meets one external and one internal objective.

• 1. The general objective of the external component of the Instrument is to

support the promotion of the highest level of nuclear safety, radiation

protection, safe management of spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste and

the application of efficient and effective safeguards of nuclear materials in

partner countries.

• 2. The general objective of the internal component of the Instrument is to

support the decommissioning of the Commission’s nuclear installations at the

JRC sites and to safely manage the associated spent fuel, nuclear material and

radioactive waste.

1.3.2. Specific objective(s)

Specific objective No

For the external component:

• 1. to promote of an effective nuclear safety and radiation protection culture, the

implementation of the highest nuclear safety and radiation protection standards,

and the continuous improvement of nuclear safety, including the promotion of

transparency in decision-making processes of the authorities in partner

countries relating to the safety of peaceful uses of nuclear installations

• 2. to support responsible and safe management of spent fuel and radioactive

waste and the decommissioning and remediation of former nuclear sites and

installations;

• 3. to establish efficient and effective safeguards for nuclear material in partner

countries.

For the internal component:

• 1. to support the decommissioning plan and to carry out the activities in

accordance with the national law of the host Member State for the dismantling

and decontamination of the Commission’s nuclear installations at the JRC

sites, to carry out the safe management of associated radioactive waste and

where appropriate, to prepare the optional transfer of the related nuclear

liabilities from the JRC to the host Member State;;

• 2. for the JRC to continue developing ties and exchanges among Union

stakeholders on nuclear decommissioning, with a view to ensuring the

EN 4 EN

dissemination of knowledge and the sharing of expertise in all relevant areas,

such as regulation and training and developing Union synergies.

1.3.3. Expected result(s) and impact

For the external component:

• Increased nuclear safety and radiation protection management in external

partner countries in line with Euratom acquis and EU best practices

• Radioactive waste management and decommissioning activities in external

partner countries in line with Euratom acquis and EU best practices

• Improved nuclear safeguards capabilities in external partner countries.

For the internal component:

• Since 2021, the Nuclear Decommissioning and Waste Management

Programme of the Joint Research Centre is financed under a specific legal

basis. The programme that started in 1999 under JRC budget has benefited

from the new approach and enhanced the efficiency for its implementation. The

programme effectively improved the nuclear safety at the JRC sites for the

benefit of the EU citizens and the environment. The continuation of the

programme is needed to fulfil the European Commission’s legal commitments,

reduce the nuclear hazards towards a complete release of the facilities from the

regulatory control and create and share knowledge with the EU stakeholders

dealing with the decommissioning and waste management.

1.3.4. Indicators of performance

The output and result indicators for the purpose of monitoring progress and achievements of

this programme will correspond to the common indicators provided under Regulation xxx

[Performance Regulation].’

1.4. The proposal/initiative relates to:

 a new action

 a new action following a pilot project / preparatory action53

 the extension of an existing action

 a merger or redirection of one or more actions towards another/a new action

1.5. Grounds for the proposal/initiative

1.5.1. Requirement(s) to be met in the short or long-term including a detailed timeline for

roll-out of the implementation of the initiative

The external component is a natural progression of the European Instrument for

International Nuclear Safety Cooperation and therefore a similar institutional set-up

would be expected to ensure smooth implementation. The internal component

continues the activities initiated in 1999 to address the nuclear legacy of the Joint

Research Centre. The Instrument aims at progressing in the decommissioning and

dismantling of the obsolete nuclear facilities in line with the site-related

decommissioning plan and ensure the safe management of radioactive wastes.

53 As referred to in Article 58(2), point (a) or (b) of the Financial Regulation.

EN 5 EN

1.5.2. Added value of EU involvement

Reasons for action at EU level (ex-ante) In respect of the external component, the

external partners could benefit from action at Community level due to the flexibility

in the implementation and the access to all the experience of the different Member

States,

For the external component, there is a larger impact, efficiency and visibility than if

individual Member States were to implement. The internal component is a European

Commission legal responsibility in managing its own nuclear research facilities.

For the internal component, the EU involvement is deriving from of the European

Commission’s legal responsibilities regarding the nuclear legacies of its past and

ongoing research activities

1.5.3. Lessons learned from similar experiences in the past

Lessons learned from the implementation of the European Instrument for

International Nuclear Safety Cooperation and its predecessors will be used for the

implementation of the external component.

