52002PC0043(05)

Amended proposal for a COUNCIL DECISION adopting a specific programme 2002-2006 for research and training to be carried out by the Joint Research Centre by means of direct actions for the European Atomic Energy Community (presented by the Commission pursuant to Article 250 (2) of the EC Treaty)

EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM

The Commission adopted its proposals for the sixth framework programme (EC and Euratom) [1] for research and technology development, on 21 February 2001, and for the specific programmes to implement the sixth framework programme [2], on 30 May 2001. These proposals have been designed with the objective of contributing to the creation of the European Research Area.

[1] COM(2001)94

[2] COM(2001)279

A key stage in the process of negotiation on the framework programme Decisions has now been accomplished, with the first reading of the European Parliament (14 November 2001) and the adoption of a common position by Council (28 January 2002).

The positions expressed by Parliament and Council on the new framework programme demonstrate a high degree of convergence, with broadly similar positions expressed on the overall budget and its breakdown, programme structure, scientific and technological priorities, and means of implementation.

For its part, the Commission has worked to encourage the process of convergence, in particular by modifying its framework programme proposals to take up a significant proportion of Parliament's amendments [3]. It notes with satisfaction the substantial consensus on the underlying principles of the new framework programme that has been achieved through the efforts of Council and Parliament, in particular with respect to the priority to be given to the use of powerful new instruments, the strong focus of the thematic priorities, and the introduction of greater flexibility in the implementation of the programme.

[3] COM(2001)709

A sufficiently stable basis now exists for the Commission to come forward with amended proposals for the specific programmes. These take up the changes in the framework programme resulting from the first reading, and set out their detailed implications as regards the research to be conducted and its means of implementation. The objective is to assist the other institutions in their examination of the specific programmes, and their further negotiations, with the aim of reaching early agreement on the framework programme, rules of participation and specific programmes.

The most extensive adjustments to the Commission's earlier proposals are to be found in the programme "Integrating and strengthening the European Research Area", including the following:

- Adaptations to the structure and detailed research content of thematic priority 1 (to reflect its organisation in two sections, respectively on advanced genomics and its applications to health, and on combating major diseases) and thematic priority 6 (to reflect its organisation in three parts, respectively on sustainable energy systems, sustainable surface transport, and global change and ecosystems). More limited, but in some cases nevertheless substantial, amendments have been introduced in to the research content of other priority thematic areas.

- Adjustments to the initial policy-orientated research priorities under the heading "supporting policies and anticipating scientific and technological needs", along with some re-attribution of research activities in relation to the thematic priorities (notably as regards agriculture and marine ecosystem research). These take account of the modifications to content and the significant reduction in budget introduced following the first reading.

- The description of the instruments (Annex III) has been refined and clarified, in the light of the debate leading up to the first reading. This reflects the principle of a smooth transition from "traditional" to "new" instruments in the implementation of the thematic priority areas, and the idea of a fourth instrument, in the spirit of the "escalier d'excellence".

In implementing this specific programme, the Commission proposes to be assisted by a committee of Member States' representatives. The committee shall meet in different configurations, as appropriate, corresponding to the thematic priority areas of research.

The modifications introduced in the programme "Structuring the European research area" relate mainly to the mobility and infrastructure actions, where additional detail and clarity has been introduced in the mechanisms and instruments to be adopted, while also taking account of the more limited budget attributed to these actions. As regards the Euratom programme on "Nuclear energy", the main changes relate to the fission part, with the introduction of a new thematic priority on radiation protection and activities on the safety of nuclear installations. In both these programmes, the descriptions of the instruments (Annex III) have been substantially updated, in line with the programme "Integrating and strengthening the European Research Area".

In all cases, the budgetary allocations have been revised in conformity with the common position of the Council.

2001/0126 (CNS)

Amended proposal for a COUNCIL DECISION adopting a specific programme 2002-2006 for research and training to be carried out by the Joint Research Centre by means of direct actions for the European Atomic Energy Community

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Atomic Energy Community, and in particular the first paragraph of Article 7 thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission [4],

[4] OJ C

Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament [5],

[5] OJ ...

Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and Social Committee [6],

[6] OJ ...

