On 7 June 2018, the Commission adopted a proposal for a Council decision on EU funding for the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) project. It would increase the EU contribution to some €7 billion over for the period 2021-2027, which comprises the assembly and commissioning phases as well as the start of the operational phase.

The ITER project is a major global collaborative scientific experiment aimed at demonstrating the feasibility of nuclear fusion as an unlimited and relatively clean source of energy. The EU Member States participate by virtue of their membership of Euratom. The ITER project is based on the ITER Agreement, which was signed on 21 November 2006 by the seven ITER members: China, India, Japan, Korea, Russia, the United States and the European Union. The participation of the Euratom member states is managed by the Fusion for Energy agency, a joint undertaking of Euratom, Euratom's Member States and Switzerland.

Work on the site in France (Cadarache) began in 2007, but since then the expected final cost and year of completion have twice been revised upwards. It is now planned that 'first plasma', the point at which the ITER device is deemed operational, will be achieved by 2025. The completion of the project is foreseen for December 2035.

The 2006 ITER Agreement was signed on the basis of an estimated cost of €5.9 billion (2008 prices) over a 10-year period, with first plasma scheduled for 2016. In 2008, following a design review, the cost estimate was revised upwards to roughly €19 billion and first plasma postponed to 2019. In reaction to further delays and cost overruns, an assessment approved by the ITER Council in April 2016 brought the cost estimate to around €20 billion and postponed first plasma to 2025.

In June 2017, the Commission published a Communication (SWD(2017) 232) on ITER outlining the measures that had been taken to improve the management of the ITER project, and proposing a contingency in terms of budget and schedule. 

In April 2018, the European Parliament granted discharge in respect of the implementation of the ITER for the financial year 2016 and approved the accounts, while expressing its concern about the delayed completion of the project and future financing needs.

The European Court of Auditors, in its audit of EU Joint Undertakings for the financial year 2019, drew attention to the risk of further cost increases and delays in implementing the ITER project.

The Commission proposal foresaw Euratom commitments €6 070 million (in current prices) for the period 2021-2027, which is the maximum level set by the European Parliament and the Council in the 2021-2027 Multiannual Financial Framework. The proposal foresaw evaluations of the project to feed into the decision-making processes. An interim evaluation would be performed once there is sufficient information available about the implementation, but no later than 2024. At the end of the implementation of the proposed decision, the Commission would carry out a final evaluation. The recipients of Community funding would have to acknowledge the origin and ensure the visibility of the Community funding by providing targeted information to multiple audiences, including the media and the public. The Commission would implement information and communication actions relating to Decision, and its actions and results. The allocated financial resources allocated would also contribute to the corporate communication of the relevant political priorities of the Union. The proposal was accompanied by an ex-ante evaluation (SWD(2018) 325 final).

As the legal basis of the Commission proposal was Articles 47 and 48 of the Euratom Treaty, the Council was not obliged to consult the European Parliament. The Parliament therefore decided to express its position by means of an own-initiative report (rapporteur: Marian-Jean Marinescu, EPP, Romania) and referred the file to the Committee on  Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE). The ITRE Committee adopted its report on 21 November 2018 and the European Parliament plenary on 15 January 2019. The Parliament's resolution called on the Council to approve the Commission proposal and introduced some modifications and recommendations.

On 27-28 September 2018, the Competitiveness Council discussed the Horizon Europe package, which includes the proposal on EU funding for ITER. The Council's Joint Research/Atomic Questions Working Party discussed the proposal once in December 2018 and three times in January 2019. It was on the agenda of the Competitiveness Council meeting of 19 February 2019. The Joint Research/Atomic Questions Working Party discussed it again on 11 April and 16 May, 29 May and 13 June 2019. It was on the agenda of the Coreper meeting of 4 December 2020. On 18 December 2020, the Permanent Representatives Committee reached a political agreement on the proposal.

The July 2020 special European Council set the financial envelope for the implementation of ITER for the period 2021-2027 to a maximum of €5 billion.

On 22 February 2021, the Council adopted the Decision on financing the ITER project, setting the indicative contribution to the project for the period 2021-2027 at €5.61 billion in current prices. The Decision was published in the Official Journal on 23 February 2021, entered into force on the following day, and applies since 1 January 2021.

References:

• EP legislative observatory, Procedure file on European Joint Undertaking for ITER and the Development of Fusion Energy, 2018/2222(INI)
• European Commission, Proposal for a Council Decision amending Decision 2007/198/Euratom establishing the European Joint Undertaking for ITER and the Development of Fusion Energy and conferring advantages upon it, COM(2018)445
• European Commission, Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council: EU contribution to a reformed ITER project, COM/2017/0319
• European Commission, Commission Staff Working Document Ex-Ante Evaluation accompanying the document Proposal for a Council Decision amending Decision 2007/198/Euratom establishing the European Joint Undertaking for ITER and the Development of Fusion Energy and conferring advantages upon it, SWD(2018) 325 final
• European Commission, Mid-term progress report in accordance with Article 5b of the Council Decision establishing the European Joint Undertaking for ITER and the Development of Fusion Energy and conferring advantages upon it, COM(2019) 147 final
• European Parliament, European Parliament resolution of 15 January 2019 on the European Joint Undertaking for ITER and the Development of Fusion Energy, 2018/2222(INI)
• European Council, Special meeting of the European Council (17, 18, 19, 20 and 21 July 2020) – Conclusions, EUCO 10/20
• European Court of Auditors, Annual report on the EU Joint Undertakings for the financial year 2019, October 2020
• Council Decision (Euratom) 2021/281 of 22 February 2021 amending Decision 2007/198/Euratom establishing the European Joint Undertaking for ITER and the Development of Fusion Energy and conferring advantages upon it

Further reading:

• European Parliament, EPRS, How the EU budget it spent: ITER, Briefing, September 2017

Author: Gregor Erbach, Members' Research Service, legislative-train@europarl.europa.eu