European Community is published JET pages 3-4 on behalf of the Commission of the European Communities. Community thermonuclear fusion programme London Office: 20 Kensington Palace Gardens, London W8 4QQ Tel. 01-727 8090 European elections pages 5-8 Cardiff Office: 4 Cathedral Road, The Irish and Danish results Cardiff CF! 9SG Tel. (0222) 371631 The CAP pages 9-11 Edinburgh Office: 7 Alva Street, Have we reached a turning point? Edinburgh EH2 4PH Tel. (031) 225 2058 Greece - The tenth Community pages 12-13 Dublin Office: 29 Merrion Square, member Dublin 2. Tel. 76 03 53 Intended to give a concise view of Misleading and unfair pages 14-16 current Community affairs and advertising stimulate discussion on European problems, it does not necessarily Giles Shaw MP, criticizes the reflect the opinions of the Commission draft directive on Community institutions or of its misleading and unfair editor. Unsigned articles may be quoted or reprinted without advertising payment if their source is acknowledged. Rights in signed articles should be negotiated with their authors. In either case, the editor would be glad to receive the publication. Printed by Edwin Snell printers, Yeovil, England European Community also appears in the following editions: 30Joursd'Europe, 61 rue des Belles Feuilles, 75782 Paris Cedex 16. Tel. 553 5326 Comunita Europea, Via Poli 29, 00187 Rome. Tel. 68 97 22 Europa Gammel Torv 4, Post Box 144, 1004 K0benhavn K. Tel.144140/ 14 5512. EG Magazin, Zitelmannstrasse 22, 53 Bonn Tel. 23 8041 Europese Gemeenschap, Lange Voorhout 29, The Hague. Tel. 070-46 93 26 Comunidad Europea, 200 rue de la Loi, I 049 Brussels. Tel. 35 00 40 Europaiki Koinotis, 2 Vassilissis Sofias, The Community in July T.K. 1602, Alhina 134. Tel. 743 982 A vrupa Top/u/ugu, Bogaz Sokak July 16 Economic and Finance Council No. 13, Kavaklidere-Ankara. July 17-20 European Parliament (Strasbourg) Tel. 27 6145-2761 46 July 23 Budget Council European Community, 2100 M Street, NW, Washington DC 20037 July 23-24 Agriculture Council Tel. 8728350 July 23-24 Foreign Affairs Council Community thermonuclear fusion programme Dr Guido Brunner, member of the The implementation of the Joint Commission in charge of energy, science, European Torus (JET) project is the result research and education, laid the of years of difficult negotiations. I am foundation stone for the main convinced that in many quarters this experimental building of the Joint decision has restored confidence in the European Torus (JET) joint undertaking creativity of Europe's scientists and at Culham, Oxfordshire, on 18 May. The researchers and in the ability of JET project represents a substantial part Europeans to share their common future. of the nuclear fusion research programme We hope that some day this vital effort of the European Atomic Energy will significantly reduce the dependence of Community (EURA TOM). The Europe on external energy supplies. programme aims to develop nuclear The Community has now charted its fusion as a new source of energy for main course for energy policy over the Europe. coming years. There are encouraging The JET joint undertaking was developments in this area. But it is not all formally established on 1 June, 1978 by a going to be plain sailing. decision of the Council of Ministers. Members of the joint undertaking include Dramatic situation today EURA TOM, the Nine member countries Let us consider today's dramatic situation of the EEC and Sweden (through their in the energy field. Uncertainties and risks national laboratories where these exist). now face us in this sensitive sphere. Iran Switzerland is shortly expected to become and the effects of Harrisburg illustrate the a member. The decision to establish the precarious nature of our energy JET joint undertaking followed the circumstances. satisfactory completion of the design The immediate difficulties arising from phase of the project (November 1973-May the Iranian crisis have illustrated all too 1978) - the result of significant effort by clearly the urgency of the longer-term the design team, the European energy situation, and the dangers inherent Communities and the national fusion in the Community's position. Iran stands research organisations which provided for the ultimate demise of the oil economy. staff and finance, and, together with Before the Iranian crisis, we thought industry, made scientific and technical that the limits of incremental world oil experience available to the project. supply would be reached in the middle or The JET laboratory is expected to be late l980's. On this basis, we had up to lO completed and the JET experimental years to diversify out of oil, and to buiid device assembled in 1982. The apparatus up the contribution from coal and will be the most powerful of its kind in the nuclear. Now, the problem is even more world. The successful completion