July 19, 1996

Following up on my email of yesterday, the following is a translation of the Joint Communque of the science ministers of Germany and France:

According to the European Commission's first report (Framework Assumptions) on the implemenation of ITER, the host might have to pay up to 70% of the cost of construction.

Under these conditions, France and Germany do not wish to and are not able to propose candidate sites for ITER. However, the two countries are both of the opinion that the EDA should be pursued until its completion in 1998, so as to gain further information concerning the implementation of ITER.

In Europe, controlled thermonuclear fusion is pursued as a potential energy source for the next century. The European Union has made much progress in fundamental physics and improvements in technology. Several research installations exist already. In Cadarache, France, the CEA has been working very successfully on fusion for years. Germany will continue to concetrate its efforts in this field in Greifswald (W7X), working in cooperation with the Max Planck Institute of Plasma Physics.

With existing and planned projects, France and Germany support the declared goal of further progress at world level in controlled thermonuclear fusion. For the moment, four partners are participating in the ITER-EDA. France and Germany want to wait for the final report from the EDA, and on that basis will define their commitment, in the European Union framework.

For more information, contact: Stephen O. Dean