28 January 2003

 

 

Towards the new JRC of 1973

JRC more than 30 Years Ago

 

 

 

The history of Euratom- The European Atomic Energy Community - created in 1957 - appears to be a fascinating subject. Almost every year there are published   new contributions [1] to the extensive library describing the origin of the Treaty, tracing the work done under the Treaty, analysing the expectations, the successes, the failures and predicting the future of the Community, which after all even today form an integral part of the European Union. The present lines are in yet another publication from the early Euratom days.

 

The fathers of the Euratom Treaty had much foresight. They rightly felt that research was a way to foster the development of nuclear energy. The first chapter of the Euratom Treaty is devoted to the development of research. It advised a co-ordination of the national research programmes in the nuclear areas under guidance of the Commission, disapproved possible unnecessary duplication and invited the Commission to describe areas, which were not sufficiently studied. Above all the Treaty introduced the concept of multi-annual Community research programmes and defined in its annex the first five-year programme for research and education with detailed work areas and the associated financial resources. In budgetary terms the vast majority, some 75% of the work should be executed by Euratom in the Joint Centre and the remaining work, supplementary to the work of the Centre, performed under contracts outside the Centre. Amongst the work for the Joint Centre was a major project (one third of the budgetary resources) on development of prototype nuclear reactors, other projects were as well described and resources set aside to equip the laboratories of the Centre. It was clear that the Centre should become multidisciplinary. Next to the nuclear projects, the Treaty mentioned general laboratories for physics, chemistry, electronics and metallurgy.

 

The Joint Centre!  The Treaty decided that the Commission should establish a Joint Nuclear Research Centre (since the 1970s called the JRC - The Joint Research Centre - as used in the following text), which should execute research programmes, and other tasks decided by the Commission or described in the Treaty. The activities of the JRC could for geographical or functional reasons, be carried out in separate establishments.

 

In fact the JRC in the early 1960s came into active life on four geographical locations: Geel (Belgium), Karlsruhe (Germany), Ispra (Italy) and Petten (The Netherlands) selected after considerable discussions with the Euratom Member States, and notably those hosting an establishment. At Ispra Euratom took over a national research centre under construction with a research reactor (Ispra I), at Petten the Euratom was offered a High Flux Reactor (already foreseen in the Treaty). At this location and at Karlsruhe the JRC establishment was build adjacent to or inside a national research establishment and at Geel in the vicinity of the national establishment.

 

The human resources are the most important resource for the functioning of any enterprise, and indeed for the JRC. The ambitious plans of the Euratom Treaty called for the Commission to secure staffing of the research establishments. As it was to be a European centre, the JRC had to be staffed by nationals of all the Member States. It was initially not easy to find sufficient numbers of scientists, engineers, nuclear technicians, etc. of requisite competence, but they did come to take up the European challenge.

 

And it was a challenge! Above all, the European staff members that gathered little by little in the JRC were highly competent and they met this large European experiment with a true "pioneering spirit". By 1961 they numbered almost 1.500, more than half of whom were based in Ispra, which has remained the major site of the JRC ever since. The number grew in the following years and both men and women were recruited. The female role was considered also in the early days. An article "Les femmes 'atomiques' du lac Majeur", L'Illustré, Lausanne, 21 October 1965 [2] describe the work of the "Atomic ladies" on the shores of Lago Maggiore. They were all most enthusiastic and some of them had prominent positions as project leaders, etc.

 

The highly competent staff. The Frenchman Etienne Hirsch (1901 - 1994) was the second President of the Euratom Commission 1959 - 1962. He left at the end of his term following his famous clash with General de Gaulle [3], but maintained a strong interest and belief in Euratom, and indeed in a united Europe. When the so-called Euratom crisis emerged in the later 1960s he published an article "La leçon de l'Euratom", L'EUROPE, January 1969 [2] giving his analysis of the reasons for the crisis, but also emphasising that Euratom was much more than a failure. Amongst the positive results, he wrote, was the striking demonstration of the possibility of having true European teams of researchers working together without conflicts due to nationalities and without any real difficulties for linguistic reasons. Etienne Hirsch continued to state that thanks to the joint work of the staff of different education & training and a variety of natural aptitudes these teams had shown a remarkable creativity and efficiency. When they disposed of the necessary resources they had rapidly risen to international class and had been judged as such by their homologues on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean. Similar praise of the staff was repeated when Etienne Hirsh in 1988 published his memoirs "Ainsi va la vie"[3]. He had not forgotten his high regard for the men and women of Euratom!

 

The Years after 1967.The first Euratom 5-year programme was followed by a second one for the years 1963 - 1967 as decided by the Council of Ministers. For numerous and often analysed reasons it however was impossible for the Member States to agree upon a continuation. The policies of the Member States, or at least some of them, had changed markedly since the early enthusiasm involved in the initial establishment of the Euratom Treaty - industrial relations met with difficulties and some Member Countries did not always welcome relations with third countries. [4]

 

The JRC establishments for several years had to survive on an ad hoc basis decided only for one year at a time and with very severely reduced budgets. This crisis hit all the JRC locations very badly, but worst of all Ispra. Ispra was not only the largest site, but here much work had been concentrated on a major development project (ORGEL - Organic-Eau Lourde, organic-heavy water reactor type), which had to be abandoned. The other establishments were mainly engaged in long-term work: The Nuclear Measurements Bureau at Geel, the study of Transuranium elements in Karlsruhe and the operations of the High Flux Reactor and materials research in Petten.

