What changed between the draft committee report and the plenary report

Added:Article 11

Added:Adoption of action plans and measures

Added:1. Annual or multiannual action plans and measures under the Instrument’s external component shall constitute work programmes within the meaning of Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2024/2509.

Added:2. The Commission shall adopt, by means of implementing acts, the action plans and measures referred to in paragraph 1. Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 17(3).

Added:3. The examination procedure referred to in paragraph 2 shall not be required for:

Added:(a) special measures and support measures for which the Union funding does not exceed EUR 10 million;

Added:(b) technical amendments, provided that they do not substantially affect the objectives of the action plan or measure concerned, such as:

Added:(i) change of method of implementation;

Added:(ii) reassignments of funds between actions contained in an action plan;

Added:(iii) increase of the budget of action plans and measures by not more than 20% of that budget.

Added:When adopted in accordance with this paragraph, special measures and support measures as well as technical amendments shall be communicated to the Member States through the committee referred to in Article 17(1), within one month of their adoption. They shall also be communicated to the European Parliament.

Added:4. On duly justified imperative grounds of urgency relating to the need for a swift response from the Community, the Commission shall adopt or amend the action plans or measures referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article by means of immediately applicable implementing acts in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 17(4).

Added:Article 12

Added:Criteria for international cooperation

Added:1. The external component of the Instrument may finance actions in partner countries in compliance with the criteria set out in this article.

Added:2. A common understanding or a reciprocal agreement between the partner country and the Community shall be the basis for cooperation.

Added:3. Partner countries seeking to cooperate with the Community on nuclear safeguards shall be parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and shall have concluded a Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement with the IAEA or shall have the Additional Protocol with the IAEA in force.

Added:4. Partner countries seeking to cooperate with the Community on nuclear safety, shall be active parties to the Convention on Nuclear Safety and the Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management or other relevant conventions or have taken steps demonstrating a firm commitment to accede to such conventions. In the case of active cooperation, that commitment shall be evaluated annually taking into account National Reports and other documents on the implementation of relevant Conventions. On the basis of such an evaluation, a decision shall be taken with regard to the continuation of the cooperation. In an emergency, flexibility shall, on an exceptional basis, be shown in the application of those principles.

Added:5. Partner countries seeking to cooperate with the Community on emergency preparedness and response, radiation protection or radioactive waste management and not meeting criteria (3) or (4) should not have any nuclear installations on their territory.

Added:6. Cooperation with partner countries not fulfilling the criteria in Articles 12(3) to (5) shall be of exceptional nature, upon direct request from the concerned partner countries, and limited to support requested by them in case of a nuclear accident or radiological emergency event as referred to in the Convention on Early Notification of a Nuclear Accident and the Convention on Assistance in the Case of a Nuclear Accident or Radiological Emergency.

Added:7. Cooperation with candidates or potential candidates, who are not in a position to meet the criteria in Articles 12(3) to (6) due to their country status, is an exception. Such cooperation shall be aligned with the strategic framework and be subject to prior consultation of the INSC Committee.

Added:8. In order to ensure and monitor compliance with the cooperation-related objectives of the Instrument, the partner country concerned shall accept the evaluation of the actions undertaken and provide the necessary transparency to this end. That evaluation shall allow the monitoring and verification of compliance with the objectives and shall be a condition for continued payment of the Community contribution. The Commission shall inform the European Parliament and the Council of the main findings of those evaluations.

Added:(8a) The actions financed under the external component shall not undermine the interests of the Union, including its geostrategic interests, its security interests and its competitiveness.

Added:Article 13

Added:EUROPEAN EXTERNAL ACTION SERVICE (EEAS)

Added:The Instrument’s external component shall be implemented taking into account the role of the EEAS as provided for in Council Decision 2010/427/EU, in particular Articles 3 and 9 thereof.

Added:Section 2: Specific provisions for the implementation of the Instrument’s internal component

Added:Article 14

Added:Work programmes

Added:1. The implementation of the Instrument’s internal component shall be carried out by work programmes referred to in Article 110 of Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2024/2509.

Added:The work programme for the Instrument’s internal component shall:

Added:(a) aim to provide an overview of the activities planned over the period covered by the multiannual work programme;

Added:(b) constitute a general basis for the implementation of the activities covered by this Regulation and be based on the highest nuclear safety standards and best practices in addressing the Community’s nuclear liabilities.

Added:Article 15

Added:Implementation and forms of Union funding and eligibility criteria for the implementation of the Instrument’s internal component

Added:Unless otherwise specified in this Regulation, Union financing for the Instrument’s internal component shall be implemented in accordance with this Regulation, Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2024/2509.

Added:Only the following activities shall be eligible for Union funding under the Instrument’s internal component:

Added:(a) safe conservation and operation of shutdown nuclear facilities;

Added:(b) dismantling of obsolete or unused nuclear installations, or both;

Added:(c) safe management of radioactive waste and spent fuel, including collection, characterisation, treatment, transport and storage;

Added:(d) reduction of the nuclear material inventory at the JRC sites;

Added:(e) development and construction of radioactive wastes management facilities;

Added:(f) production and periodic update of decommissioning plans, technical studies, licensing files and cost estimates, including life-cycle cost projections

Added:(g) external support for project design, evaluation, management;

Added:(h) operational support, including radiation protection, equipment and facilities maintenance;

Added:(i) negotiation with host Member States in view of the transfer of the Commission’s nuclear liabilities;

Added:(ia) the development of innovative legal and financial instruments capable of addressing the long-term uncertainties associated with the transfer of waste management, with a timescale of several decades;

Added:(ib) the JRC's obligations regarding decommissioning and the safety of spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste management following the transfer of nuclear responsibilities to the host Member States;

Added:(j) communication and cooperation with external stakeholders;

Added:(k) collection, production, assessment and dissemination of nuclear decommissioning knowledge, including training activities;

Added:(l) any other activity supporting the achievement of the decommissioning of the Commission’s nuclear installations at the JRC sites and nuclear decommissioning and waste management knowledge as referred to in Article 2.

Added:Article 16

Added:Knowledge-sharing provision

Added:1. Knowledge created in the implementation process of the JRC Decommissioning and Waste management programme shall be systematically disseminated at the Community level, with the aim that such knowledge and know-how contribute to the competitiveness of the Union’s industrial base and support the development of high-skilled employment and technological innovation within the Union.

Added:2. Activities for accomplishing the activity referred to in paragraph 1 shall be financed under the Instrument. The JRC shall coordinate the structuring and dissemination of knowledge to Member States, including to regulatory authorities, operators, waste management organisations and research bodies where relevant.

Added:3. The process of dissemination of knowledge shall be included and defined in the work programmes referred to in Article 16.

Added:CHAPTER III

Added:IMPLEMENTING POWERS, TRANSITIONAL AND FINAL PROVISIONS

Added:Article 17

Added:Committee procedure