Your Big Read analysis of the
implications of the UK leaving the EU nuclear agency, Euratom, as part of
Brexit, covered many important aspects, but was inaccurate in a number of aspects.
(“Brexit’s nuclear fallout,“ March 3
This is in part because your reporters
depend in great part (myself excepted) on citing academics and other nuclear
industry insiders who have a vested
interest in the status quo. Indeed, it reflects the extraordinary lobby on
behalf of Euratom demonstrated in the House of Lords by several dozen peers in their
Parliamentary debate on March 3, on an amendment trying to protect UK
membership of Euratom, in which not one spoke against Euratom, including the Government
minister in opposing the amendment! (https://hansard.parliament.uk/lords/2017-03-01/debates/EE9DF3A9-2E05-4568-8CF8-A61F11172391/EuropeanUnion(NotificationOfWithdrawal)Bill)
To focus on one example, your
article asserts that “British ministers must renegotiate a relationship with
Euratom where no template for close co-operation with outsiders exists.
In fact, currently
international inspection of UK nuclear plants and nuclear explosive materials to
ensure the UK pledge not todivert these plants or materials to military misuse
is verified Euratom on behalf of the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna, under a treaty agreed in 1977, and signed in
September 1978, between the UK, Euratom
and the IAEA.
Indeed, this issue was raised by
Green Party co-leader, Caroline Lucas MP in a written question shortly after
the Brexit referendum, when she asked the business and energy secretary “what steps would be needed to replace
EU Atomic Energy Community safeguards inspectors with International Atomic
Energy Agency Inspectors to implement safeguards provisions on (a) UK nuclear installations and (b) nuclear material used and created at UK nuclear sites under treaties to which the UK is a party?”
(Hansard, 3 August 2016)
She was told by
energy minister, Jesse Norman, who responded with following evasive reply:
“Until the UK leaves the EU, it is expected to remain a full member with all
relevant rights and obligations. The Department for Business, Energy, and
Industrial Strategy will continue to work closely with stakeholders and the
rest of Government during our negotiations to exit the EU to deliver energy
which is secure, affordable and clean.”
As the UK’s nuclear regulator, the Office for Nuclear
Regulation puts it “The UK voluntary offer safeguards agreement with the IAEA and Euratom
came into force in 1978 and specifies the UKs acceptance of the application of
IAEA safeguards "On all source or special fissionable material in
facilities or parts thereof within the United Kingdom, subject to exclusions
for national security reasons only," adding” As part of measures to strengthen
the global safeguards regime, the UK has agreed an additional protocol with the
IAEA and Euratom which supplements its voluntary offer safeguards agreement.(http://www.onr.org.uk/safeguards/iaeauk.htm)
This came into
force in April 2004
and is implemented under the Nuclear Safeguards Act 2000 and the accompanying
Nuclear Safeguards (Notifications) Regulations 2004.
It is now time energy and foreign
ministers and their advisors turn their attention to what they are going to do
to ensure nuclear safeguards continuity in the UK post Brexit to avoid the UK
becoming a nuclear rogue state.
No comments:
Post a Comment