Lessons learned from the implementation of the previous Nuclear Decommissioning

Assistance Programme will be used for the implementation of the internal

component.

1.5.4. Compatibility with the multiannual financial framework and possible synergies with

other appropriate instruments

The Programme is one of the funding instruments under the 2028-2034 Multiannual

financial framework and has a high degree of coherence and complementarity with

other key EU priorities and funding schemes.

Regarding the internal component, the promotion and implementation of the highest

standards of nuclear safety and safe management of radioactive wastes is a shared

objective between the two merged instruments (Instrument for Nuclear Safety

Cooperation and Decommissioning Programme). It is aligned with the Nuclear

Decommissioning Programme managed by DG ENER supporting decommissioning

activities in the Member States of the European Union.

When implementing this Regulation, consistency with other areas of external action

and with other relevant EU policies will be ensured. Synergies with actions under

other EU programmes should be sought, in order to maximise the impact of

combined interventions.

Actions funded under this proposal should be coherent and complementary to those

carried out under the Global Europe, the Decision on Overseas Countries and

Territories, the common foreign and security policy and the European Peace Facility

which is outside the EU budget.

1.5.5. Assessment of the different available financing options, including scope for

redeployment

Not applicable, as this proposal is part of the package of new funding programmes

for the 2028-2034 Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF). The proposed

budgetary allocation for this programme is therefore fully covered by the

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appropriations under Heading 1 of the 2028-2034 MFF, and it does not require any

redeployment from any other programme.

EN 7 EN

1.6. Duration of the proposal/initiative and of its financial impact

 limited duration

–  in effect from 01/01/2028 to 31/12/2034

–  financial impact from 2028 to 2034 for commitment appropriations and from

2028 to 2041 for payment appropriations.

 unlimited duration

– Implementation with a start-up period from YYYY to YYYY,

– followed by full-scale operation.

1.7. Method(s) of budget implementation planned

 Direct management by the Commission

–  by its departments, including by its staff in the Union delegations;

–  by the executive agencies

 Shared management with the Member States

 Indirect management by entrusting budget implementation tasks to:

–  third countries or the bodies they have designated

–  international organisations and their agencies (to be specified)

– the European Investment Bank and the European Investment Fund

–  bodies referred to in Articles 70 and 71 of the Financial Regulation

–  public law bodies

–  bodies governed by private law with a public service mission to the extent that

they are provided with adequate financial guarantees

–  bodies governed by the private law of a Member State that are entrusted with

the implementation of a public-private partnership and that are provided with

adequate financial guarantees

–  bodies or persons entrusted with the implementation of specific actions in the

common foreign and security policy pursuant to Title V of the Treaty on

European Union, and identified in the relevant basic act

– bodies established in a Member State, governed by the private law of a

Member State or Union law and eligible to be entrusted, in accordance with

sector-specific rules, with the implementation of Union funds or budgetary

guarantees, to the extent that such bodies are controlled by public law bodies or

by bodies governed by private law with a public service mission, and are provided

with adequate financial guarantees in the form of joint and several liability by the

controlling bodies or equivalent financial guarantees and which may be, for each

action, limited to the maximum amount of the Union support.

Comments

For the internal component, negotiations with the host Member States during the MFF is

planned for the possible transfer of the nuclear liabilities of the Joint Research Centre.

For the external component, the most suitable implementation method will be chosen, which

will include direct management, implementation by the EBRD, implementation by the IAEA

EN 8 EN

implementation by EU Member States’ pillar assessed organisations, at stage of programming

it is preferred not to exclude possible implementation modalities.

EN 9 EN

2. MANAGEMENT MEASURES

2.1. Monitoring and reporting rules

The monitoring, reporting, and evaluation rules for this programme will follow the

requirements laid down in Regulation xxx [Performance Regulation].

Internal component

The internal component is implemented by the Commission. The JRC is managing

and governing the Instrument through a high-level steering committee, composed of

JRC senior management and meeting three times per year to take strategic decisions,

revise objectives and monitor the progress of the Instrument. The high-level steering

committee is supported by the operational level steering committee, composed of

technical site representatives and representatives from the legal and financial

directorates. The committee meets three times per year to ensure that technical, legal,

financial and procurement tasks are streamlined. It monitors both technical progress

as well as budget implementation.