 

The Member States and the Community Institutions were hesitant about the future. A large debate arose all over Europe. It was not easy to find a new way, or to suggest any radical solutions although high-level experts were called upon to help with suggestions. The existence of the highly competent staff was a strong argument in favour of seeking a new life for the JRC, which eventually was seen again as an important element in the service of Europe. This happened at various steps in the early 1970s. The Commission (now merged with the EEC - European Economic Community - Commission and the ECSC - European Steel and Coal Community - High Authority) gave revised organisation structures to the JRC and above all the Council in early 1973 decided a new multi-annual research programme to be executed by the JRC. It involved amongst other features a strong emphasis on nuclear safety research (and no longer nuclear development projects) and a diversification into programme research in non-nuclear areas such as non-nuclear energies, environmental protection, informatics, etc. - indeed again a new challenge for the JRC, and notably for the staff in Ispra. Europe had changed, the Community enlarged for the first time and an interest in wider European scientific-technical collaboration had emerged. [4,5]

 

The "dark" years since 1968 and up to 1973 obviously had very strong consequences for the staff and their morale. They had come to the JRC most enthusiastic to use their competences for the sake of the European Community and they were the real victims of the crisis, which was not due to them - quite the contrary!  Some left to seek new challenges elsewhere, but many remained. They found force to let their voice and views be known widely, as the present publication bears solid witnesses of. For an outside observer this appears not only to be a fight for preserving the place of work and the jobs. It as well and perhaps even more was deeper rooted in the strong belief of the advantages of a European Community, a united Europe and the trust that European research only could be advanced markedly by pulling the resources together.

 

The JRC resources were very scarce during these years. Infrastructure and equipment became run down, the future was uncertain. Nevertheless the scientists kept up research activities, and also contributed to the future of the JRC by engaging in novel lines of research which they sensed could be of value for a Europe that had moved so much since the early Euratom days.

 

There are many witnesses of this through contributions to the scientific literature, scientific meetings and congresses from JRC scientists during the difficult years 1968 - 1973 leading up to the new era with a decided new multi-annual research programme. The press in several countries also noted it. [2]

 

To this could be added testimonials from scientists around Europe who had the pleasure to be in contact with their JRC colleagues and often learn much from them. Some of those had the great challenge of later joining the JRC. The author of these lines came to Ispra in the autumn 1974 as member of a new team of directors. He will never forget the immense satisfaction of working with the very competent "old-timers" of the JRC. Their eagerness in paving the way for the new JRC of those days and overcoming the difficulties of the past years is forever in memory!

 

The World, Europe, the Community, now called the European Union, has again changed very much since these days 30 years ago.  The JRC has gone from era to era, always finding the best ways of being of true service to Europe, adapting to the new circumstances and demands. This is particularly striking at present where the JRC has begun its work under the 6th Framework Programme for European research and development (2002 - 2006) and assuming a solid role for the development of a true European Research Area.

 

As ever, everything hinges on the high competence and devotion of the staff - something that always through "sunny and raining" days has characterised the JRC, and is continuing as noted by outside observers!

 

The present publication may be felt to emphasise on particularly "raining" days. It however provides a clear confirmation of staff efforts to overcome very difficult circumstances, not just for their own sake, but also for the sake of Europe and European research. The contributions (apart from the present lines) to the publication come from "old-timers" who have lived through the JRC in the 1960s and onwards. They deserve all recognition of their efforts in those days and so does the memory of those who no longer are amongst us.

 

It is in acknowledgement of this a group of friends of the JRC felt the present publication should be facilitated with their sponsorship.

 

 

Hans Jørgen Helms

 

References:

 

1. European Parliament, Directorate-General for Research, Working Paper: The European Parliament and the Euratom Treaty: past, present and future, Energy and Research Series ENER 114 EN, 2002 - Authors: Dr. Mervyn O'Driscoll, University College Cork; Gordon Lake, Directorate-General for Research. (Include a large bibliography)

Available on http://www.europarl.eu.int/studies

 

2. JRC Public Relations and Press, Ispra Establishment: Thirty Years of the Ispra Establishment March 25th 1957 to March 25th 1987, Volume 1, 1987

 

3. Etienne Hirsch: Ainsi va la vie, Fondation Jean Monnet pour l'Europe, Lausanne, 1988

 

4. Joint Research Centre, European Commission, JRC Information and Public Relations Unit: JRC - 40 Years of Service for Europe, 2000

Available on www.jrc.cec.eu.int   click on What we offer and then on Alumni Network

 

5. European Commission, Directorate-General XII, Science, Research, Development. Luca Guzzetti: A brief History of European Union Research Policy, October 1995, ISBN 92 827 5353 0 (Office for Official Publications of the European Communities)