European Efforts to Control the Spread of Enrichment and Reprocessing Technologies

Abstract

EU efforts to foster agreement on better measures to prevent the misuse of uranium enrichment and plutonium reprocessing (ENR) technologies are an easy test for the effectiveness European policies to improve controls over proliferation-sensitive technologies more generally. Three examples of attempts to strengthen ENR controls are examined. EU members and the EU were actively engaged in efforts to peacefully resolve the conflict over Iran’s nuclear program, in the strengthening of guidelines of the Nuclear Suppliers Groups for the trade in ENR technologies and in endeavours to develop multilateral approaches for enrichment and reprocessing facilities. Yet, European efforts suffered from the same lack of coherence that characterizes the EU’s non-proliferation policies more generally. Realistically, it will be up to EU member states and particularly those with access to ENR technologies to provide political leadership on nuclear non-proliferation issues such as better ENR controls.