In line with the European Parliament resolution in 1999 (COM(1999)–114–C5-

0214/1999-1999/2169(COS)), the JRC is since the beginning of the D&WM

programme regularly advised by a group of independent European decommissioning

experts, the D&WM programme Expert Group. Their advice relates to the

decommissioning and waste treatment strategy, the available technology, technical

aspects of the organisation and any other aspects relating to the instrument.

Since the beginning of the D&WM programme, the Commission is periodically

reporting to the Council and the European Parliament the progress and status of the

D&WM programme, thereby providing an updated budget forecast (every four

years).

Moreover, JRC reports on an annual basis on the mid-term targets and the progress

achieved (JRC Management Plan, JRC Activity Report).

2.2. Management and control system(s)

2.2.1. Justification of the budget implementation method(s), the funding implementation

mechanism(s), the payment modalities and the control strategy proposed

For the external component

Regarding the management modes, there are no fundamental changes envisaged and

the experience acquired by the Commission services and implementing actors under

the predecessor programmes will contribute to better results in the future. Partner

countries are still adjusting to the existing legislative framework and the

implementation for INSC programmes is still in an early stage; as a result a

maximum of continuity should be secured.

The actions to be financed under this Regulation will be implemented under direct

management by the Commission from headquarters and/or through the Union

delegations and under indirect management by any of the entities listed in

Article 62(1)(c) of the Financial Regulation in order to better achieve the objectives

of the Regulation.

EN 10 EN

Concerning indirect management, as stated in Article 157 of the Financial

Regulation, such entities must ensure a level of protection of the EU’s financial

interests equivalent to the one under direct management. An ex-ante pillar

assessment of the entities’ systems and procedures will be carried out, in accordance

with the principle of proportionality and with due consideration for the nature of the

action and the financial risks involved. Where the implementation requires so or

there have been reservations expressed in the Annual Activities Reports, action plans

with specific mitigation measures will be defined and implemented. Additionally,

appropriate supervisory measures imposed by the Commission may accompany the

implementation.

To ensure the effectiveness and efficiency of the operations (and to mitigate the high

level of risk in the external assistance environment), in addition to all the elements of

the Commission wide strategic policy and planning process, internal audit

environment and other requirements of the Commission’s Internal Control

Framework, the implementing services will continue to have a tailored aid

management framework in operation under all the instruments.

The implementing services will continue to pursue the highest standards of

accounting and financial reporting using the Commission’s corporate financial

system (SUMMA) as well as external aid specific tools such as OPSYS.

In relation to compliance with the relevant legislative and procedural framework,

compliance control methods are set out in Section 2.3 (measures to prevent fraud and

irregularities).

For the internal component

Regarding the management modes, there are no fundamental changes envisaged and

the experience acquired by the JRC under the predecessor programmes will

contribute to better results in the future.

External reviews and audits have acknowledged that the instrument has made

important progress and achievement since its launch within the given external and

internal constraints.

2.2.2. Information concerning the risks identified and the internal control system(s) set up

to mitigate them

For the external component

The operational environment of cooperation under this instrument is characterised by

the risks of not achieving the instrument’s objectives, suboptimal financial

management and/or of not complying with the applicable rules (legality and

regularity errors) related to:

-Economic and political instability and natural disasters and extreme climatic events

that may lead to difficulties and delays in the design and implementation of

interventions;

- limited institutional and administrative capacity in partner countries that may lead

to difficulties and delays in the design and implementation of interventions;

- geographically dispersed projects and programmes (covering approximately many

states, territories and regions) may pose logistical and resource challenges to

monitoring - particularly any ‘on-the-spot’ follow-up of activities;

EN 11 EN

- diversity of potential partners or beneficiaries with their diverse internal control

structures and capacities can fragment and therefore reduce the effectiveness and

efficiency of the Commission’s available resources to support and monitor

implementation;

- limited availability of quantitative and qualitative data on the outcomes and impact

of external assistance implementation in partner countries may hinder the

Commission’s ability to report on and be accountable for results.

