Nuclear Fission Reactor Safety Research in FP7 and future perspectives

The European Union (ЕU) has defined in the Europe 2020 strategy and 2050 Energy Roadmap its long-term vision for establishing a secure, sustainable and competitive energy system and setting up legally binding targets by 2020 for reducing greenhouse emissions, by increasing energy efficiency and the share of renewable energy sources while including a significant share from nuclear fission. Nuclear energy can enable the further reduction in harmful emissions and can contribute to the EU’s competitive energy system, security of supply and independence from fossil fuels. Nuclear fission is a valuable option for those 14 EU countries that promote its use as part of their national energy mix. The European Group on Ethics in Science and New Technologies (EGE) adopted its Opinion No.27 ‘An ethical framework for assessing research, production and use of energy’ and proposed an integrated ethics approach for the research, production and use of energy in the EU, seeking equilibrium among four criteria – access rights, security of supply, safety, and sustainability – in the light of social, environmental and economic concerns. The European Commission Symposium on ’Benefits and Limitations of Nuclear Fission for a Low Carbon Economy’, held on 26-27 February 2013 in Brussels, also confirmed the need to pursue nuclear fission safety research. Overall, the ‘Euratom experience’ within the Framework Programmes (FPs) has been one of consistent success in pursuing excellence in research and facilitating pan- European collaborative efforts across a broad range of nuclear science and technologies and associated education and training activities.