The EU’s Fusion for Energy Joint Undertaking (F4E)

KEY POINTS

• The decision sets up the F4E Joint Undertaking for a period of 35 years starting on 19 April 2007.
• F4E’s headquarters are in Barcelona, Spain.
• F4E’s members are the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom), represented by the European Commission and the 27 EU Member States.

Objectives

These are:

• to provide Euratom’s contribution to the ITER international fusion energy organisation and to Broader Approach activities with Japan;
• to prepare and coordinate a programme of activities for the construction of a demonstration fusion reactor and related facilities, including the international fusion materials irradiation facility.

In addition to its other activities, the main tasks of the F4E are:

• to provide the ITER organisation with material, financial and human resources;
• to coordinate scientific and technological research and development activities in the field of fusion;
• to act as an interface with the ITER organisation.

Budget

Euratom’s contribution to F4E for the 2021–2027 period is set at €5,614 million.

Structure

F4E has legal personality and has the following structure.

• A governing board, comprising representatives of F4E members. It is assisted by:
  • the Bureau;
  • the Administration and Management Committee;
  • the Procurement and Contracts Committee;
  • the Technical Advisory Panel; and
  • the Audit Committee.
• A director, who is responsible for representing F4E and the day-to-day running of the organisation, including signing contracts.

Liability and jurisdiction

• F4E’s contractual liability is governed by the contract in question and the law applicable to it.
• The Court of Justice of the EU has jurisdiction in actions and appeals brought against F4E.

Evaluation and communication

• Amending Decision (Euratom) 2021/281 requires regular, timely evaluations of its implementation to be fed into the decision-making process. Once sufficient information about the implementation in the 2021–2027 period is available, the European Commission must carry out an interim evaluation by 2024 at the latest and transmit its conclusions to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions.
• Recipients of Community funding are required to acknowledge the origin of those funds and ensure the visibility of the funding, in particular when promoting the actions and their results, by providing coherent, effective and proportionate targeted information to multiple audiences, including to the media and the public.
• The Commission will also implement information and communication actions relating to this decision, including about the results obtained.