On 13 June IAEA Director General El Baradei presented a report on a potential new framework for the use of nuclear energy and "options" for assurances of supply of nuclear fuel to the IAEA Board of Governors in Vienna. Inextricably linked to this subject is the question of how to reconcile the legitimate right to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes with the need to prevent any form of abuse for military ends.
Recent developments and not least a series of proposals on adopting a multilateral approach to the fuel cycle have injected considerable momentum into the discussion on this issue. The IAEA report has therefore come at the right time.
The EU has so far been actively involved in the debate on this issue and is eager to find a solution which takes sufficient account of the current proliferation concerns regarding the sensitive components in the nuclear fuel cycle. The EU will carefully examine the report and the options it contains. It will also continue to play an active role in future discussions within the IAEA. The goal is to develop mechanisms which allow access to services within the framework of the nuclear fuel cycle and to nuclear fuel itself while safeguarding against the risk of proliferation.