of the pressing. Unless we can make radical subsequent programme will assist in inroads into our oil dependence in the specifying the parameters of a fusion next two or three years, we are going to power reactor. face serious trouble. This will consist of Dr Brunner made the following physical constraints on the economy, and remarks at the Cul ham ceremony. of rapidly increasing energy costs. European Community July 1979 3 Harrisburg, on the other hand, means absolute terms - about equal to present postponing the application of a potential day UK oil production from the North and important alternative to oil as a form Sea. of energy. After Harrisburg we may not, to the extent we had planned, turn to conventional fission technology. Unrest Nuclear fusion has us in its grip again. There will be more Nuclear fusion as a commeri:;ial reality is delays. Unless we are very careful we will even longer term, but it requires intense find ourselves tumbling into an energy gap efforts now. This brings me to the heart of whilst the base for new economic growth today's proceedings: the fusion is being pulled from under our feet. programme of the Community and JET. The fusion programme is a long-term Medium term difficulties cooperative project. It embraces work Thus, in the medium term, the scope on carried out in the member States and in the energy supply side is limited. Coal the States associated with the project. It is production and consumption have been designed to lead in due course to the joint languishing since 1973. Neither in oil or construction of prototypes with a view to gas production have we much room for their industrial-scale production and manoeuvre in the next decade. So our marketing. priority now must be energy saving - The realisation of this objective particularly oil. That is why the recent depends on the outcome of much complex community decisions to set limits on oil scientific and technological research. This consumption in this year, and on oil task is certainly technically more difficult imports in 1985, are so important. than putting a man on the moon and is It is essential that we implement strong clearly of more direct significance. practical measures, so that these limits are The main objectives of the not broken. thermonuclear fusion programme are the construction of JET and the preparation of the next step - the post-JET device. Hopeful future This involves the solution of several In the longer term, however, in spite of all problems both in the field of physics and the uncertainties, the picture is more of fusion technology. Several hopeful. Not only should we by then have intermediate-size devices, mainly of the put in place really solid energy savings tokamak type, each one designed to programmes, but the scope on the supply answer some specific question, will be side will be greater. Much depends on operated in the associated laboratories. farsighted research and development Thus JET, the flag ship of the work begun in this or even earlier decades. Community programme, will be Both at Community and national level, supported by a powerful fleet of we have seen an increase in research and specialised tokamaks. development work on the new forms of The Community has established and energy. It is vital that these abundant and maintained a position in the forefront of clean sources are exploited to the full. the world fusion programme in spite of Progress is encouraging, and major the fact that the USA annual fusion programmes are under way in the main budget is larger than the European one. fields of solar energy on a domestic and The USSR budget is still larger. It is industrial scale, geothermal energy in essential to maintain this competitiveness specific areas, and on new uses for coal and with the completion of the JET through gasification and liquefaction. machine the Community will have one of Although it may be prudent not to rely the most powerful experimental devices of on these technologies for more than five this kind in the world. If JET is successful or six per cent of our total energy demand this will put the Community well along the in the year 2000, that share would path towards the solution of its energy represent an important contribution in problem. 4 European Community July 1979 Politics .A. European elections .. The Irish and Danish results Until the next wave of new members There is no doubt that the elections to arrives from Southern Europe, Denmark the European Parliament in Ireland and Ireland, together with the UK, are provided several shocks and some still often known as the 'new' member pleasant surprises. The overall turnout states, even after nearly seven years in the considering petrol shortages and postal Community. The election results in these strike problems was an excellent 63.6 per countries are of considerable interest as a cent.