Comment & Analysis
Otherwise known as the European Atomic Energy Community, the treaty governs the safe management of civil nuclear power and materials as well as managing the single market for nuclear goods and services and the research agenda and funding for both fission and fusion nuclear activities.
The Institution made recommendations in 2017 that:
- The Government create a Safe System of Accountancy and Control (safe management of fissile materials)
- The Government negotiate new nuclear co-operation agreements with key countries including with the EU
- The UK Government remains an associate member of Euratom for research and development activities.
The Government has taken action on aspects of the of Euratom Treaty that were within their control, this includes creating the new Safeguards Agency responsible for providing the Safe System of Accountancy and Control of fissile materials and a requirement of international law. This new regulator will be run as part of the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR), which has been allocated additional funds to cope with the increased workload. Additionally, new nuclear co-operation agreements laying out our working relationship with key countries have been negotiated and are ready for implementation when we leave Euratom.
Over the past few weeks we have heard a few announcements in relation to Euratom and what comes next.
In the March Spring Statement, Philip Hammond committed to funding the Joint European Torus (JET) programme in Oxfordshire as a wholly UK asset in the event the Commission does not renew the contract, giving the world-leading experts working at the facility certainty to continue their ground-breaking fusion energy research.[i] This confirms the work at JET over 2019/20, but does not clarify what may happen beyond this and we had already heard that funding would be made available to finish the experiments currently underway at JET. These are experiments into fusion energy that will go on to inform the work of the joint international ITER project currently under construction with members from the EU and outside contributing to this global endeavour.
Secondly on 25 March 2019, Richard Harrington, the Minister who had been overseeing the process of leaving Euratom since the 2017 General Election, resigned over the voting process around Brexit and the withdrawal agreement. Richard Harrington will have a very clear understanding of what leaving the European Union and Euratom without a deal really means for our nuclear industry and research sector. One serious issue that the nuclear industry will face is the loss of the single market and customs union, lack of instant access to goods and services that enable low carbon power generation and nuclear research to continue across the UK. This loss of the single market cannot be resolved until after the UK leaves the EU as it would form part of the overall future trading agreement with Europe and there is currently no clear picture of what this may look like or when it may happen.
Today, 27 March 2019, the UK Parliament will make indicative votes on what could be considered acceptable to enable leaving the EU. This could lead to us withdrawing from the EU in the next few weeks or in a lengthy delay before we will have any idea what will happen next. This is not an environment of confidence and security, but one that creates uncertainty and worry over future livelihoods. It is the activities of research and trading that the Government do not have control over and without securing them where we will see the most disruption to the nuclear industry in the UK.
As a temporary measure the work of Richard Harrington in overseeing the civil nuclear industry is being covered by Chris Skidmore, Minister for Universities, Science, Research and Innovation. This is designed to provide some reassurance, but it is a unique sector, with its own EU Treaty and very particular needs, not responsibility that can be easily taken on by an existing minister and it is not the same as other non-nuclear sectors.
What we do know, is that we will soon pass the original date for departing Euratom, the 29 March and are heading rapidly for the next critical date of 12 April and we have no deal at present. In the latest update from the Government Leaving Euratom team, we heard that if no agreement is reached then we leave the EU and Euratom with no deal on 12 April 2019 and that this guidance comes into force: Shipping radioactive sources between the UK and EU after Brexit.
The nuclear industry supports a much wider supply chain and manufacturing industry across the UK and the EU and it is vital to ensure that this industry can continue to operate and generate low carbon power. For the UK to do this unhindered then our politicians must find a way to a deal and leave the Euratom treaty in a way that enhances our industry and engineering jobs. Currently when what we need is reassurance and confidence, what we have is anxiety and uncertainty.
[i] https://www.gov.uk/government/news/spring-statement-2019-what-you-need-to-know