Safeguards in the EU: AP Implementation Experience

The Additional Protocol is in force in all 25 member states of the European Union, including both Nuclear Weapons States. The AP entered into force in April 2004 in the fifteen states which were members of the EU prior to the latest enlargement. These states have all made their initial declarations, as well as their first and second update declarations. In the majority of the new member states the additional protocol was already in force at the time of enlargement: in some states for several years already. The Additional Protocol was brought into force in 3 of the new member states after their accession and these states have just submitted their initial declarations under the AP. The European Commission, a supra-national body, is also a nuclear operator and an important component of Europe's nuclear research capacity and therefore it too is required to declare its own activities relevant to the AP. Euratom therefore possesses a rich body of experience when it comes to implementation of the Additional Protocol. This paper summarises the European Union's experience in implementing the AP.