In order to deal with the risk of financial errors, the Commission will perform the

appropriate ex ante and ex post controls. Wherever applicable the performance of

systems audits will work as a tool to identify root causes of errors in the entities’

control systems and trigger the necessary mitigating measures. Moreover, to

strengthen its effectiveness in preventing errors, management deficiencies and

irregularities, the Commission is setting up a system for an ongoing targeted risk

assessment at contract and at entity level. Key factors increasing the likelihood of a

high error rate and a negative impact on sound financial management, in particular

linked also to historical data of previous controls and monitoring haven been

identified and aggregated in a risk profiling dashboard. The dashboard will provide

an important tool to target more effectively future controls, monitoring efforts and

other means of mitigation to sensibly reduce the risks of errors, management

deficiencies and irregularities.

For the internal component

The main risk identified and documented in the JRC risk register concerns

unforeseen occurrences, uncertainties, and delays that can lead to cost escalation and

generate non-compliance.

The main mitigating measures to address this risk are:

- Regular contacts with relevant national authorities;

- Strengthened governance in place since beginning of 2025;

- Continued use of the JRC risk register with a regular risk review process with close

follow up of the most important risks and the possibility to carry out thematic

verifications if need be.

2.2.3. Estimation and justification of the cost-effectiveness of the controls

The cost of controls for the Instrument for Nuclear Safety Cooperation &

Decommissioning is estimated to be <4% of the funds managed under this

programme. The estimated risk at payment and at closure is expected to be <2% of

the relevant expenditure on an annual basis.

2.3. Measures to prevent fraud and irregularities

For the external component

The proposal contains appropriate anti-fraud measures as per Financial Regulation.

Regarding the measures to prevent fraud and irregularities, there are no fundamental

changes envisaged and the experience acquired by the Commission services and

implementing actors under the predecessor programmes will contribute to better

results in the future.

Compliance framework is made of inter alia of the following significant component

EN 12 EN

Preventative measures

- Compulsory core training covering fraud issues for aid management staff and

auditors;

- Ex ante assessment to ensure that appropriate anti-fraud measures to prevent and

detect fraud in the management of Union funds are in place in the authorities

managing the relevant funds under joint and decentralised management);

- Ex ante screening of the anti-fraud mechanisms available in the partner country as

part of the assessment of the eligibility criterion of public finance management for

receiving budget support (i.e. active commitment to fight fraud and corruption,

adequate inspection authorities, sufficient judicial capacity and efficient response and

sanction mechanisms);

- Effective anti-fraud mechanisms to prevent and detect fraud, corruption, and other

illegal activities affecting the financial interests of the Union, including cyber-attacks

Detective and corrective measures

- Suspension of EU funding where there is a serious fraud case, including large scale

corruption, until the authorities have taken appropriate action with a view to

correcting and preventing such fraud in the future;

- EDES (Early Detection Exclusion System);

- Suspension/termination of contract;

- Exclusion procedure.

Anti-fraud strategies of the services concerned, aligned with the objectives and

priorities of the Commission’s anti-fraud strategy (CAFS) and its corresponding

Action Plan ensures that the systems used for spending EU funds in third countries

enable relevant data to be retrieved with a view to feeding this data into fraud risk

assessment and management (e.g. double funding, inflation of costs, rigged tender

procedures, conflict of interest, collusion); and wherever necessary, networking

groups and adequate IT/digital tools aimed at early detection and prevention of fraud

risks and fraud cases related to the external aid sector could be set up.

For the internal component

In line with the Financial Regulation and the Rules of Application to perform ex ante

and ex post verifications, the JRC has put in place the Public Procurement Advisory

Group under the Deputy General Director. It performs ex ante controls on the legal

and regulatory aspects of the procurement procedures and gives advice to the

Authorising Officer by sub-delegation (AOS) before the award decision is taken. The

controls carried out by the Group are aimed at reducing legal and reputational risk

for the Commission. These controls are complementary to the other ex-ante controls

executed by the Finance and Procurement Unit and the site’s support services.

The JRC’s ex post controls strategy is implemented using a representative stratified

sampling methodology Multiple selection criteria (including random sampling) were

used to select the 2024 payments for control. In 2024, 134 payments were selected

from various JRC sites. In addition, ex post controls were carried out on 51

EN 13 EN

procurement files related to legal commitments associated to the payments made.

Recommendations from audits are followed up and implemented in timely manner.

The JRC Anti-Fraud Strategy has been updated in December 2024 in line with the

Commission Anti-Fraud Strategy and the latest OLAF methodology.

