Upgrade coming for EU-Canada cooperation

Friday, 14 August 2009

The European Union (EU) and Canada are about to embark on detailed negotiations to upgrade their existing long-standing nuclear cooperation agreement.

A key aim of the talks, European Commission and Canadian officials told World Nuclear News, was the authorisation of widespread nuclear technology transfers between the EU and Canada, which are currently tightly restricted.

A Canadian government spokesperson told WNN: "Canada is interested in boosting the ability to exchange nuclear technology. When the Canada-EU agreement was concluded 50 years ago, it did not, and still does not, cover nuclear technology, only nuclear material and equipment. This is a handicap if a Canadian company wants to export nuclear technology to Europe."

She stressed that without such a deal, which would include peaceful use assurances and detailed accounting procedures, "Canadian companies are unable to get export permits or export licences for these types of goods." The spokesperson however would not comment on the specifics of any technical cooperation that could follow.

Meanwhile, the EU and Canada are also keen to incorporate existing bilateral agreements within the umbrella of a widened Euratom (European Atomic Energy Community)-Canada nuclear cooperation deal, to simplify cooperation work.

The Canadian spokesperson noted that these bilateral deals covered the Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden, noting that some of these agreements do actually cover nuclear technology, but not all. "It would be more efficient to be able to cover nuclear technology under an amended Canada-EU agreement thus obviating the need for any seperate bilateral agreements with EU member states and ensuring that Canadian companies could export nuclear technology to, or collaborate with, any EU member state," she added.

The European Commission told WNN that "Canada is in favour of simplification of the agreement, provided that additional provisions, [regarding] technology transfer, could be incorporated. This would permit the simplification and standardisation of Canada's nuclear relations with all EU member states mainly by the progressive reduction or elimination of the bilateral nuclear cooperation agreements..."

In Europe, the Commission has now received negotiating authority from the EU Council of Ministers (representing the 27 member states) to review the existing agreement and launch talks. Revisions would have to be approved by the council. The original agreement was signed and ratified in 1959 and it, along with subsequent amendments, covers the trade in nuclear materials; the use of intellectual property rights regarding the nuclear sector; exchanges of information; as well as the transfer and use of tritium and related equipment for the Euratom fusion program.

The agreement has this far been amended four times, in 1978, 1985, 1991 and 1996. The deal has also been expanded to allow Switzerland to participate in the mutual transfer of tritium between the EU and Canada. This followed the 1991 change allowing these transfers of tritium and related equipment and devices.

"An increased relationship between the EU and Canada has required a continuous update of the agreement in order to provide a more stable and administratively effective cooperation," added the Commission spokesman.