Whereas:

(1) By Decision No .../../Euratom, the Council adopted the multiannual framework programme 2002-2006 of the European Atomic Energy Community for research and training activities aimed at contributing towards the creation of the European Research Area [7] (hereinafter referred to as "the framework programme ") to be implemented by means of research and training programme(s) drawn up in accordance with Article 7 of the Treaty, which define the detailed rules for their implementation, fix their duration and provide for the means deemed necessary.

[7] OJ....

(2) The rules for the participation of undertakings, research centres and universities and for the dissemination of research results, for the framework programme, adopted by the Council in Decision No..../.../Euratom [8] should apply to this programme.

[8] OJ....

(3) In implementing this programme, emphasis should be given to promoting the mobility and training of researchers, and innovation, in the Community.

(4) For the purpose of implementing the framework programme, it may be appropriate to engage in international co-operation activities, in particular on the basis of Chapter X of the Treaty, with third countries and international organisations. Special attention should be paid to Accession Countries.

(5) Research activities carried out within this programme should respect the fundamental ethical principles, notably those which appear in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union.

(6) Following the Commission Communication "Women and Science" [9] and the Resolution of the Council [10] and the European Parliament [11] on this theme, an action plan is being implemented in order to reinforce and increase the place and role of women in science and research.

[9] COM (1999) 76

[10] Resolution of 20 May 1999, OJ C 201, 16.7.1999

[11] Resolution of 3 February 2000, PE 284.656

(7) This programme should be implemented in a flexible, efficient and transparent manner, taking account of relevant needs of JRC's users and Community policies, as well as respecting the objective of protecting the communities financial interests. The research activities carried out under it should be adapted where appropriate to these needs and to scientific and technological developments.

(8) The JRC should implement the research and training activities carried out by means of direct action, in particular the tasks entrusted to the Commission by the Treaty. The Commission should undertake the tasks incumbent upon it in the area of nuclear fission, making use of the technical expertise of the JRC.

(9) The JRC should actively pursue activities in innovation and technology transfer.

(10) In the implementation of this programme, the Board of Governors of the JRC should be consulted by the Commission in accordance with the relevant provisions of Commission Decision 96/282/Euratom of 10 April 1996 on the reorganisation of the JRC [12].

[12] OJ L 107, 30.4.1996, p. 12.

(11) The Commission should in due course arrange for an independent assessment to be conducted concerning the activities carried out in the fields covered by this programme.

(12) The Scientific and Technical Committee has been consulted on the scientific and technological content of this specific programme.

(13) The Board of Governors of the JRC has been consulted on the scientific and technological content of this specific programme,

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

Article 1

1. In accordance with Decision [...] on the framework programme 2002-2006 (hereinafter referred to as "the framework programme"), a specific programme related to direct action of research and training activities to be carried out by the Joint Research Centre (hereinafter referred to as "the specific programme") is hereby adopted for the period from [...] to 31 December 2006.

2. The objectives and scientific and technological priorities for the specific programme are set out in Annex I.

Article 2

In accordance with Annex II to [Decision [.../...] / the framework programme, the amount deemed necessary for the execution of the specific programme is EUR 290 million. An indicative breakdown of this amount is given in Annex II to this Decision.

Article 3

1. The Commission shall be responsible for the implementation of the specific programme.

2. The specific programme shall be implemented in accordance with the specific rules set out in Annex III.

Article 4

1. The Commission shall draw up a work programme for the implementation of the specific programme, which shall be made available to all interested parties, setting out in greater detail the objectives and priorities, the timetable for implementation and the implementation arrangements.

2. The work programme shall take account of relevant research activities carried out by the Member States, Associated States, European and international organisations. It shall be updated where appropriate.

Article 5

1. For the purposes of implementing the specific programme, the Board of Governors of the JRC shall be consulted by the Commission in accordance with Commission Decision 96/284/Euratom.

2. The Commission shall regularly inform the Board of Governors of the implementation of this specific programme.

Article 6

1. The Commission shall regularly report on the overall progress of the implementation of the specific programme, in accordance with Article 4 of the framework programme.

2. The Commission shall arrange for the independent assessment provided for in Article 5 of the framework programme to be conducted concerning the activities carried out in the fields covered by the specific programme.

Article 7

The Commission may request the JRC to execute, on the basis of the criterion of mutual benefit, projects with legal entities established in third countries when this contributes effectively to the execution of direct actions.

Article 8

This decision is addressed to the Member States.