EN 14 EN

3. ESTIMATED FINANCIAL IMPACT OF THE PROPOSAL/INITIATIVE

3.1. Heading(s) of the multiannual financial framework and expenditure budget

line(s) affected

(1) New budget lines requested

Heading of multiannual

financial framework Budget line Type of expenditure

Number Diff./Non-diff.

2 04 01 04 - Support expenditure for

International Nuclear Safety Cooperation -

Decommissioning

Non-diff.

2 04 05 01 – International Nuclear Safety

Cooperation

Diff

2 04 05 02 – International Nuclear Safety

Cooperation – Provisioning of the Common

Provisioning Fund

Diff

2 04 05 03 – Decommissioning and Waste

Management Programme of the Joint

Research Centre (JRC)

Diff

2 04 05 99 01 - Completion of previous INSC

programme (prior 2028)

Diff

2 04 05 99 02 – Completion of previous

decommissioning programme (prior 2028) Diff

EN 15 EN

3.2. Estimated financial impact of the proposal on appropriations

3.2.1. Summary of estimated impact on operational appropriations

–  The proposal/initiative does not require the use of operational appropriations

–  The proposal/initiative requires the use of operational appropriations, as explained below

3.2.1.1. Appropriations from voted budget

EUR million (to three decimal places)

Heading of multiannual financial framework Number 2

2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 2033 2034 TOTAL MFF

2028-2034

Operational appropriations

04 05 01 - International Nuclear Safety

Cooperation

Commitments (1a) 49 37 44 46 52 57 65 350

Payments (2a) p.m. p.m. p.m. p.m. p.m. p.m. p.m. p.m.

04 05 02 - International Nuclear Safety

Cooperation - Provisioning of the

Common Provisioning Fund

Commitments (1b) p.m. p.m. p.m. p.m. p.m. p.m. p.m. p.m.

Payments (2b) p.m. p.m. p.m. p.m. p.m. p.m. p.m. p.m.

04 05 03 - Decommissioning and Waste

Management Programme of the Joint

Research Centre (JRC)

Commitments (1c) 86 66 77 82 92 101 112 616

Payments (2c) p.m. p.m. p.m. p.m. p.m. p.m. p.m. p.m.

Appropriations of an administrative nature financed from the envelope of specific programmes[1]

04 01 04 - Support expenditure for

INSC-D (International Nuclear Safety

Cooperation - Decommissioning)

(3) p.m. p.m. p.m. p.m. p.m. p.m. p.m. p.m.

TOTAL appropriations Commitments

=1a+1b+1c+

3 135 103 121 128 144 158 177 966

Payments =2a+2b+2c+

3 p.m. p.m. p.m. p.m. p.m. p.m. p.m. p.m.

EN 16 EN

[1] Technical and/or administrative assistance and expenditure in support of the implementation of EU programmes and/or actions (former ‘BA’ lines), indirect research, direct research.

Heading of multiannual financial framework 4 ‘Administrative expenditure’[1]

DG: <…….> Year Year Year Year Year Year Year TOTAL MFF

2028-2034 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 2033 2034

Human resources 4.136 4.136 4.136 4.136 4.136 4.136 4.136 28.952

Other administrative expenditure p.m. p.m. p.m. p.m. p.m. p.m. p.m. p.m.

TOTAL DG <…….> Appropriations 4.136 4.136 4.136 4.136 4.136 4.136 4.136 28.952

TOTAL

appropriations under

HEADING 4 of the

multiannual financial

framework

(Total commitments

= Total payments) 4.136 4.136 4.136 4.136 4.136 4.136 4.136 28.952

EUR million (to three decimal places)

Year Year Year Year Year Year Year TOTAL MFF

2028-2034 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 2033 2034

TOTAL

appropriations

under

HEADINGS 1 to

Commitments p.m. p.m. p.m. p.m. p.m. p.m. p.m. p.m.

EN 17 EN

4

of the multiannual

financial

framework

Payments p.m. p.m. p.m. p.m. p.m. p.m. p.m. p.m.

[1] The necessary appropriations should be determined using the annual average cost figures available on the appropriate BUDGpedia webpage.

