OREANDA-NEWS. July 30, 2008. In Sept 2008 Russia and the European Union will continue negotiations for lifting hidden quotas on Russian nuclear exports to Europe.

In Sept 2008 Russia and the European Union will continue negotiations for lifting hidden quotas on Russian nuclear exports to Europe, Director General of Rosatom State Nuclear Energy Corporation Sergey Kiriyenko said after a government conference on nuclear energy development on Tuesday.

“This problem is being negotiated. I think that the next round of the negotiations will take place during the EU summit in Russia in Sept 2008,” Kiriyenko said.

The quotas on Russian nuclear exports to Europe are regulated by the Corfu Declaration, a document stipulating that any contract exceeding 20% of the overall Russian nuclear supplies to Europe should be coordinated by Euratom. “Hidden quotas are a rudiment of the old times and are contrary to the liberal trade rules declared by the EU today,” Kiriyenko said. “This is even worse than was the case in the United States – they, at least, had formal reasons.” To remind, until recently the United States has applied serious restrictions on Russian uranium products. The restrictions were imposed in the 1990s following Russia’s dumping policies on the US market.

Kiriyenko pointed out that the Corfu Declaration expired in late 2007 but there is an EU mandate for its revision. “This document must be liquidated rather than revised,” Kiriyenko said. He noted that in 2011–2012 the EU would begin to experience shortage of uranium enrichment services and Rosatom was ready to support its European colleagues provided that it would supply the services directly rather than through agents.

Today, the real amount of Russian nuclear exports to the EU already exceeds the quota but the existence of hidden quotas makes it hard for Russian suppliers to conclude new contracts.

Kiriyenko believes that the chairmanship of France in the EU would facilitate the Russia-EU talks.