Done at Brussels,

For the Council

The President

ANNEX I

SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL OBJECTIVES AND BROAD OUTLINES OF THE ACTIVITIES

1. Introduction

The Joint Research Centre carries out its mission to provide customer-driven scientific and technical support for the conception, development, implementation and monitoring of European Union policies. It serves the common interest of the Member States while being independent of special interests, private or national.

The JRC's contribution to the framework programme 2002-2006 incorporates recommendations of recent evaluations of the JRC [13] and requirements necessitated by the Reform of the Commission. In particular, it includes

[13] Davignon Report (2000), 5-year assessment of JRC (2000), 1999 JRC Scientific Audit, Prioritisation Audit 2001.

- As strengthened user-orientation.

- Networking activities to create a broad knowledge base and, in the spirit of the European Research Area (ERA), more closely associate Member State laboratories, industry and regulators in the S&T support provided to the EU policies.

- The concentration of activities on selected themes, including training of researchers to maintain nuclear expertise in the EU and its associated member states.

Co-ordination will be assured with the indirect actions under the Euratom specific programme.

It responds to clearly expressed needs and requirements, notably from the Commission services, which have been identified, are updated through systematic and regular contacts [14].

[14] Annual user workshops, interservice group of user DGs, bilateral agreement, etc.

In its domains of competence, the JRC's contribution will aim at establishing synergies with the relevant thematic priorities in the other specific programmes, notably through participation in the indirect action, with a view to add value, when appropriate, to the work carried out therein (e.g. through the comparison and validation of tests and methods or the integration of results for policy-making purpose).

2. Programme Content

2.1 Motivation

JRC's activities in the nuclear area aim to support related Community policies and specific Treaty obligations entrusted to the Commission. Nuclear energy supplies about a third of the Community's electricity and vigilance is still required to ensure a continuation of the Community's outstanding safety record, to maintain efforts to avoid proliferation and to efficiently manage the processing and long-term storage of waste. The Enlargement of the Union together with the needs of safeguarding material arising from the disarmament process or the emergence of new technological developments introduce new challenges.

Focusing its activities in areas where Community involvement is appropriate, the JRC operates where its pan-European identity provides an added-value and where its action is justified by the cross-border aspects of nuclear safety and security or by public concern about the issues: safeguards, non-proliferation, radio-active waste management, reactor safety and radiation monitoring will be the key areas.

The principal objective will be to further develop collaboration through networking, leading to broad consensus on a range of these issues at European and world-level. The application of Safeguards by the Euratom Safeguards Office (ESO) and the IAEA requires R&D support and direct assistance. Special attention will be given to co-operation with future EU Member States. Training activities will be an important component for JRC to help equip the EU with a future generation of scientists with necessary nuclear skills and expertise. Main areas of research activity will therefore be as follows:

- Radio-active waste management and safeguarding nuclear materials.

- Safety of the different types of reactors, radiation monitoring and metrology

2.2. Radio-active waste management and safeguarding nuclear materials

Spent fuel and high level waste treatment and storage

To address the issues of spent nuclear fuels and radio-active waste treatment and management, the JRC will further develop its understanding of fundamental physical, chemical and materials science data on actinides and actinide-containing products.

The basic processes governing the behaviour of irradiated fuel under conditions of interim storage or long term geological disposal will be further investigated.

The JRC will continue to test and evaluate processes to improve the efficient separation (partitioning) of radio-toxic elements from spent fuel and the subsequent reprocessing of the resulting products. This will be carried out with European partners under the transmutation and partitioning programme. Besides this experimental and theoretical approach JRC will pursue and extend its participation in networks with a possible co-ordinating role like in the international working group on fuel design for the accelerator driven systems.

Nuclear Safeguards

The safeguards work will provide direct support to the inspectorates (ESO and IAEA) and to operators and will undertake related underpinning research to prepare for future demands including continuous improvements of safeguards activities to adapt to political context, in particular changes in verification regimes, and technological evolution. The activity includes the development and assessment of instrumentation in the areas of destructive and non-destructive assays; provision of certified reference materials, containment and surveillance, training of inspectors and the upgrading and operation of on-site laboratories. JRC will continue to be the focus point of the European Safeguards Research and Development Association (ESARDA) network.