EN 18 EN

3.2.3. Summary of estimated impact on administrative appropriations

–  The proposal/initiative does not require the use of appropriations of an

administrative nature

–  The proposal/initiative requires the use of appropriations of an administrative

nature, as explained below

3.2.3.1. Appropriations from voted budget

VOTED APPROPRIATIONS Year Year Year Year Year Year Year TOTAL

2028 -

2034 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 2033 2034

HEADING 4

Human resources 4.136 4.136 4.136 4.136 4.136 4.136 4.136 28.952

Other administrative expenditure [1] p.m. p.m. p.m. p.m. p.m. p.m. p.m. p.m.

Subtotal HEADING 4 4.136 4.136 4.136 4.136 4.136 4.136 4.136 28.952

Outside HEADING 4

Human resources 2.424 2.424 2.424 2.424 2.424 2.424 2.424 16.968

Other expenditure of an administrative

nature[2] p.m. p.m. p.m. p.m. p.m. p.m. p.m. p.m.

Subtotal outside HEADING 4 2.424 2.424 2.424 2.424 2.424 2.424 2.424 16.968

TOTAL 6.560 6.560 6.560 6.560 6.560 6.560 6.560 45.920

[1] The appropriations for “Other administrative expenditure” will be filled in at a later stage. [2] The appropriations for “Other expenditure of an administrative nature” will be filled in at a later stage.

3.2.4. Estimated requirements of human resources

–  The proposal/initiative does not require the use of human resources

–  The proposal/initiative requires the use of human resources, as explained

below

3.2.4.1. Financed from voted budget

Estimate to be expressed in full-time equivalent units (FTEs)

VOTED APPROPRIATIONS Year Year Year Year Year Year Year

2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 2033 2034

Establishment plan posts (officials and temporary staff)

20 01 02 01 (Headquarters and

Commission’s Representation Offices)

22 22 22 22 22 22 22

20 01 02 03 (EU Delegations) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

(Indirect research) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

EN 19 EN

(Direct research) 54

27 27 27 27 27 27 27

Other budget lines (specify) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

• External staff (inFTEs)

20 02 01 (AC, END from the ‘global envelope’)

0 0 0 0 0 0 0

20 02 03 (AC, AL, END and JPD

in the EU Delegations) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Admin. Support

line

- at

Headquarters 24 24 24 24 24 24 24

[XX.01.YY.YY] - in EU

Delegations 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

(AC, END - Indirect research) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

(AC, END - Direct research) 55

20 20 20 20 20 20 20

Other budget lines (specify) - Heading 4

0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Other budget lines (specify) -

Outside Heading 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

TOTAL 93 93 93 93 93 93 93

The staff required to implement the proposal (in FTEs):

(1) (2) To be

covered by

current staff

available in the

Commission

services

(3) Exceptional additional staff*

(4) (5) (6) To be

financed under

Heading 4 or

Research

(7) To be

financed from

BA line

(8) To be

financed from

fees

(9) Establishment

plan posts

(10) 47 (11) 2 (12) N/A (13)

(14) External staff

(CA, SNEs, INT)

(15) 26 (16) 10 (17) 8 (18)

Description of tasks to be carried out by:

Officials and temporary staff

External staff

3.2.5. Overview of estimated impact on digital technology-related investments

TOTAL Digital

and IT

appropriations

Year Year Year Year Year Year Year

TOTAL

MFF

2028 -

54 The staff will be financed from the Euratom R&T Programme. 55 The staff will be financed from the Euratom R&T Programme.

EN 20 EN

2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 2033 2034 2034

HEADING 4

IT expenditure (corporate)

0.763 0.763 0.763 0.763 0.763 0.763 0.763 5.341

Subtotal

HEADING 4 0.763 0.763 0.763 0.763 0.763 0.783 0.763 5.341

Outside HEADING 4

Policy IT expenditure on operational programmes

0.36 0.36 0.36 0.36 0.36 0.36 0.36 2.52

Subtotal outside

HEADING 4 0.36 0.36 0.36 .360 0.36 0.36 0.36 2.52

TOTAL 1.123 1.123 1.123 1.123 1.123 1,123 1.123 7.861

3.2.6. Compatibility with the current multiannual financial framework

The proposal/initiative:

–  can be fully financed through redeployment within the relevant heading of the

multiannual financial framework (MFF)

–  requires use of the unallocated margin under the relevant heading of the MFF

and/or use of the special instruments as defined in the MFF Regulation

–  requires a revision of the MFF

3.2.7. Third-party contributions

The proposal/initiative:

–  does not provide for co-financing by third parties

–  provides for the co-financing by third parties estimated below:

Appropriations in EUR million (to three decimal places)

Year Year Year Year Year Year Year Total

2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 2033 2034

Specify the co-

financing body

TOTAL

appropriations

co-financed

3.3. Estimated impact on revenue

–  The proposal/initiative has no financial impact on revenue.

