The new Euratom Safeguards Regulation has been published in the EU Official Journal today and will therefore enter into force in 20 days - on 6 July. Based on a Commission proposal in December 2023, the new Regulation updates the fundamental rules on nuclear material reporting to take into account different developments in recent years in the nuclear sector and in information technology. The aim is to ensure the continued effectiveness and efficiency of Euratom safeguards in guaranteeing the peaceful use of civil nuclear materials in the EU. It replaces the previous Regulation (Euratom) 302/2005, which is repealed. The draft Regulation was approved by the Council on 18 February 2025 and formally adopted by the Commission on 26 May.
The changes introduced include
- a more graded approach, to reduce the burden on users of small amounts of nuclear materials
- provisions for safeguards-by-design for certain complex installations, including new builds, major modifications and decommissioning
- templates for providing technical information for new types of installations expected to become operational in the near future, such as deep geological repositories, encapsulation plants and novel types of reactors
- ensuring coherence with the various international nuclear cooperation agreements
- additional requirements for electronic reporting, in line with the European Commission digital strategy
- updated definitions to improve clarity and coherence with other legal acts in the nuclear domain, which have been adopted in recent years, such as rules on nuclear safety of nuclear installations, and on the management of spent fuel and radioactive waste
Background
The Euratom Treaty, laying the foundation for the peaceful use of nuclear materials and technologies in the Member States of the European Union, establishes a nuclear material supervision system, known as ‘Euratom safeguards’.
Article 77 of the Euratom Treaty explicitly requires the Commission to ensure non-diversion of civil nuclear materials from their intended uses and compliance with the safeguards obligations assumed by the Euratom Community under international agreements. In this context, Article 79 of the Treaty requires “a regulation made by the Commission and approved by the Council”.
The new Commission Regulation on the application of Euratom safeguards is the latest regulation to this effect. It lays down the obligations for the users of nuclear materials, such as declaring specific information to the European Commission and keeping operation records. This enables the Commission to verify that nuclear materials are not diverted from their intended uses.
The 2023 Commission proposal to revise Regulation (Euratom) 302/2005 followed and fully implemented the conclusions of an in-depth evaluation in 2022. It took account of a targeted consultation with stakeholders directly affected by the rules, such as operators and the responsible national authorities in the EU Member States. The views of the wider nuclear safeguards community, expressed at different forums at the EU and global level, were also considered. The evaluation concluded that the Regulation has been successfully implemented; but highlighted how its effectiveness has gradually decreased, mostly due to the technological progress and the developments in the nuclear sector since 2005.
Related links
- Commission Regulation (Euratom) 2025/974 on the application of Euratom safeguards - new
- Commission Regulation (Euratom) 302/2005 - previous regulation
- Euratom safeguards: Council endorses new draft regulation - European Commission (18 February 2025)
- Commission welcomes Council agreement on revision of Euratom Safeguards Regulation (24 June 2024)
- Commission proposes revised rules for the application of Euratom safeguards - European Commission (21 December 2023)
- Euratom safeguards
Details
- Publication date
- 16 June 2025
- Author
- Directorate-General for Energy