The strengthening of the safeguard regime is increasingly reliant on information technologies to improve efficiency and to carry out new measures. JRC will pursue its efforts in developing environmental monitoring, satellite monitoring, and innovative data and information management systems as well as improved communications and remote surveillance techniques that enable certain safeguards activities to be performed remotely from headquarters. Synergy with the work performed by JRC in the area of anti-fraud will be further developed.

The JRC will continue to support the transfer of the technological "acquis communautaire" in the safeguards area to the Applicant Countries.

The JRC is closely involved in the international efforts to detect clandestine activities and to combat the illicit trafficking of nuclear materials. Nuclear forensic science will be further developed.

From nuclear safeguards to non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction

The JRC will support the non-proliferation by adapting specialised know-how and techniques used for nuclear safeguards that may also potentially support verification regimes of nuclear and other weapons for mass destruction.

2.3 Safety of the different types of reactors, radiation monitoring and metrology

Safety of the different types of reactors

The high safety level of plants within the EU must be maintained, in particular for reactors to be operated for a further 10-50 years. The JRC will continue supporting safety authorities and nuclear plant operators by networking on ageing, damage detection, in-service inspection and structural integrity assessment . Accident analysis and management, validation of codes, systems' analysis, and risk-informed methods development are traditional JRC competencies, which are important both for EU harmonisation and in view of enlargement. Support to the PHEBUS programme will continue. Retrieval of experimental data and their archiving for easy availability will be supported.

Development of a common safety culture in Central & Eastern European Countries is a further area for JRC support; this includes operational safety measures and plant upgrading, structural integrity, accident prevention and management.

On the safety of nuclear fuel, JRC will concentrate on mechanical and chemical interactions at the fuel/cladding interface and on fuel behaviour at high burn-up. The TRANSURANUS fuel performance codes will continue to be extended with new data and training of users, including scientists from Eastern European countries.

Together with industry and R&D institutions, the JRC will contribute to the analysis and evaluation of several safety features of the different types of energy production systems, currently under investigation in several countries.

Radiation monitoring and metrology

Research into understanding how to protect the citizen and the environment against the effects of ionising radiation requires reliable dosimetry as a basis. The JRC's long-standing expertise in radio-protection and metrology will be further oriented towards this subject.

Radionuclide metrology will focus on reference measurements and the development of international standards for reference radioactivity measurements. Additionally, support to nuclear safety and safeguards, radiation monitoring according to the Treaty, and the measurement of ultra low levels of radiation will be carried out.

JRC expertise in radioactivity trace analysis and speciation will be further developed in the context of environment protection.

ANNEX II

INDICATIVE BREAKDOWN OF THE AMOUNT

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ANNEX III

SPECIFIC RULES FOR IMPLEMENTING THE PROGRAMME

1. The Commission, after consulting the Board of Governors of the JRC, shall implement the direct action on the basis of the scientific objectives and contents described in Annex I. The activities relating to this action shall be performed in the relevant institutes of the Joint Research Centre (JRC).

2. In the implementation of its activities, the JRC will, whenever appropriate and feasible, participate in or organise networks of public and private laboratories in the Member States or European research consortia in the support of the European policy making process. Particular attention shall be paid to co-operation with industry, especially with small and medium-sized enterprises. Research bodies established in third countries may also co-operate on projects, in accordance with the relevant provisions of Article 6 and, where applicable, of agreements for scientific and technological co-operation between the Community and the third countries concerned. Particular attention will be paid to co-operation with research laboratories and institutes in the Candidate countries and countries of Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union.

It will also use appropriate mechanisms to continuously identify the requirements and needs of its customers and users and to involve them in the related activities.

3. The knowledge gained through implementation of the projects will be disseminated by the JRC itself (taking into account possible limitations due to confidentiality issues).

4. The accompanying measures shall include:

- the organisation of the visits of JRC staff to national laboratories, industrial laboratories and universities,

- the promotion of mobility of young scientists, particularly from the Candidate countries,

- specialised training with the emphasis on the nuclear expertise and the nuclear safety culture in the European Union,

- the organisation of visits to JRC institutes of visiting scientists and seconded national experts, particularly from the Candidate countries,

- systematic exchange of information, through, inter alia, the organisation of scientific seminars, workshops and colloquiums and scientific publications,

- the independent scientific and strategic evaluation of the performance of the projects and programmes.

