The Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS)
Committee today calls on the Government to retain
as close as possible an association with Euratom, the European
Atomic Energy Community, including its delivery of existing
nuclear safeguards requirements in the UK, to minimise the risk
of disruption to nuclear research and the transport and trade of
nuclear materials.
For the civil nuclear sector, the BEIS
Committee found that “no deal” would be a highly
risky option in the absence of transitional arrangements. Without
nuclear cooperation agreements, and an international safeguards
regime (currently delivered by Euratom), the UK will not be able
to guarantee access to materials essential to the running the
country’s nuclear power stations which at present provide 21% of
our power.
The Committee’s report examines the role of nuclear safeguards in
trade and research, the establishment of a new UK regime, the
importance of nuclear co-operation agreements in trading nuclear
materials, and the impact of exit on R&D and skills.
The Committee welcomes the pragmatic approach of Ministers to
regulation and argues that the benefits of the Euratom regime
should not be put at risk by sticking strictly to the red line on
ECJ jurisdiction. The report aims to provide an objective
evaluation of the potential costs and benefits of leaving the EU
for the civil nuclear sector to inform public debate, in the
absence of any similar assessments being published by the
Government. The Committee has published this report in time for a
debate on Euratom membership on the EU (Withdrawal) Bill.
MP, Chair of the Business,
Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) Committee,
said: “Throughout our inquiry, no-one has
advocated to us leaving Euratom. As a leading member of Euratom,
the UK has driven standards and ensured our national interests
are front and centre of the development of the industry in
Europe. But we now face the prospect of setting-up our own
nuclear safeguarding regime in its place which falls short of
Euratom standards. This requires us to set up our own
bureaucracy, which comes at a cost of millions, with very real
doubts that it will actually be ready in time.
“The Government should, as a matter of urgency, be seeking to
retain as close as possible an association with Euratom and
secure its ongoing delivery of existing safeguards requirements
in the UK. Any delay will increase investment in contingency
arrangements which may ultimately not be required.”
The report welcomes the Government's objective of maintaining
regulatory standards at current levels, and the introduction of
the Nuclear Safeguards Bill to allow the replacement of existing
arrangements. But, the Committee finds that it is highly doubtful
that the UK could deliver safeguards to Euratom standards by the
point of our departure in March 2019. The Committee calls for an
extended transitional period for civil nuclear, or the
continuation of Euratom support, to ensure standards are
maintained and the risks to trade and transport of materials are
reduced.
MP, BEIS Committee Chair,
said: “Civil nuclear is a global activity and
strictly regulated at an international level. There are no great
economic or competitive advantages to be won in seeking to
diverge from international standards. The Phase 1 negotiations
have only delivered agreement on broad principles on Euratom. The
industry needs more clarity about our future safeguards regime
and what regulatory equivalence will actually mean in practice.
We believe the Government must pursue as close as possible a
relationship with Euratom, to retain our influence, serve our
national interests, and ensure the valuable role which civil
nuclear plays in our research base, in our economy and in our
energy security, is not undermined”.
The report recognises the important role which the UK plays in
nuclear research, with facilities including the Joint European
Torus (JET) at Culham. The report recommends the Government
should continue to fund and cooperate on this and other research
projects run by Euratom, and seeks reassurance from Government
that the Austrian presidency of the European Council in the
second half of 2018 will not affect the ongoing funding for JET.
ENDS
