(1)

In July 2001, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, France, Japan, the Republic of Korea, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States of America initiated the Charter establishing the Generation IV International Forum (GIF Charter) as a cooperative international endeavour to carry out the research and development (R&D) necessary to test the feasibility and performance of fourth generation nuclear systems, and to make them available for industrial deployment by 2030.

(2)

Subsequently, the GIF Charter was signed by Switzerland on 18 February 2002, the Russian Federation on 27 November 2006, the People’s Republic of China on 28 November 2006 and Australia on 22 June 2016.

(3)

The European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) acceded to GIF on 30 July 2003 by signing the GIF Charter.

(4)

The international cooperation and exchange in the nuclear-related technology R&D envisaged under the GIF needed a legal framework that provided legal security to the participants, in particular with a view to protecting the rights generated through the research work, such as intellectual property rights.

(5)

To that end, the GIF Parties agreed on a Framework Agreement setting the conditions for cooperation and for subsequent system and project arrangements (Framework Agreement), to which Euratom acceded in 2006.

(6)

In 2015, the Framework Agreement was extended for another 10-year period and will expire on 28 February 2025.

(7)

In order to ensure the continuity of the ongoing GIF research projects and activities, mutually willing States Party to the Framework Agreement negotiated a renewal of the Framework Agreement, in view of the current geopolitical situation.

(8)

The Euratom contribution to GIF R&D projects will remain within the scope of Council decisions on the Euratom Framework Research and Training Programme.

(9)

Any Member State, its public or private research organisations or its industry may channel its direct contribution to those R&D projects through Euratom’s accession to the Framework Agreement.

(10)

The accession of Euratom to the Framework Agreement should therefore be approved,