Leaving the EU, the Euratom Treaty Part 2 A Framework for the Future

As the UK leaves the Euratom Treaty, no amendment has been made to allow for a consistent transition for the nuclear industry.

In February 2017, the Institution of Mechanical Engineers’ Leaving the EU: The Euratom Treaty policy statement recommended that the UK Government develops a suitable transitional  framework to provide the UK nuclear industry with an alternative SSAC prior to leaving the EU and Euratom treaties. In this second policy statement, the Institution details a transition pathway to a new SSAC and describes the actions needed.

The Institution of Mechanical Engineers  four recommendations::

1. That the UK Government adopts the framework approach to safeguarding, Nuclear Co-operation Agreements, Research & Development (R&D) and regulation for the nuclear industry, replacing mechanisms lost as a result of the UK’s departure from Euratom.

2. That the UK works towards developing a new nuclear Safeguards regime, through the
development of a UK Safeguarding Office, to ensure the country conforms to international
rules on safety and non-proliferation.

3. That the UK Government remains an associate member of Euratom for the specific purpose of research & development activities in the nuclear sector. The exact detail of this associate membership should be arranged before the deadline for exiting the EU.

4. That the UK Government should include within the UK’s nuclear sector strategy a long term commitment to nuclear R&D programmes including, a pathway for developing Small
Modular Reactors (SMRs).