We met today to confirm the continuing commitment of the European Commission and the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran towards the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and in particular its Annex III which addresses civil nuclear co-operation. We believe that the continuing implementation of the JCPOA, which was unanimously endorsed by UN Security Council Resolution 2231, is crucial for the development and progress of the region as well as the global peace and security.

The JCPOA represents the fruit of more than a decade of successful multilateral diplomacy which signifies the imperative of peaceful settlement of dispute and is a key element of the global nuclear non-proliferation architecture. The International Atomic Energy Agency has so far confirmed in ten successive reports that Iran has implemented its nuclear related commitments under the JCPOA, and, for its part, the European Union will remain committed to the continued full and effective implementation of the JCPOA, as long as Iran continues to implement its nuclear related commitments.

We also wish to take stock of the progress achieved to date, since the start of cooperation following Implementation Day on 16 January 2016. We rapidly established high level contacts between the European Commission and the AEOI, and issued in April 2016 the Joint Statement on cooperation in the field of Nuclear Energy which sets out the guiding lines of our cooperation in the implementation of Annex III. To further develop cooperation we organised high-level seminars on nuclear cooperation and governance in Brussels in February 2017 and in Isfahan in November 2017. During the latter seminar, we also adopted a Roadmap detailing future cooperation in the field of nuclear R&D. The European Commission has opened up its nuclear research programme for Iranian participation, and exchanges and visits of nuclear scientists have already taken place.

A number of ongoing projects address nuclear safety cooperation including: a project for stress testing of Iran’s first nuclear power plant, Bushehr-1; a project to prepare for the establishment of a nuclear safety centre in Iran, and projects to enhance the capabilities of Iran’s Nuclear Regulatory Authority.

We have also deepened working level contacts aimed at bringing nuclear safety specialists of the both sides together: Iranian specialists have participated to the bi-annual conference of the European Union’s nuclear safety regulators (ENSREG), Iranian specialists have also participated to the peer review of the stress test of a reactor under construction. Iranian specialists also were invited to the launch of the EU’s SAMIRA project which addresses nonpower applications of nuclear energy and nuclear technology. Iran and the EU are currently preparing a technical seminar on the issue of third-party nuclear liability and insurance – an important element of any nuclear power programme.

The European Commission is also strongly supporting Iran’s endeavours in governing the safe and responsible use of nuclear energy, including accession to the relevant international conventions.

In the spirit of close collaboration we also agreed that a third High Level seminar on nuclear cooperation will take place in Brussels at the end of November 2018.

We welcome the strengthening of ties at all levels and look forward to their further development over the coming months and years.

Overview of the main subjects to be discussed at meetings of the Council of the EU over the next two weeks.

Foreign Affairs Council (Trade issues), Tuesday 22 May 2018

The Council is expected to adopt a decision recommending the opening of trade negotiations with Australia and New Zealand, as well as Council conclusions on the new architecture of trade agreements. Trade ministers will also discuss the follow up to the WTO ministerial conference in Buenos Aires and the trade agreements with Japan and Singapore. Over lunch, ministers will exchange views on trade relations with the United States. 

Foreign Affairs Council (Development issues), Tuesday 22 May 2018

The Council will discuss the EU emergency trust fund for Africa, the post-Cotonou framework or the future of external financing instruments.

Education, Youth, Culture and Sport Council, Tuesday 22 and Wednesday 23 May 2018

The Council will discuss the potential of universities, the commercialisation of elite sports, the future of the EU youth policy and of culture after 2020. It will also adopt various sets of conclusions, including on the European Education area and on bringing cultural heritage to the fore across policies in the EU.

Economic and Financial Affairs Council, Friday 25 May 2018

Ministers will be called on to agree measures to reduce risk in the banking sector. They will discuss macroeconomic imbalances and age-related expenditure in the member states.

Foreign Affairs Council, Monday 28 May 2018

The Foreign Affairs Council will discuss the the latest developments on the Iran nuclear deal. Foreign ministers will also discuss the political situation in Venezuela and the Democratic Republic of Congo, as well as on and the future partnership between the EU and the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries which is set to replace the current agreement, the Cotonou agreement, after it expires in 2020. 

Competitiveness Council (Internal market and Industry), Monday 28 May 2018

The Council will carry out a competitiveness check-up on the impact of the internal market on industry. It will hold discussions on mutual recognition of goods and on online platforms-to-business relations.

Competitiveness Council (Research and Space), Tuesday 29 May 2018

The Council will debate on space policy, the extension of the EURATOM research programme as well as research and innovation in the context of the next EU’s multiannual budget. It is due to adopt conclusions on knowledge circulation and the European Open Science Cloud. It will also take note of a report on high performance computing.

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