FINANCIAL STATEMENT

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1. BUDGET LINE(S) + HEADING(S)

B6-111: Persons associated with the institution

B6-121: Resources

B6-3: Joint Research Centre - Direct Operating Appropriations - EAEC framework

programme (2002 TO 2006)

2. OVERALL FIGURES

2.1 Total allocation for action (Part B): 290 EUR million for commitment

2.2 Period of application:

2002 to 2006

2.3 Overall multiannual estimate on expenditure:

a) Schedule of commitment appropriations/payment appropriations (financial intervention) (see point 6.1.1)

EUR million (to 3rd decimal place)

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b) Technical and administrative assistance and support expenditure (see point 6.1.2)

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c) Overall financial impact of human resources and other administrative expenditure (see points 7.2 and 7.3)

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2.4 Compatibility with the financial programming and the financial perspective

|X| Proposal compatible with the existing financial programming

| | This proposal will entail reprogramming of the relevant heading in the financial perspective.

| | This may entail application of the provisions of the Interinstitutional Agreement.

2.5 Financial impact on revenue [15]:

[15] For further information see a separate guidance paper

|X| No financial implications (involves technical aspects regarding implementation of a measure)

| | Financial impact - the effect on revenue is as follows:

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3. BUDGET CHARACTERISTICS

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4. LEGAL BASIS

Articles 7 and 8 of the Treaty establishing the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom).

Council Decision .../../Euratom adopting the framework programme 2002-2006 of the European Atomic Energy Community for research and training activities aimed at contributing towards the creation of the European Research Area (OJ L ...).

5. DESCRIPTION AND GROUNDS

5.1 Need for Community intervention [16]

[16] For further information see a separate guidance paper

5.1.1 Objectives pursued

The JRC's mission is to provide scientific and technical support for the formulation, implementation and monitoring of EU policies. As a service of the European Commission, the JRC functions as a reference centre of science and technology for the Union. Close to the policy-making process, it serves the common interest of the Member States while remaining independent of commercial or national interests.

Nuclear energy continues to supply about a third of Europe's electricity, and vigilance is still required to ensure a continuation of Europe's outstanding safety record, to maintain efforts to avoid proliferation and to efficiently manage the processing and long-term storage of waste. New challenges include a reactor population whose average age is increasing, an enlargement of the Union to include countries with a different safety culture, and the coming into safeguards of material arising from the disarmament process.

The principal objective will be to further develop collaboration through networking leading to broad consensus on a range of these issues at European and world-level. The application of Safeguards by the Euratom Safeguards Office (ESO) and the IAEA requires R&D support and direct assistance. Special attention will be given to co-operation with future EU Member States. Training activities will be an important component for JRC to help equip the EU with a future generation of scientists with necessary nuclear skills and expertise.

5.1.2 Measures taken in connection with evaluation

The JRC programme is regularly reviewed through scientific audits and the 5-year-assessments. Annual programme presentations to the other services of the Commission are organised. A high level user group composed by representative of customer Commission's DGs has been set up with a view to establishing and reviewing priorities in close connection with policy needs.

The Scientific Audit of the JRC Institutes, launched in 1999, was designed to provide early advice and feedback to the JRC management on the scientific standing of the institutes, and an assessment of their scientific strengths and weaknesses, both in terms of staff and other resources, for the implementation of the new programme. The chief objective was to ensure that the execution of the framework programme 1998-2002 could be performed with the requisite scientific quality. The Scientific Audit's overall conclusions confirmed the soundness of JRC's scientific strategies and the validity of its new mission:

"The Audit Team considers the development of the JRC nuclear a true success story and sees in its excellent networking practices a clear and leading example of subsidiarity and leadership to be expected of a European research institution."

The 5-Year-Assessment (5YA) exercise, input required by legislation before the tabling by the Commission of proposal for the framework programme 2002-2006, was carried out in 2000. Given that scientific issues had already been addressed in the Scientific Audit, the main focus of the 5YA was the management aspects of the JRC activities, the impact of the JRC support to the EU policies, and the delivered results in relation to the adopted programmes. The resulting recommendations were dominated by the overriding statement that the new mission of the JRC must be maintained and its implementation assured in all aspects and consequences:

"The important work of the JRC in the nuclear domain on safeguarding, plant safety and on the safe and acceptable management of waste must not be allowed to decline in view of the European Union's 30% nuclear energy production."