EN 21 EN

–  The proposal/initiative has the following financial impact:

–  on own resources

–  on other revenue

–  please indicate, if the revenue is assigned to expenditure lines

EUR million (to three decimal places)

Budget revenue line:

Appropriations

available for

the current

financial year

Impact of the proposal/initiative 56

Year

2028

Year

2029

Year

2030

Year

2031

Year

2032

Year

2033

Year

2034

Article …………

For assigned revenue, specify the budget expenditure line(s) affected.

N/A

Other remarks (e.g. method/formula used for calculating the impact on revenue or

any other information).

N/A

4. DIGITAL DIMENSIONS

4.1. Requirements of digital relevance

N/A

4.2. Data

N/A

4.3. Digital solutions

4.4. Interoperability assessment

4.5. Measures to support digital implementation

56 As regards traditional own resources (customs duties, sugar levies), the amounts indicated must be net

amounts, i.e. gross amounts after deduction of 20% for collection costs.

(19) The European Commission will be responsible for developing and maintaining the

digital solution. Without prejudice to Regulation (EU) 2016/679, the European Commission

shall ensure the security, integrity, authenticity and confidentiality of the data collected and

stored for the purpose of this regulation.

N/A

N/A

    Resolutsiooni liik: Riigikantselei resolutsioon Viide: Kliimaministeerium /  / ; Riigikantselei /  / 2-5/25-01839

Resolutsiooni teema: Määrus, millega luuakse tuumaohutuse koostöö ja dekomisjoneerimise instrument perioodiks 2028-2034

Adressaat: Kliimaministeerium Ülesanne: Tulenevalt Riigikogu kodu- ja töökorra seaduse § 152` lg 1 p 2 ning Vabariigi Valitsuse reglemendi § 3 lg 4 palun valmistada ette Vabariigi Valitsuse seisukoha ja otsuse eelnõu järgneva algatuse kohta, kaasates seejuures olulisi huvigruppe ja osapooli:

-Proposal for a COUNCIL REGULATION establishing the Instrument for Nuclear Safety Cooperation and Decommissioning for the period 2028-2034 and repealing Regulations (Euratom) 2021/100 and (Euratom) 2021/948, COM(2025)598

EISi toimiku nr: 25-0565 Tähtaeg: 14.11.2025

Adressaat: Rahandusministeerium, Siseministeerium, Sotsiaalministeerium, Välisministeerium Ülesanne: Palun esitada oma sisend Kliimaministeeriumileseisukohtade kujundamiseks antud eelnõu kohta (eelnõude infosüsteemi (EIS) kaudu). Tähtaeg: 31.10.2025

Lisainfo: Eelnõu on kavas arutada valitsuse 27.11.2025 istungil ja Vabariigi Valitsuse reglemendi § 6 lg 6 kohaselt sellele eelneval nädalal (19.11..2025) EL koordinatsioonikogus. Esialgsed materjalid EL koordinatsioonikoguks palume esitada hiljemalt 14.11.2025.

Kinnitaja: Merli Vahar, Euroopa Liidu asjade direktori asetäitja Kinnitamise kuupäev: 01.10.2025 Resolutsiooni koostaja: Sandra Metste [email protected],  

.

30.09.2025

Määrus, millega luuakse tuumaohutuse koostöö ja dekomisjoneerimise instrument perioodiks 2028-2034

Otsuse ettepanek koordinatsioonikogule

Kujundada seisukoht

Kaasvastutaja sisendi tähtpäev 31.10.2025

KOKi esitamise tähtpäev 19.11.2025

VV esitamise tähtpäev 27.11.2025

Vastutav ministeerium: Kliimaministeerium

Kaasvastutajad: Rahandusministeerium, Siseministeerium, Sotsiaalministeerium, Välisministeerium

Seisukoha valitsusse toomise alus ja põhjendus

Algatuse reguleerimisala nõuab vastavalt Eesti Vabariigi põhiseadusele seaduse või Riigikogu otsuse vastuvõtmist, muutmist või kehtetuks tunnistamist (RKKTS § 152¹ lg 1 p 1);

