2014 discharge: European Joint Undertaking for ITER and the Development of Fusion Energy - Fusion for Energy (F4E)

The Committee on Budgetary Control adopted the second report by Marian-Jean MARINESCU (EPP, RO) on discharge in respect of the implementation of the budget of the ITER and the Development of Fusion Energy for the financial year 2014.

The committee called on the European Parliament to grant the Director of the European Joint Undertaking for ITER and the Development of Fusion Energy discharge in respect of the implementation of the Joint Undertaking’s budget for the financial year 2014.

In parallel, Members called on the Parliament to close the accounts of the Joint Undertaking for 2014.

They made a series of specific recommendations which may be summarised as follows:

• Positive development: Members welcomed the conclusions of the ITER Council of 15 and 16 June 2016 which confirmed that the ITER Project is now going in the right direction, in a way that will allow for a sound, realistic and detailed proposal for schedule and indicated that the successful completion of all project milestones to date, on or ahead of schedule, is a positive indicator. They welcomed the position of the ITER Council that a sharp focus on the core elements through First Plasma should effectively reduce ITER Project risks and that the updated Integrated Schedule represents the best technically achievable path forward. Members noted that the milestones set up at the ITER Council meeting of 18 and 19 November 2015 are well advanced and that four out of the six milestones attributed to Fusion for Energy (F4E) for 2016 have already been fulfilled.
• Lease agreements: Members noted that the issue of the lease of the premises of the Joint Undertaking has been solved, as the Spanish government offered a long-term lease agreement for the current premises and an extension of the current office space by one additional floor.
• Intellectual property rights: Members welcomed the fact that, as of 1 January 2016, the new Financial Regulation and new Implementing Rules of the Joint Undertaking entered into force. They acknowledged that the Joint Undertaking has established a working definition of fusion/non-fusion application which facilitates establishing the scope of the exclusive use of Intellectual Property rights generated within the contracts.