[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1993, Book I)]
[March 9, 1993]
[Pages 263-264]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Letter to Congressional Leaders on Nuclear Cooperation With EURATOM
March 9, 1993

Dear Mr. Speaker:  (Dear Mr. President:)
    The United States has been engaged in nuclear cooperation with the 
European Community for many years. This cooperation was initiated under 
agreements that were concluded over 3 decades ago between the United 
States and the European Atomic Energy Community (EURATOM) and that 
extend until December 31, 1995. Since the inception of this cooperation, 
the Community has adhered to all its obligations under those agreements.
    The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Act of 1978 amended the Atomic Energy 
Act of 1954 to establish new nuclear export criteria, including a 
requirement that the United States have a right to consent to the 
reprocessing of fuel exported from the United States. Our present 
agreements for cooperation with EURATOM do not contain such a right. To 
avoid disrupting cooperation with EURATOM, a proviso was included in the 
law to enable continued cooperation until March 10, 1980, if EURATOM 
agreed to negotiations concerning our cooperation agreements. EURATOM 
agreed in 1978 to such negotiations.
    The law also provides that nuclear cooperation

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with EURATOM can be extended on an annual basis after March 10, 1980, 
upon determination by the President that failure to cooperate would be 
seriously prejudicial to the achievement of U.S. non-proliferation 
objectives or otherwise jeopardize the common defense and security and 
after notification to the Congress. President Carter made such a 
determination 13 years ago and signed Executive Order No. 12193, 
permitting nuclear cooperation with EURATOM to continue until March 10, 
1981. President Reagan made such determinations in 1981, 1982, 1983, 
1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, and 1988, and signed Executive Orders Nos. 
12295, 12351, 12409, 12463, 12506, 12554, 12587, and 12629 permitting 
nuclear cooperation to continue through March 10, 1989. President Bush 
made such determinations in 1989, 1990, 1991, and 1992, and signed 
Executive Orders Nos. 12670, 12706, 12753, and 12791 permitting nuclear 
cooperation to continue through March 10, 1993.
    In addition to numerous informal contacts, the United States has 
engaged in frequent talks with EURATOM regarding the renegotiation of 
the U.S.-EURATOM agreements for cooperation. Talks were conducted in 
November 1978, September 1979, April 1980, January 1982, November 1983, 
March 1984, May, September, and November 1985, April and July 1986, 
September 1987, September and November 1988, July and December 1989, 
February, April, October, and December 1990, and September 1991. Formal 
negotiations on a new agreement were held in April, September, and 
December 1992 and are expected to continue this year.
    I believe that it is essential that cooperation between the United 
States and the Community continue, and likewise, that we work closely 
with our allies to counter the threat of proliferation of nuclear 
explosives. Not only would a disruption of nuclear cooperation with 
EURATOM eliminate any chance of progress in our negotiations with that 
organization related to our agreements, it would also cause serious 
problems in our overall relationships. Accordingly, I have determined 
that failure to continue peaceful nuclear cooperation with EURATOM would 
be seriously prejudicial to the achievement of U.S. non-proliferation 
objectives and would jeopardize the common defense and security of the 
United States. I therefore intend to sign an Executive order to extend 
the waiver of the application of the relevant export criterion of the 
Atomic Energy Act for an additional 12 months from March 10, 1993.
    Sincerely,

                                                            Bill Clinton

Note: Identical letters were sent to Thomas S. Foley, Speaker of the 
House of Representatives, and Albert Gore, Jr., President of the Senate. 
The Executive order is listed in Appendix D at the end of this volume.