In January 2000, Research Commissioner Philippe Busquin established a High Level Panel chaired by Viscount Etienne Davignon, with the task to review and to make recommendations on the workings of the JRC. The Davignon Report was issued in July 2000. The High Level Panel endorses the mission assigned to the JRC by the 5th RTD Framework Programme and finds that it has a clear long-term role. It proposes opening it up to the other Community institutions and contains a number of organisational suggestions. It recommends that the JRC should not dissipate its efforts, but should do more to focus its activities, promote intense networking with other European centres of excellence and attaches particular importance to nuclear activities.

Finally, in July 2000 the Commission's Peer Group, appointed earlier in the year to make a political overview of the Institution's activities and bring them in line with the human resources it had available, published a report in which a series of actions were identified.

In response to the various evaluations, the JRC has undertaken a strategy for concentrating its activities into some core competence areas and has identified possible reduction of activities across its structure with the launch of an Activity Prioritisation Audit, the results of which have been published internally on April 2, 2001. An interservice consultation is being prepared in view of a Communication to the Commission that should disseminate the results of this evaluation to the rest of the Commission services.

5.2 Actions envisaged

The JRC programme forms part of the framework programme, which meets the objectives set out in Articles 7 and 8 of the Euratom Treaty.

The JRC's participation in the field of action covered by this proposal is commensurate with its capabilities and attributes and complies with the principle of subsidiarity.

The target population is Europe's scientific and industrial community and that concerned with the various sectoral policies of the Commission in which the JRC is required to provide its support.

This research and training programme is structured around two major areas:

(a) Radio-active waste management and safeguarding nuclear materials

Spent fuel and high level waste treatment and storage

To address the issues of spent nuclear fuels and radio-active waste, the JRC will further develop the characterisation of actinides and actinide-containing products.

The basic processes governing the behaviour of irradiated fuel under conditions of direct long-term disposal will be investigated with priority.

The JRC will continue to test and evaluate processes of efficient separation and burning (partitioning and transmutation) of radio-toxic elements from spent fuel.

Euratom and IAEA Safeguards

The safeguards of nuclear materials include services to the Safeguards Inspectorates (ESO and IAEA) and related underpinning research.

The JRC will continue to support the transfer of technology for Euratom Safeguards applications in the Applicant Countries.

Nuclear forensic science will be further developed to detect clandestine activities and to combat the illicit trafficking of nuclear materials.

Support to non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction will benefit from the JRC experience, in the nuclear and other fields, to support the fundamental objectives of the Union's security policy.

(b) Safety of the different types of reactors, radiation monitoring and metrology

Safety of the different types of reactors

The high safety level of existing nuclear plants within the EU must be maintained. The JRC will continue, through well-established networks, to work on fuel safety, ageing, damage detection, in-service inspection, structural integrity and assessment, accident analysis and management (support to PHEBUS), validation of codes, systems' analysis and risk-informed methods. Development of a common safety culture in Central & Eastern European Countries is a further area for JRC support.

Together with industry and R&D institutions, the JRC will contribute to the analysis and evaluation of safety and security features of the different types of energy production systems, currently under investigation in several countries.

Radiation monitoring

The JRC's long-standing expertise in radio-protection and its advanced laboratory for radioactivity measurements will be used to develop traces detection and analysis methods, dosimetric skills and various nuclear reference measurements.

5.3 Methods of implementation

Direct Action of the JRC institutes:

- Institute for Energy (IE)

- Institute for Transuranium Elements (ITU)

- Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements (IRMM)

- Institute for the Protection and the Security of the Citizen (IPSC)

6. FINANCIAL IMPACT

6.1 Total financial impact on Part B - (over the entire programming period)

(The method of calculating the total amounts set out in the table below must be explained by the breakdown in Table 6.2. )

6.1.1 Financial intervention

Commitments in EUR million (to the 3rd decimal place)

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6.2 Calculation of costs by measure envisaged in Part B (over the entire programming period) [17]

[17] For further information see a separate guidance paper

(Where there is more than one action, give sufficient detail of the specific measures to be taken for each one to allow the volume and costs of the outputs to be estimated. ).