Algatuse vastuvõtmisega kaasneks oluline majanduslik või sotsiaalne mõju (RKKTS § 152¹ lg 1 p 2);

Sisukokkuvõte

Määrusega pakutakse perioodiks 2028–2034 välja uus instrument, mis ühendab senise rahvusvahelise tuumaohutuse koostööinstrumendi ja JRC dekomisjoneerimisprogrammi. Eesmärk on tugevdada tuumaohutust EL-i sees ja välispartneritega, jätkata JRC rajatiste ohutut sulgemist ning anda paindlikkust kriisidele reageerimiseks. Kavandatav kogueelarve: 966 miljonit eurot perioodiks 2028–2034. Viiakse ellu koostöös Global Europe instrumentidega.

Kas EL algatus reguleerib karistusi või haldustrahve? Ei.

Kas nähakse ette uue asutuse loomine (järelevalvelised või muud asutused)? Ei

Kas lahenduse rakendamine vajab IT-arendusi? Mõningal määral. Programm vajab IT- arendusi; kuid uusi platvorme ei peaks loodama.

Eesmärgid

2

Eesmärk – Instrument on kaheosaline:

Väline komponent – toetada partnerriike (ELi naabruses ja globaalselt) kõrgeima taseme tuumaohutuse, kiirguskaitse, kasutatud tuumkütuse ja radioaktiivsete jäätmete ohutu käitlemise ning tõhusate järelevalvemehhanismide saavutamisel. See hõlmab ka valmisoleku suurendamist kriisiolukordadeks ja keskkonna taastamist.

Sisemine komponent – jätkata Euroopa Komisjoni teaduskeskuste (JRC) tuumarajatiste dekomisjoneerimist Belgias, Saksamaal, Itaalias ja Hollandis, hallata ohutult seonduvat radioaktiivset materjali ning koguda ja jagada dekomisjoneerimisalaseid teadmisi ELi liikmesriikidega.

Mõju ja sihtrühm

Mõju valdkonnad

Keskkond

Programmi kaudu toetatakse reostunud alade (sh ka välisriikides legacy-paikade) puhastamist, mis aitab kaasa ökosüsteemide taastumisele ja elukvaliteedi paranemisele. Koostöö EL partnerriikidega aitab vältida suurõnnetusi (nt Chernobyli või Fukushima sarnaseid juhtumeid), millel oleks ulatuslik piiriülene keskkonnakahju. Uute tehnoloogiate ja standardite levik suurendab tuumarajatiste ohutust ka väljaspool EL-i, vähendades potentsiaalsete õnnetuste riski. JRC rajatiste ohutu sulgemine (Belgia, Saksamaa, Itaalia, Holland) ja jäätmete turvaline käitlemine vähendavad pikaajalisi kiirgusohte ja keskkonnasaastet.

Halduskoormus

Kas lahendusega kaasneb mõju halduskoormusele? Jah, halduskoormus peaks vähenema, kuna ettepanekuga ühendatakse kaks varasemat eraldiseisvat instrumenti, millega vähendatakse ka aruandluskoormust.

Kas avaliku sektori töökoormus: Ei kasva

Riigivalitsemine

Riigieelarve

Kas lahendusega kaasneb mõju riigieelarve kuludele? Ei. Eesti riigieelarvele otsest mõju ei ole.

Riigikaitse ja välissuhted

Kaudsed mõjud on. Tuumaohutuse tugevdamine naaberriikides vähendab ohtu, et võimalike õnnetuste või vahejuhtumite tõttu tekib keskkonna- või tervisekriis.

3

Võimaldab EL-il reageerida kriisiolukordades (nt Ukraina tuumarajatised, millele on juba sõja ajal tehtud rünnakuid) ning toetada partnerite vastupanuvõimet. See suurendab kaudselt Euroopa strateegilist julgeolekut. Tuumamaterjalide järelevalve ja ohutu käitlemine vähendab riski, et radioaktiivseid aineid satuks väärkasutusse või terrorismi käsutusse.

Kaasamine

Teadusasutused, ülikoolid, Päästeamet, Terviseamet, tehnoloogiaettevõtted, energiaettevõtted, keskkonnakaitse organisatsioonid