Brexit: FORATOM outlines priorities for EU-UK nuclear discussions

FORATOM has today published the European nuclear industry’s priorities for the Brexit negotiations in relation to the nuclear industry. In FORATOM’s view, the EU and UK should immediately start negotiating the post-Brexit relationship and – if necessary – transitional arrangements in order to avoid any disruption of the nuclear fuel cycle. With this in mind, FORATOM calls for:

• The rapid establishment of a Nuclear Cooperation Agreement between the EU and the UK, including arrangements for free trade in the nuclear sector.
• Linked to this, a smooth transition from the current Euratom safeguards arrangement to a new UK regime should be ensured.
• The free movement of nuclear skills to and from the EU and the UK should be preserved.
• In terms of Euratom R&D programmes, a new agreement needs to be negotiated to maintain cooperation between the EU and the UK
• Co-operation and collaboration on nuclear policy and regulation (including safety) should continue.
• The validity of contracts already approved by the European Commission and the Euratom Supply Agency for the supply of nuclear materials between EU suppliers and the UK needs to be confirmed.
• To minimise any disruption to the civil nuclear sector activities across the EU, a transitional period should be implemented.

Click here to download the position paper in full

The European nuclear industry is a strategic sector for the European economy with a turnover of €70bn per year supporting around 800.000 jobs. Nuclear energy accounts for 27.5% of electricity in the European Union and almost half of its low-CO2 electricity, and is an indispensable contributor to its energy and climate goals. Providing large scale reliable low carbon baseload electricity, it makes a major contribution to the EU’s security of supply.

About us: The European Atomic Forum (FORATOM) is the Brussels-based trade association for the nuclear energy industry in Europe. The membership of FORATOM is made up of 15 national nuclear associations and through these associations, FORATOM represents nearly 800 European companies working in the industry and supporting around 800,000 jobs.

For more information, please contact Jessica Johnson: jessica.johnson@foratom.org