Commitments in EUR million (to the 3rd decimal place)

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If necessary explain the method of calculation

7. IMPACT ON STAFF AND ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENDITURE

7.1 Impact on human resources

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In 2002, the JRC will have a single staff table of 1,902 posts distributed as follows: 733 A-posts, 595 B-posts, 537 C-posts and 37 D-posts [18]. The staff is managed as a single group: staff can be put allocated to both nuclear and non-nuclear activities. The ratio of nuclear to total staff is variable during the period of execution of the framework programme. This ratio is of the order of 1/3. A relatively large number of short-term scientific posts are also financed as non-statutory staff (about 200). Their status can be grantholders, scientific visitors, national experts on secondment...

[18] This compares with the current (2001) staff table of 2080 1902 posts. As in the past this envelope of statutory posts constitutes a separate staff table and represents the maximum statutory staff, which may be engaged. However the number of staff employed in practice depends on the availability of financial resources (institutional credits, competitive income and other possible sources of revenue).

7.2 Overall financial impact of human resources

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The amounts are total expenditure for twelve months.

The different resources: staff, material, specific credits are distributed to remain within the given envelope. The staff credits have been allocated after taking the minimum needs for infrastructure into account and deciding on a minimum level of specific credits for the execution of projects and for networking. The staff budget is reduced compared to that of the fifth framework programme 1998-2002 and a staff reduction ) is necessary. This reduction will depend on the evolution of salaries during the period 2003-2006 and of the evolution of the required competencies: ratio between A/B/C/D staff.

7.3 Other administrative expenditure deriving from the action

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The amounts are total expenditure for twelve months.

(1) Specify the type of committee and the group to which it belongs.

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(In the estimate of human and administrative resources required for the action, DGs/Services must take into account the decisions taken by the Commission in its orientation debate and when adopting the preliminary draft budget (PDB). This means that DGs must show that human resources can be covered by the indicative pre-allocation made when the PDB was adopted.

Exceptional cases, where the action concerned could not be foreseen when the PDB was being prepared, will have to be referred to the Commission for a decision on whether and how (by means of an amendment of the indicative pre-allocation, an ad hoc redeployment exercise, a supplementary/amending budget or a letter of amendment to the draft budget) implementation of the proposed action can be accepted.)

8. FOLLOW-UP AND EVALUATION

Each year, with the help of appropriately qualified independent experts, the Commission will examine the implementation of specific programme 2002-2006. It will, in particular, assess whether the objectives, priorities and financial resources are still appropriate to the changing situation. Where appropriate, it will submit proposals to adapt or supplement the specific programme 2002-2006.

The Commission produces an annual report on the activities of the Joint Research Centre. These reports are sent to the European Parliament, the Council and the Economic and Social Committee.

9. ANTI-FRAUD MEASURES

When the implementation of the programme calls for the use of external contractors or implies granting financial contributions to third parties, the Commission will carry out, where appropriate, financial audits, in particular if it has reasons to doubt the realistic nature of work performed or described in the activity reports.

The Community's financial audits will be carried out either by its own staff or by accounting experts approved according to the law of the audited party. The Community will chose the latter freely, while avoiding any risks of conflicts of interest which might be indicated to it by the party subject to the audit.

In addition, the Commission will make sure in carrying out the research activities, that the financial interests of the European Communities are protected by effective checks and, in case of detected irregularities, measures as well as deterrent and proportionate sanctions.

In order to achieve this aim, rules on checks, measures and sanctions, with references to the Regulations No 2988/95,02185/96, 1073/99 and 1074/99 will be taken up in all contracts used in the implementation of the programme.

In particular, the following points will have to be provided for in the contracts :

- the introduction of specific contractual clauses to protect the financial interests of the EC in carrying out checks and controls in relation to the work performed;

- the participation of administrative checks in the field of fraud-fighting, in accordance with Regulations No 2185/96, 1073/99 and 1074/99 ;

- the application of administrative sanctions for all intentional or negligent irregularities in the implementation of the contracts, in accordance with the framework Regulation No 2988/95, including a black listing mechanism ;

- the fact that possible recovery orders in case of irregularities and fraud be enforceable according to Article 164 of the EAEC Treaty.

In addition and as routine measures, an internal audit and control programme in respect of scientific and budgetary aspects, will be carried out by the JRC staff responsible; internal audit carried out by the JRC Internal audit Unit; and local inspections by this Unit and the Court of Auditors.