THE FORATOM TRANSPORT WORKING GROUP: PROMOTING EUROPEAN NUCLEAR TRANSPORT ACTIVITIES

FORATOM, the trade association of the European nuclear industry, was established three decades ago to promote nuclear power and to facilitate relations between the industry and the European Institutions. These Institutions, to which the 15 European Member States1 have delegated sovereignty for certain matters, are the Council of the European Union, the European Commission and the European Parliament. The Council is the embodiment of the European Union Member States. The Council is the Community’s legislative body; for a wide range of Community issues, it exercises that legislative power in co-decision with the European Parliament The European Commission embodies and upholds the general interest of the Union. The President and Members of the Commission are appointed by the Member States and approved by the European Parliament. The Commission is the driving force in the Union's institutional system. Elected every five years by direct universal suffrage, the European Parliament is the expression of the democratic will of the Union's 374 million citizens. Brought together within pan-European political groups, the major political parties operating in the Member States are represented. These Institutions have important legislative powers on a considerable number of areas, ranging from everyday life to industrial and environmental domains. As a consequence, thousands of interest groups - covering all sectors of economic and social activity - are interacting with the European Institution on a daily basis. They contribute to the elaboration of Community legislation (especially by providing their technical expertise).